THE NEXT ECONOMY - Here are 4 takeaways from the 2024 WEF annual meeting that the business world should incorporate into sustainability strategies for the year ahead.
COLLABORATION - Often fearful of transitioning toward sustainability on their own, businesses find safety in numbers when working together. And one place to find these numbers is in industry, trade and professional groups or associations.
WASTE NOT - Not all flights booked result in a passenger on board said flight. By predicting the number of passengers based on historical data, AI is helping the airline waste significantly fewer inflight meals.
SUPPLY CHAIN - The often-arduous process for meeting sustainable certification requirements can be daunting, if not prohibitive, for smallholder farmers. Digitizing the process removes pain points for both farmers and the companies that source their crops.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - The luxury Italian carmaker extends its decarbonization program to its entire value chain, with the aim of reducing total enterprise emissions by 40% per car by 2030.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - Australian startup Sea Forest’s seaweed-based feed supplements significantly reduce methane emissions from ruminant livestock.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT - The $1M fund aims to finance deployment of reuse and refill infrastructure — particularly in FMCG, food service and delivery, grocery, e-commerce and retail — to combat global plastic pollution.
NEW METRICS - Right now, far too much of the business world is giving sustainability a value of zero, when nothing could be farther from the truth.
MARKETING AND COMMS - A Super Bowl ad can shape a countrywide conversation; but most brands are choosing gutless entertainment — missing an opportunity to differentiate, engage and lead on today’s most pertinent issues.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT - How T. Rowe Price brought capital to under-resourced communities and ensured it had the desired impacts, while inspiring pride and creativity among corporate associates.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT - We challenge all of these advertisers to skim the nonprofits below and think about diverting even $1M of their game-time spend to instead address urgent social issues.
WASTE NOT - Anaerobic digestion offers a solution to two major challenges: food waste and transitioning to clean energy. We spoke with Shawn Kreloff, founder and CEO of Bioenergy Devco, to discuss the technology’s potential.
SUPPLY CHAIN - The certification signifies attention to worker empowerment, fair wages and more; but whether it will galvanize competitors and partners to make such a commitment remains to be seen.
COLLABORATION - We spoke with Keith Dokho, USAID’s Private Sector Engagement Secretariat Lead, about how the organization is shifting to support the private sector’s environmental and social progress.
SUPPLY CHAIN - SustainCERT, through its Value Change Initiative and partnership with Regrow Ag, is working to promote resilience across the cotton value chain.
THE NEXT ECONOMY - Unlike the majority of lobbyists dedicated to preserving business as usual, a new generation of lobby groups are using their power to fuel sustainable development.
BEHAVIOR CHANGE - The mayo brand is once again aiming to inspire game-day partiers to reimagine mouthwatering dishes out of their leftovers, in honor of #SickofFoodWasteDay.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING - Labels will be replaced with an embossed logo on Sprite and Sprite Zero 500ml rPET bottles as part of a UK trial designed to reduce use of packaging materials.
SUPPLY CHAIN - By using recycled instead of newly mined silver and gold, Pandora avoids 58,000 tons of CO2 per year. The company expects that it will craft all new jewelry with 100% recycled silver and gold from the second half of 2024.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - For the hordes of companies still struggling to make good on their net-zero commitments, comply with impending climate-disclosure legislation and figure out what ‘circularity’ even means, Pentatonic is here to help.