Reporting Sustainability Sustainability Standards
Sustainability reporting is a part of the European Green Deal initiative aiming to transform the EU to be the first climate-neutral continent. Its objective is to help various stakeholders – including investors, NGOs, and customers – and evaluate companies’ sustainability performance. Since 2018, all EU Public Interest Entities with over [...]
Circular Economy Eco-labels Environment Green Profile Sustainability
Yvon Chouinard is an American rock climber, environmentalist, philanthropist, and outdoor industry businessman. His company, Patagonia, is known for its commitment to protecting the environment. Chouinard is also a surfer, kayaker, and falconer and is particularly fond of tenkara fly-fishing. He has written about climbing issues and ethics and on [...]
Environment Green Profile
Sir David Attenborough, an English broadcaster, author and biologist, has been one of the world’s most prominent environmentalists for over half a century. Born in 1926, he began his television career in 1952, when he joined the BBC. His first show, Zoo Quest, was a large success, as he provided [...]
Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan biologist who passed away in 2011, is the first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. She received the distinction due to “her contribution to the cause of sustainable development.”In 1976, Wangari started the Green Belt Movement, an organization that fights forest [...]
Green Profile Renewable Energy Sustainability
Leonardo DiCaprio, who now stands at 43 years old and is most known for his role as Titanic’s Jack Dawson, has a cachet of around $25 million per film followed and a successful career as a producer. With his own financial backing and storytelling powers, DiCaprio is now able to [...]
Food Retail Green Profile Sustainability
Francesco Farinetti, the eldest of Oscar Farinetti’s three children has recently followed in his father’s step and taken the mantle of delegate for the sustainability-oriented italian supermarket Green Pea. With experience from his family owned chain mall Eataly where he had been the CEO until 2019, Farinetti boasts an impressive [...]
Certifications Social Sustainability Sustainability
Ever since the late 1980s and 90s with the growing awareness from the public of the immense negative impact that companies could have on the environment, discourse has shifted from focusing solely on the financial performance and profitability of the business to a new accounting approach dubbed the ‘triple bottom [...]
Supply Chain Sustainability Sustainability Standards
In the wake of recent interest from companies and businesses across the globe in sustainability measures and ratings, a conundrum has emerged: how does one make sense of the hundreds of measurements, benchmarks and tests that need to be undertaken? Moreover, what would these actions and processes entail in terms [...]
Blockchain Supply Chain Sustainability Tech
Blockchain, in simple words, is a shared ledger which is shared across the various nodes that are connected in the network of the specific blockchain. As the name suggests, it stores data in blocks which are chained or linked together with the help of cryptography. Data can be added to [...]
SDG Social Sustainability Sustainability
Nowadays, we hear the word “sustainability” everywhere. In most cases, we talk of environmental efforts, but what of social sustainability? The concept relates to how businesses manage themselves and is defined by the UN as “identifying and managing business impacts, both positive and negative, on people.” Ultimately, it’s about going [...]
Environment Geopolitics and Public Policies
On June 16 this year, the European Union Council adopted a series of recommendations aimed at “ensuring a fair transition towards climate neutrality” for all organisations and businesses within the Union. This adoption follows that of the Green Deal, a set of proposals whose overarching goal is to see Europe [...]
Environment Events Oceans Water Management
As we celebrate World Ocean Day this year (June 8) we are reminded of the global importance of the ocean, which provides and supports the livelihood of 3 billion people annually according to the UN. This essential resource is a major key for our sustainable future and recognized as an [...]
Fashion Retail Sharing Economy Tech
This year’s winners of the Future Retail Challenge of 2021 came right from ESCP: Delia Negri, Aurora Macchi and Diletta Sveva Tamagnone. The idea that led them to first place was guided by the transition to a more sustainable fashion industry with a focus on H&M stores. We talked to [...]
Construction Energy Green Cities Renewable Energy Retail
Green Pea, the world’s first green retail park, has opened in the Lingotto area of Turin, the Farinetti family’s sustainable, green shopping centre. The building that houses it is its consistent manifesto; designed by ACC Naturale Architettura Cristiana Catino and Negozio Blu Architetti, it puts natural materials and new technologies [...]
Energy Environment Renewable Energy Wind Turbines
Today, the worldwide wind power capacity is estimated at 840 GW (1). In comparison, Europe now has 236 GW of wind capacity and is expected to install 116 GW of new wind farms over the period from 2022-2026 (2). Thus, Europe is leading the transition towards renewable energies and the [...]
AI Electric Cars
We all know that the electric vehicle revolution is accelerating throughout the world, and there are a variety of models on the market. Within the next five years, electric cars are predicted to reach price parity with traditional combustion-engine vehicles, thanks in large part to the involvement of artificial intelligence. [...]
Energy Environment Nuclear Power Start Ups
Data from Statista as of October 31st, 2021, shows that there are 441 operable nuclear plants dislocated all over the world. The country with the largest number of nuclear reactors is USA (93), followed by France (56), China (51) and Russia (38). Nuclear power represents a huge opportunity as climate [...]
