Most recent 30 articles: Sustainable Brands
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Interface Commits to Carbon Negativity, Without Offsets, by 2040 - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 23) |
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Apr 23 · The sustainability leader sets out to hit its climate goals through direct carbon reduction and carbon storage - and challenges industry peers to do the same. Interface, Inc - a global leader in sustainable flooring solutions - has announced a new focus on direct carbon reduction and carbon storage to meet the urgency of the climate crisis. The company is aligning its strategy to meet its climate commitments without the use of carbon offsets. As we edge dangerously close to triggering several critical climate tipping points, absolute emission reductions become more and more critical to addressing the crisis. Beginning in 2025, Interface says it will repurpose former ... Read more ... |
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It’s Time to Stop Fanning the Flames of Climate Anxiety - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 23) |
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Apr 23 · To all fellow impact professionals, I encourage you to look at the narrative your communications are fueling and consider whether your business, your audience and the planet would benefit from a more nuanced view. “Global boiling.” “Two years left to save the world.” “2023 was the hottest year on record by a long shot.” Republicans repeal climate projects. “Climate change costs the global economy $38 trillion a year.” These are all headlines alarmingly familiar to anyone keeping up with climate news over the last year. But let me share some highlights you may not have seen: The Biden administration announced nearly $200 million in ... Read more ... |
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Free Course Aims to Train Advertisers to Combat Climate Change - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 22) |
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Apr 22 · Good-Loop’s Good-Media Academy outlines how climate change impacts the ad industry, and what it can do to mitigate it. Today, Good-Loop, an ethical ad agency that “exists to make advertising a positive force in the world,” launched its Good-Media Academy - a free course designed to teach agency teams the principles that make up “Good-Media,” and educate participants about the technologies available to mitigate the environmental impact of their campaigns. Williams - who told Sustainable Brands® (SB) in a recent interview that her previous experience in advertising was the “antithesis of sustainability” - says the idea for Good-Loop, the first B Corp-certified ad-tech ... Read more ... |
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Science-Based Climate Targets Key to Sustainable Tourism - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 22) |
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Apr 22 · Regardless of whether a travel-related company has submitted its commitments to SBTi; setting specific, quantifiable, time-bound goals is essential for meaningfully reducing climate-changing emissions. British mathematician Lord Kelvin is credited with saying that if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it. Business management consultant Peter Drucker later offered his additional perspective when he said, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” At a time when industries around the world need to drastically reduce their environmental footprint, these quotable missives offer more than nice soundbites: They clearly explain why definitive measurements are needed ... Read more ... |
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As Droughts Zap South America’s Hydroelectric Energy, What Can Be Done? - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 19) |
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Apr 19 · As our climate systems become more erratic, clean sources of energy will become ever more precious; and scaling and diversifying sustainable ways to harness it will be key to our survival. Climate change is affecting all of us in numerous ways. From the penguins of Antarctica to corporate executives in Tokyo, everyone is feeling the effects of our shifting climate system in one way or another. Whether we accept it or not, the cumulative effects of human industrial activities are altering the atmosphere in a way that severe droughts and floods are becoming much more common; and this may only be the beginning of what’s to come. The Amazon rainforest, until recently ... Read more ... |
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'CATAN - New Energies’ Adds Sustainability Twist to Classic Strategy Game - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 17) |
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Apr 17 · The update to one of the best-selling board games of all time presents players with a pertinent dilemma: spend resources to invest in clean, sustainable energy sources or opt for cheaper, yet polluting, fossil fuels. CATAN Studio’s forthcoming CATAN – New Energies ushers players into a reality more reflective of our modern world with a compelling blend of strategy, sustainability and societal progress. This latest update to the beloved game challenges players to navigate a pivotal crossroads in the island of Catan's history, set in the modern day. Gone are the days of the island's pre-industrial past: This latest version of Catan demands energy to fuel its growth. CATAN ... Read more ... |
