THE NEXT ECONOMY -
Cuningham was commissioned to estimate GHG emissions for a company with $6.6B in annual sales and operations in 14 states, with 305 locations comprising more than 4M square feet. Companies’ real work begins when their GHGs are known and
they can decide how to respond to newfound knowledge about their impacts.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Brightworks’ materials scoring methodology distills existing product sustainability standards and attributes into holistic, comparable, numerical scores — making it easier for manufacturers, the design industry and design
clients to create and select more sustainable materials.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
Simply returning profits to investors is no longer a good enough measure of success. If any stakeholder does not see benefits in the design of a capital project, then gaining support is unlikely. Is your organization ready for multi-stakeholder investment and design?
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
New partner Fortera’s material converts carbon dioxide into cement, reducing CO₂ emissions by more than 60% — and costs 10% less than conventional cement.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Aidia Studio’s pre-Hispanic Mayan-inspired design is a much-needed evolutionary twist on current architecture that will help ensure the survival of the Mexican city’s transport links during increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
As the latest company to use its size and scale to help equip the next generation of workers, SBD’s ‘Empower Makers’ grants aim to advance and accelerate vocational skills training programs in the next five years — and change misconceptions that these careers are not financially rewarding.
CLEANTECH -
Though it will involve substantive changes, the move to net zero is not something companies should dread — and they lose money to inefficient systems every day they wait.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
The online real estate brokerage site now includes data from ClimateCheck to help home buyers and sellers understand the risk for fire, heat, drought and storms in their area over a 30-year mortgage.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The ongoing pandemic has changed fundamental patterns in our lives, accelerating existing trends and revealing new unmet needs. Since the onset of COVID,
Steelcase has conducted ongoing research to help organizations understand its impact on their people and business.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The construction industry must adopt technologies that increase productivity while mitigating the impact of our growing housing needs on the climate crisis. Mighty Buildings’ technology may be ‘one of the only in
existence’ that could unlock the needed productivity alongside reduced emissions.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
It’s that time of year again, when Fast Company calls out its favorite World-Changing Ideas. Here are a few of that we’re especially keen to keep an eye on, because of their work …
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
HITT Contracting’s demo facility was designed to highlight circular design; focus on healthy material selection; and meet the most rigorous, sustainable standards for the construction industry.
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE -
The nine organizations selected for this year’s sustain[HUMAN]ability® Leadership Recognition Program have displayed tremendous effort and progress to support the wellbeing of people and the planet amid the unprecedented challenges of 2020.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Last year provided many unforeseen challenges for the building management industry; despite it all, sustainability commitments stayed steady. But we
must seize the opportunity to shift the narrative in the energy industry away from efficiency, towards continuous optimization.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Digital twins are now beginning to be recognized for their ability to monitor a building’s performance in real time. Companies' building projects should include a model that is prepared for this new, data-driven approach to sustainability.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
The language and terms we use influence our approach to the problems we face. Switching from sustainable to regenerative design enables us to more easily leave behind strategies that are no longer equal to the challenges we face.
WASTE NOT -
When Toronto’s Rogers Centre stadium needed a new roof, the owner turned to Sika Sarnafil — the manufacturer of the original vinyl roof membrane. Choosing a Sarnafil roof provided the additional benefit of the company’s recycling program.
WASTE NOT -
Many plastic-based building materials that could be recycled aren’t, because most companies haven’t yet figured out how. The AZEK Company cracked this code, and diverted nearly 300 million pounds of waste from landfills in 2019.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The intersection of circular practices and supply chain in the built environment
will be a ripe area for innovation as companies look to their real estate portfolios for opportunities to meet their ambitious
sustainability commitments by 2030.
THE NEXT ECONOMY -
Every aspect of coastal infrastructure will be impacted by sea level rise; and the sheer size of the problem is difficult to comprehend. We can’t just turn
Venice, California into Venice, Italy; but there are things we can do to protect our coastal communities and infrastructure.