WASTE NOT -
In 2008 Philips Consumer Lifestyle started a program for sustainable innovation with a series of workshops to investigate possibilities around closing the loop of its products. People from different functions and departments brainstormed around business model possibilities, alternative materials and value chain management.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Let’s start with where we are today. The state of the "economy," like the bible or the U.S. constitution, is granted semi-magical powers by most businesses, as if it were carved out of granite, solid and unmoving, never in flux. Yet we all know that the economy — which we'll define here as the system of production and consumption of goods and services within a given region — is ruled by no one, experiences massive upheavals as industries rise and fall, and serves to enrich some people and impoverish others. The economy requires the functioning of natural systems, from the hydrologic cycle to photosynthesis, to function.
WASTE NOT -
Product Reuse is the exchange of secondhand or surplus products between individuals and/or organizations. This exchange is often performed by social service agencies looking to distribute goods to their clients or to raise funds for their operations.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
Aluminum company Alcoa is lending its support to a longstanding research partnership between Honda and Ohio State University that could innovate auto manufacturing.
WASTE NOT -
Sonoco, one of the largest diversified global packaging companies, has always prided itself on ‘closing the loop.’ Our company began recycling in the 1920s, before recycling was even a buzzword. Today, we successfully offer a full range of services from creation to reclamation that separates Sonoco from its packaging peers.
WASTE NOT -
When Herman Miller engineers began using Cradle to Cradle thinking as part of their Design for Environment (DfE) process in 2001, the world of green design was less complicated than today.
CLEANTECH -
Outgoing U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced 13 major U.S. employers and eight stakeholder groups have joined the Department of Energy’s Workplace Charging Challenge, which aims to increase workplace charging by tenfold over the next five years.
WASTE NOT -
As both a natural resources and packaged goods company, Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA) is always looking for ways to reduce our footprint while producing superior products that meet consumer demand. When it comes to our packaging, we are constantly seeking methods to increase our use of recycled PET (rPET) in our bottles.
WASTE NOT -
The overarching principle for this month’s Issue in Focus is the insight that in nature there is no waste.For centuries, human industry has ignored this simple lesson. But today, a convergence of environmental and resource concerns is driving the recovery of all sorts of valuable materials.
WASTE NOT -
At Goodwill, we were excited to be invited to co-edit this issue dedicated to highlighting innovative solutions for eliminating and reutilizing waste streams in operations. As individuals continue to consume products and companies continue to expand, finding waste stream solutions that keep these products from stacking up in landfills has become an urgent priority.The companies we’re highlighting this month demonstrate the opportunities organizations have taken at every step of the product life cycle to limit the negative impact they have on the environment. From innovations in how products are packaged to post-use recovery efforts to partnerships that maximize both environmental and financial impact, these agencies are truly leading the way in achieving net positivity.
ICT AND BIG DATA -
Environmental concerns are compelling businesses to shift their primary focus from serving customers to addressing sustainability, according to a new paper published last month as part of the Thirty Third International Conference on Information Systems.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
A UK-based company with a reusable alternative to single-use cardboard boxes has announced plans to enter the North American market.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
This post first appeared in Grist on January 8, 2013.LEDs are already much more efficient than any other light bulb out there, but a group of scientists figured out how to make them a whopping 55 percent more efficient — by looking at fireflies.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Several major consumer brands are slated to participate in the second Packaging Innovations Conference to be held in tandem with the easyFairs Packaging Innovations show in Birmingham, England, February 27-28.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
The holiday season is over, and the garbage trucks have cleared away the curbside remnants that accompany the feasting and gift-giving. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day household waste increases by more than 25 percent, adding an additional million tons a week to landfill waste.
WASTE NOT -
Global carpet tile manufacturer Interface, Inc. will soon begin using discarded fishing nets to make carpets, bringing both conservation and socioeconomic benefits to some of the world's poorest coastal communities.The company recently completed a pilot project, called Net-Works, with conservation charity the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). By establishing a community-based supply chain for discarded nets, Net-Works aims to improve the livelihood of local fishers, while providing Interface with an innovative source of recycled materials for its carpet tiles.
ICT AND BIG DATA -
Handling, storing and transporting goods in a shared network of manufacturers, retailers and transporters would benefit the U.S. economy and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a study by engineers at the University of Arkansas and Virginia Tech University. If 25 percent of the U.S. supply chain operated with this so-called “physical internet” system, profits for participating firms would increase by $100 billion, carbon dioxide emissions from road-based freight would decrease by at least 33 percent and consumers would pay less for goods, researchers said.
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION -
In an effort to increase customer adoption of reusable cups, Starbucks is rolling out a new low-cost reusable tumbler this week, according to reports.The plastic cups will be roughly the same size and appearance as the company’s paper cups and will cost $1. Starbucks will give a 10 cents discount to customers using the cups, so the cost is recouped after 10 uses.
PRESS RELEASE -
Game-changing breakthrough to make snack packaging more sustainable
BASF partners with Seattle Mariners to debut new compostable snack bags
SEATTLE, WA, & Wyandotte, MI, September 4, 2012 -- BASF, The Chemical Company, has made a game-changing breakthrough towards sustainable snack packaging that can help companies and communities everywhere get closer to their goal of zero-waste.