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Events Are Driving Transparency, Awareness with Climate-Labeled Food Menus - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 17) |
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Apr 17 · Using climate-impact labels is one way events can persuade attendees to choose more sustainable menu options. Event organizers globally are recognizing the need to evolve standard event practices into more sustainable versions. With the many routes trade shows and conferences can use to reduce their environmental footprint, the food and beverages served onsite mustn't be overlooked. With more than a third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions linked to the food system, the food and beverage items served to event attendees can significantly impact the event’s carbon footprint. Using climate-impact labels is one way events can persuade attendees to choose more sustainable ... Read more ... |
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Paving the Way for Resilient Transportation Infrastructure - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 16) |
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Apr 16 · Repairs and reconstruction are critical for improving the state of our country’s infrastructure. Advancements in elastomers and PCR plastics in asphalt can enhance road integrity, increase roads’ lifespan and pave the way for a circular economy. Across North America, our roads play a crucial role in our infrastructure, and the state of our roads impacts everyone and everything - from people’s ability to socialize or get where they need in emergencies to a business’s supply chain. Without adequate roads, we cannot reach our destinations safely and efficiently. Yet, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers, growing wear and tear on our nation's roads has left ... Read more ... |
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Is It Time for Old Solutions to New Problems? - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 10) |
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Apr 10 · It’s clear we need a fundamental shift in how we perceive and manage our finite resources. But as more and more businesses shift away from profit at all costs to profit with purpose, hopefully we will all soon 'share more, waste less.' What’s weirder: Sharing food or wasting food? A glance in the garbage from most households, supermarkets and restaurants answers this unequivocally: We’re definitely not sharing our extras anymore. To give some indication of the scale of the problem, one-third of all the food we produce globally each year goes to waste, which is worth over $1 trillion; in the US, approximately 40 percent of the entire food supply - nearly 60 million tons ... Read more ... |
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First 3 Carbon-Offset Programs Deemed Trustworthy by Integrity Council - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 8) |
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Apr 8 · In what it’s calling a new chapter of trust and standardization for the voluntary carbon market, the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market gives three carbon-crediting programs its seal of approval. The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) - an independent governance body for the voluntary carbon market (VCM) created to ensure that the VCM accelerates progress towards addressing climate change - has launched a new chapter for the VCM, naming the first carbon-crediting programs assessed as meeting the high-integrity criteria set out in its Core Carbon Principles (CCPs). American Carbon Registry (ACR), Climate Action Reserve (CAR) and Gold ... Read more ... |
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Major Snack Brands Continue to Cut Plastic in Packaging - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 5) |
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Apr 5 · While Walkers and the British Crisp Co shift to paper, Mars embraces digital simulation software to slash its amount of plastic needed. This week, UK chip brand Walkers (known as Lay’s in the US, Canada and Australia) announced the rollout of paper outer bags for all multipacks of its Snack a Jacks rice cakes - a step toward its goal of decreasing the brand’s use of virgin plastic by 65 tonnes annually. Building on the shift to recyclable paper packaging of brands such as Nestlé’s Yes!, Walkers’ new paper bags are designed for easy recycling at home and curbside collections; and the company says the transition to paper bags is expected to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) ... Read more ... |
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'Keggers,’ Elevated: Winemakers Tapping Into More Sustainable Vessels - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 4) |
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Apr 4 · Wine packers such as Sonoma-based Free Flow Wines are taking advantage of the reduced stigma of stainless steel-bound wine, along with increased ambitions from winemakers to reduce their packaging footprint. Not so long ago, many wine lovers would have looked down their noses at any vintage that didn’t come from a heavy, corked, glass bottle. But in recent years, casual wine drinkers have become more open to other vessels - such as cans, boxes and screw-top bottles, which used to convey lower-quality wine, as well as lighter-weight glass and even plastic bottles - especially as the sustainability benefits of these alternatives has become more apparent. And the rising ... Read more ... |
