Sustainable Business News – Consumer Goods – 1/13/18 – 1/19/18

Jan 19, 2018

Each week, the Erb Institute shares a collection of news and updates regarding business sustainability. This month, the Erb Institute blog and social media is focusing on consumer goods, leading up to our C-Suite speaker event with Campbell’s CSO, Dave Stangis, at the end of the month. Click here for more details!

Sustainable Business News – 1/13/2018 – 1/19/2018

Consumer Goods

Zara, ASOS, H&M, & more have committed to going green

Refinery29

“On Thursday, 64 companies announced their commitment to increasing sustainable design, garment collection, repurposing, and the use of recycled textiles by 2020. Companies like Kering, Zara’s manufacturer Inditex, Adidas, ASOS, Eileen Fisher, Ganni, H&M, Target, VF Corp., and Reformation, are now required to publish a “progress report” as part of the Global Fashion Agenda’s focus on “circular production in fashion,” according to WWD.“

Wake up: The time for sustainability in the luxury industry is now

TechNode

“When people think about sustainability they tend to only think about sourcing and utilizing eco-friendly materials. But that is only one part of the process of making sustainability a reality within the luxury industry. Sustainability starts from how we treat the environment; it must be taken care of. The care of the animals, the care of the land, the chemicals used during production–these are all things that need to be taken into consideration.“

Inside VF’s new sustainability direction

GreenBiz

“VF Corp has 25 brands in nearly everyone’s closet, including Timberland, Vans, Wrangler, Lee, Nautica, the North Face, Eastpak, Jansport and a handful of others. The company’s new strategy, “Made for Change,” affects how products from these brands are made and sold, and how the materials are sourced.“

Global Water Brand Evian Wants You To Rethink Plastic

Forbes

“Having nudged public thinking about the nature of water, Evian now wants you to rethink plastic.

The world’s thirst for water seems unquenchable. Evian, which is owned by the Paris-based multinational food company,  Danone, opened a new, carbon-neutral bottling plant on Lake Geneva last year to expand its production capacity to 8 million bottles a day, virtually all of it bottled in plastic.”

Yes, the world can cut food waste in half

GreenBiz

“Target 12.3 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals calls on the world to “halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses” by 2030.

The report tracks three steps:

  • Target: Targets set ambition, and ambition motivates action. That’s why we see target-setting as an important first step toward achieving big reductions in food loss and waste.
  • Measure: What gets measured gets managed. Once governments and companies know how much food is being lost or wasted and where it’s happening, they can formulate strategies for how to address it and monitor progress over time.
  • Act: Ultimately, action is what matters. The necessary strides will vary around the world and by sector, but everyone has a part to play.”

Trending: fast food, supermarket giants commit to slashing single-use plastics

Sustainable Brands

“With an estimated 12 million tons of plastic waste entering the world’s oceans each year, consumers and governments are increasingly looking to businesses to eliminate plastic packaging. Fast food giant McDonald’s and major supermarkets in the UK are rising to the challenge, revealing big plans to go plastic-free.

First, McDonald’s has unveiled plans to improve its packaging and drastically reduce waste. By 2025, 100 percent of the company’s guest packaging will come from renewable, recycled or certified (preferably by the Forest Stewardship Council) sources.”

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