THE NEXT ECONOMY -
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) has launched a new industry collaborative to build on the vision outlined in its New Textiles Economy report.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
A new digital platform aims to make sustainable business decisions easier for the fashion industry. By matching actors along the supply chain and providing data-driven, solutions-focused information, Common Objective (CO) hopes to improve the day-to-day practices of textiles and clothing companies around the world.
PRESS RELEASE -
Officials from General Motors and Starwood Energy Group joined Ohio lawmakers, county officials and local landowners today at a press conference to unveil the Northwest Ohio Wind Farm, a 100-megawatt wind project under construction in Paulding County, Ohio. Power purchased from the wind farm will help offset the power used at General Motors’ Ohio and Indiana manufacturing facilities with clean, renewable energy.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
Proposing a new idea and convincing others of its validity is no easy task. Even more so when you’re dealing with complex issues such as supply chain transparency, or trying to shift the ‘take, make and waste’ model of the fashion industry to one of circularity.
PRESS RELEASE -
The Humana Foundation, philanthropic arm of Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) for the past 37 years, today announced the details of its planned health-focused community investing work for 2018 in its headquarters hometown of Louisville, Ky., as well as in seven additional communities where the foundation intends to make significant community investments this year.
Strategic Community Investments in ‘Bold Goal’ communities
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The week surrounding Easter has the highest consumption of chocolate in the year. For environmentalists, it can be a bitter reminder that many of the world’s primary regions for growing cocoa are experiencing dramatic decline in forest cover as land is cleared for agriculture. Cocoa is the top driver of deforestation in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire; countries that also rank 1st and 3rd for the highest rates of deforestation in all of Africa.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Despite decades of intense media and business attention, poor working conditions persist in global supply chains. Even Apple, recently announced yet again as the world’s most admired company by Fortune magazine, has struggled to address this issue.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
At a moment when the world is beginning to more fully acknowledge the power and voice of women, big name brands and organizations are using their influence — and some creative marketing — to shed light on issues such as the gender pay gap and the lack of opportunities for women in STEM.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The complexity of global supply chains has made it incredibly difficult for businesses to effectively drive sustainable social and environmental change. However, new funding and accessible online resources are making it easier than ever for businesses to overcome these deeply embedded challenges.
BUSINESS CASE -
Welcome to the tipping point of capitalism.
At a time defined by political scandals, nuclear threats, and turbulence on Wall Street, business is society’s unlikeliest hero. A series of watershed statements, reports and initiatives from some of the world’s most well-known capitalists is heralding a new zeitgeist, during which businesses are expected to exist to benefit society — not just shareholders.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
A first-of-its-kind research project led by Microfinance Opportunities (MFO) in partnership with Fashion Revolution and C&A Foundation gives the most comprehensive picture yet of the living and working conditions faced by female garment workers in Bangladesh, Cambodia and India.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
The more mature you get, the more you start to understand that the little, normal things you do and the routines you follow make a big impact over time. Leave the water running while you’re brushing your teeth, and you’re wasting up to 200 gallons of water each month. Bike to work every day, and you’re cutting down on household emissions by at least 6 percent while lessening vehicular pollution by about .97 pounds per mile.
NEW METRICS -
Without a uniform, universally accepted and publicly available measurement methodology, companies large and small wanting to eradicate the pay gap are often left wondering where to start.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Supply chains are making headlines once again — and for all the wrong reasons.
COLLABORATION -
A year after announcing its strategy to ensure 100 percent of its branded tuna is sustainably sourced, Thai Union, the company behind brands such as Chicken of the Sea, Bumble Bee, John West and Petit Navire, has embarked on a new partnership with Nestlé to help rebuild its damaged reputation.
PRESS RELEASE -
GRID Alternatives, a national leader in making clean, affordable solar power and solar jobs accessible to low-income communities, announced today a $500,000 grant from Bank of America Charitable Foundation to support its SolarCorps Fellowship Program. This national grant builds on the bank’s past support for GRID in locations in California and Colorado.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The cocoa industry is undoubtedly changing for the better, but the road to a sustainable sector is a long one. According to industry experts, long-term, sustainable change can’t be made without paying farmers a premium.
WASTE NOT -
While a recent report from waste management firm Suez has expressed concern about the potential “disastrous” consequences of Brexit on the UK’s already taxed waste infrastructure system, Scotland is forging ahead with its plans to create a Zero Waste future. Late last week, MSP Roseanna Cunningham, Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, announced the cities chosen for phase two of Zero Waste Scotland’s Zero Waste Towns project.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
Young, sustainable companies have it tough. With all that excitement and idealism in building a new company comes a mountain of obstacles to overcome. But for purpose-driven companies pursuing opportunities that also create impact, that risk/reward ratio may be even higher.
MARKETING AND COMMS -
A digital initiative bringing to life real stories about real people in the Bangladeshi garment industry is proving a game-changer in the country in its first year of launch.
“Made in Equality” is a website and Facebook page illustrating garment workers’ life experiences in their own words. The simple format of an individual’s image, presented alongside their quotes, is proving moving and powerful.