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Is Rampant Misinformation Derailing Climate Action in Agriculture? - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 4) |
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Apr 4 · In this, the biggest election year in history, Changing Markets Foundation investigates the damaging spread of misinformation online concerning the meat and dairy industry and how it is influencing both policy and public opinion. Social media misinformation has in recent years become a concerning phenomenon, with problematic narratives ranging from fake news on the Covid-19 pandemic to pseudoscientific fearmongering about the impacts of vaccines. Through our work at Changing Markets Foundation’s methane campaign, we have increasingly become aware about the significant amount of misinformation posts around the environmental and health impacts of meat and dairy. For this reason, ... Read more ... |
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New Ways of Catching, Producing Seafood Could Boost Health of Aquatic Ecosystems - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 2) |
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Apr 2 · More conscientious catch methods and the rise of cultivated seafood could help take the pressure off of overfished marine ecosystems - whose health is critical for planetary health. Just over 70 percent of our planet is covered in water. And around 250,000 known species live beneath the surface of all that water - everything from whales the size of buildings to water fleas barely a millimeter long. The health of this vast array of sea life is imperative for a healthy planet - everything from the air we breathe to the stability of the Earth’s climate depend to some degree on the ability of sea turtles, dolphins, fish, and countless other aquatic life forms to live and ... Read more ... |
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New Report Helps Companies Stop Bankrolling Climate Change - Sustainable Brands  (Apr 1) |
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Apr 1 · 'Carbon Bankroll 2.0' illuminates the huge, untapped climate impact of the US ?nancial system - how it is undermining leading companies’ climate action, and why companies’ ?nancial management may be their greatest lever for climate progress. Companies have historically thought of their banking and investing as a climate-neutral activity, but as Topo Finance’s new report reveals, their ?nancial management may be both their largest source of emissions and their most powerful lever for climate action. The Carbon Bankroll 2.0: From Awareness to Action, which builds on the illuminating research published in 2022’s The Carbon Bankroll 1.0, reveals that these overlooked ... Read more ... |
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Kind Traveler Adds SLO to Destinations Where 'Every Stay Gives Back’ - Sustainable Brands  (Mar 29) |
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Mar 29 · Kind Traveler’s responsible-tourism model now helps San Luis Obispo, California further its tree-planting efforts and progress toward its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035. This week, Kind Traveler - a responsible travel platform empowering visitors to positively impact local communities - announced San Luis Obispo, California as the latest addition to its Every Stay Gives Back program. Through the partnership with Visit San Luis Obispo, every guest staying overnight in any of its 42 hotels will contribute to the planting of new trees in the city through the tourism bureau’s Keys for Trees program - enhancing the city’s green space with each visit and advancing ... Read more ... |
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CDP: Water Now a Major Risk for World’s Supply Chains - Sustainable Brands  (Mar 26) |
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Mar 26 · With $77B under threat due to water risk in supply chains, 50% of large corporate buyers now engage suppliers on water issues; but only 14% financially incentivize senior leaders to act on water. The water crisis threatens global supply chains like never before, according to new research from CDP - the global non-profit that runs the world’s environmental disclosure system. Stewardship at the Source - CDP’s most-extensive-ever analysis on how companies are responding to water security, based on record-high disclosure numbers - focuses on 3,163 large companies with an annual revenue of more than €/US$250 million, who responded to CDP’s annual water-security questionnaire ... Read more ... |
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Risk Managers, Consumers Cite Climate Change as Top Emerging Concern - Sustainable Brands  (Mar 22) |
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Mar 22 · 2023 surveys of risk professionals and consumers indicate an intensifying concern about extreme weather as it more directly impacts people’s daily lives, and a corresponding interest in sustainable investment opportunities. The news about extreme-weather events since 2023 has been nearly unrelenting: Atmospheric rivers unleashed flooding in California; deadly wildfires in Canada, Maui and Texas; tornadoes and cyclones in regions as far-flung as Southeast Africa, Myanmar and Mississippi. Not to mention the widespread droughts and heatwaves: The US set a record in 2023 with 28 extreme-weather events costing $1 billion or more, surpassing the previous record of 20 such events in ... Read more ... |
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Shrinkflation: Drawbacks for the Environment, Consumer Trust - Sustainable Brands  (Mar 22) |
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Mar 22 · In times of inflation, consider whether shrinking a product for a short-term win could cause long-term brand damage - first, determine if it’s the best option and include a robust assessment of the environmental impacts. In an era of intense inflation, the practice of shrinkflation raises important questions about its environmental impact - particularly regarding packaging waste. One might thin less product means less packaging and less waste in our landfills and oceans. But, like most things in life and business, it’s not that simple. Does shrinkflation really lead to increased packaging waste, or does it reduce it? To better understand this, it's essential to ... Read more ... |
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Could Supercharging Starch Production Secure Our Food Future? - Sustainable Brands  (Mar 19) |
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Mar 19 · ClimateCrop is boosting starch metabolism in plants through non-GMO gene editing - enhancing crop resilience to climate change, increasing yields, and offering a sustainable solution to future farming challenges. As we strain our planet's resources to meet an ever-increasing global demand for essential crops, the flaws in our agricultural system become ever more apparent. What once was a sustainable, farmer-driven endeavor has morphed into an industrial juggernaut obsessed with maximizing yields at any cost. Monocultural practices and an unyielding pursuit of productivity have left cultivated plants ill-equipped to adapt to our rapidly changing environment. While startup ... Read more ... |
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This Platform Turns Your Branded Video Content Into Support for Nature Conservation - Sustainable Brands  (Mar 15) |
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Mar 15 · With Ecoflix - a nonprofit streaming platform on a mission to be the 'Netflix for nature’ - brands can produce compelling sustainability content that also helps protect nature and wildlife. In 2016, filmmaker Mark Downes was in the South of France for the annual Cannes Lions Festival. As a seasoned ad-video producer, he had been to the event many times before - but that year, something happened that changed his life. “I had my 'purpose turn,’” he tells Sustainable Brands®. “I happened to be in the room when Ban Ki-moon came on stage to deliver a keynote about something called the Sustainable Development Goals - and my mind was just blown, totally blown.” Downes’ ... Read more ... |
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Uber’s 'Emissions Savings’ Feature Shows Riders Benefits of Lower-Emission Transport - Sustainable Brands  (Mar 15) |
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Mar 15 · Uber users will now see two ratings in the app - their 'Emission Savings' score, alongside their rider rating. This week, Uber unveiled a new feature that enables riders around the world to track and learn more about the carbon impact of their rides. The company’s new Emission Savings feature gives riders data on the amount of carbon emissions avoided if they opt for electric vehicle and hybrid options, as well as how much CO2 might have been produced by the same journey in an UberX or Uber Comfort. Emissions savings will be shown for each trip and as a cumulative total. Uber hopes that the feature will further nudge riders towards using Uber Green - a low-emission ride ... Read more ... |
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Individual Investors Want Funds, Pension Plans to Actively Address Climate Change - Sustainable Brands  (Mar 14) |
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Mar 14 · In a new GlobeScan survey of 5K retail investors in 10 countries, all express similarly high levels of support for investment funds becoming more active in the climate space. New global public-opinion research by GlobeScan, in collaboration with InfluenceMap, shows that retail investors support investment funds being more involved in addressing social and environmental sustainability. Public support is particularly strong for investment funds encouraging governments to act on climate change, followed by financing companies advancing cleaner energy. Conducted in summer 2023, the survey of nearly 5,000 retail investors - individual, nonprofessional investors who own ... Read more ... |
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Earthshot Prize 'Launchpad’ to Link Investors with Climate Innovators - Sustainable Brands  (Mar 13) |
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Mar 13 · New matchmaking platform highlights game-changing solutions from the Earthshot Prize nominations process and connects them with like-minded investors and philanthropists. At an event on Monday in London with investors, philanthropists and Earthshot Prize finalists, HRH Prince William celebrated the launch of The Earthshot Prize Launchpad - the next phase in The Earthshot Prize’s journey to scale innovative climate solutions from around the globe by 2030. Unveiled in November, the online matchmaking platform - which connects Earthshot innovators with like-minded investors and philanthropists - has already attracted 135 investors and philanthropists. Launchpad offers ... Read more ... |
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Report: AI Fueling Climate Change, Energy Usage and Disinformation - Sustainable Brands  (Mar 12) |
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Mar 12 · Coalition of over 50 tech accountability and environmental groups sound the alarm on the potential harms of AI to the planet, democracy and information ecosystems. This week, partners in Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD) - a coalition of over 50 leading climate and anti-disinformation organizations demanding robust, coordinated and proactive strategies to deal with the scale of the threat of climate misinformation and disinformation - released a report that maps the risks that artificial intelligence (AI) poses to the climate crisis. While sustainability-focused organizations are embracing AI in their efforts to do everything from eliminate greenwash from ... Read more ... |
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Lab-Grown Coffee: Sustainable Brew of the Future? - Sustainable Brands  (Mar 11) |
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Mar 11 · Over the past century, the world has fallen in love with coffee. In fact, a significant percentage of the global population now relies on it every single morning. Culturally ingrained in daily ritual for centuries in both ancient Mecca and Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire helped spread the caffeinated beverage throughout the Middle East and Europe. By the 20th century, the greatest concentration of coffee cultivation was in the Western Hemisphere - especially Brazil and Colombia - while Vietnam became the main supplier for those in the far east and much of the globe. For many today, coffee is perceived as equally essential as water. A 2021 report by National ... Read more ... |
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How US Soy Is Cultivating Sustainability Around the World - Sustainable Brands  (Mar 8) |
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Mar 8 · Here, Abby Rinne - Director of Sustainability at the U.S. Soybean Export Council - discusses how U.S. Soy is helping customers both here and abroad reach their sustainability goals. When it comes to sustainability, all soy products are not created equal. Over the last few decades, global soy production has risen and had major impacts on water, energy, deforestation and soil health - which is why it is essential for companies utilizing soy as an ingredient to ensure a sustainable supply chain. U.S. Soy is committed to sustainable production and continuous improvement through the utilization of technology, collaboration across stakeholders, and rigorous sourcing ... Read more ... |
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Impact Entertainment: Reflecting Climate Issues in the World We Live in - Sustainable Brands  (Mar 8) |
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Mar 8 · Good Energy helps writers and other entertainment professionals address the climate crisis with confidence and make climate storytelling a mainstream narrative for all audiences. Nonprofit storytelling consultancy Good Energy - which believes that Hollywood is uniquely positioned to shift the conversation on climate change - serves as a hub for entertainment professionals and climate experts looking to meaningfully represent the climate crisis on-screen across all genres and mediums. “Why is the climate crisis largely absent from our screen?” Good Energy founder and CEO Anna Jane Joyner pondered as she noticed the pattern within the entertainment industry, in which ... Read more ... |
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What Does the New SEC Climate-Risk Reporting Rule Mean for Brands? - Sustainable Brands  (Mar 7) |
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Mar 7 · While the new mandate was scaled back from what was originally proposed, US companies must now prepare to join many markets around the world in the climate-risk disclosure game. Finally, we have a decision from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on mandatory climate-risk disclosure for businesses - described in many quarters as a “landmark decision.” The final ruling means that all public companies will have to include information in their annual reports setting out the climate-related risks to their business, and what they are doing to manage those risks - including material climate targets and goals and governance processes. The mandatory rules kick in for ... Read more ... |
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'Quantum Nose’ Could Be Key to Sniffing Out Food Waste - Sustainable Brands  (Mar 1) |
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Mar 1 · The University of Maryland’s NourishNet team has been awarded $5M from the NSF to develop its comprehensive, technology-based approach to tackling food waste and insecurity. A multidisciplinary team led by the University of Maryland (UMD) has been awarded $5 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop NourishNet: a comprehensive, technology-based approach to tackling food waste and insecurity featuring “Quantum Nose” - a portable and user-friendly food-quality sensor that can detect early-stage food spoilage, and FoodLoops - a real-time app to be developed to optimize surplus food distribution to food-insecure people. The NSF Convergence Accelerator ... Read more ... |
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