Carbon Footprint Energy Environment Uncategorized
Driving, flying, and heating homes are examples of common activities that consume energy and emit carbon emissions. Carbon offsetting is a method of compensating for your emissions by sponsoring a carbon reduction elsewhere. Individuals and businesses may invest in environmental initiatives all around the world to offset their own carbon [...]
Fashion
According to a recent study conducted by Thredup, a second-hand online store, the resale market is growing at a rate of 11 times faster than traditional retail and should be worth 84 billion $ by 2030. As the secondhand market is growing rapidly, does this method of shopping really make [...]
Eco-labels Environment
Over the last few years, the concepts “sustainable” and “corporate social responsibility” have gained a lot of traction. Businesses began to feel compelled to demonstrate that they employ sustainable practices and consequently, a slew of “Eco-labels” arose as a voluntary label to designate a product as ethically sound. What is [...]
Environment IoT
What is the Internet of Things? (IoT) To put it briefly, IoT is the concept of connecting any device (so long as it has an on/off switch) to the Internet and to other connected devices. Devices and objects with built in sensors are connected to an Internet of Things platform, [...]
Fashion Sharing Economy
In 2016, the global online clothing rental market was expected to expand at an annual growth rate of 9.8%, with a valuation of US$1.95 billion by 2026 (Future Marketing Insights, 2016). Due to the covid crisis, the retail and luxury industries took a nose-dive. Against all odds, fashion rental has [...]
Cryptocurrencies Environment
In recent years, cryptocurrencies have witnessed a rapid extension, in fact the market is expected to reach 5.2 billion by 2026. Bitcoins is the name of the best known cryptocurrency, the one for which the blockchain technology was invented. Nowadays several leading businesses are adopting the currency, for example, companies [...]
Agroforestry Environment
Agroforestry is a method of food production and land management in which trees and shrubs are cultivated in and around crops and livestock. It aims to foster good interactions among all components of the ecosystem, resulting in an ecologically diversified landscape capable of producing food while also managing forests and [...]
B Corp Environment
B Corp is a certification created in 2015 by the NGO B Lab. Since then, this prestigious label has only been given to businesses which meet high standards in terms of social and environmental impact. Over 50,000 went through the BIA (B impact assessment) but only some 4,500 companies are [...]
Environment
The United Nations in 2015 set up a collection of 17 Sustainable Development Goals which are interconnected. These goals are designed as a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all”. The goals are set to be achieved by 2030. The 17 SGDs are the following: In [...]
Finance
Green finance has seen tremendous growth in 2021, with sustainable bonds financing issuance totaling $859 billion. While this sounds like good news at a time of accrued environmental awareness, a quick behind-the-scenes glance gives a more comprehensive (and contrasted) view of what the growth of sustainable bonds entails. Sustainable bonds [...]
Environment Green Cities
“Throughout history, cities have been built to protect their citizens. After the industrial revolution, cities prioritized machines, cars, and factories over people” Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince announcing the launch of the first futuristic, fully automated shopping mall in history (2017): NEOM This one, designed not to be [...]
Circular Economy Environment
Circular economy (CE) is a model of production/distribution where the imperative is to extend the life cycle of the products. Indeed, it involves activities such as leasing, sharing, reusing, repairing, recycling and other actions aimed at increasing the products life span. Practically speaking, CE concerns reducing as much waste as [...]
The loss of animal and plant species due to habitat loss is one of the most harmful and distressing outcomes of deforestation. Forests are home to 70% of all land animals and plant species. Deforestation endangers not only known species, but also unknown species. The rainforest trees that provide shelter [...]
At the edge of a new year, many people write down their good resolutions. As for companies, they usually make big announcements about the launch of a new strategy, new research and development, new project… Recently, corporations have increasingly made good resolutions to become more sustainable (or at least, appear [...]
Ripping open Christmas wrapping paper is without a doubt one of the most thrilling things that both children and adults look forward to. It adds a touch of shine to your gifts and conveys holiday cheer. However, as the gifts are exchanged and unwrapped, the magic fades and all that’s [...]
E-commerce Environment
Amazon has changed the way people shop and created a new “buying culture”, making it easier and cheaper for people to buy goods online. This leads to people consuming more. Overall, there is more demand created by the availability and the ease of purchasing products through online platforms. This doesn’t [...]
Environment Water Management
Water management entails the control and administration of water resources. As population increases, water scarcity is caused by its growing demand and depletion. This scarcity will be even more distressed as growing cities put high pressure on water resources. Therefore, water management aims at minimizing damages to living beings and [...]
Environment Metal production
Metal is an essential and reusable resource with luster, high thermal and electrical conductivity, density, and possesses the ability to be deformed under pressure without splitting. The industry is important because of its linkages with other vital industries such as infrastructure, electrical and electronics, energy, and importantly today – the [...]
Cruise lines Environment
While the covid pandemic forced the cruise industry to an unexpected halt, rising vaccination rates and desire for freedom following successive lockdowns fuel a boom in reservations. So much as several industry leaders announced worldwide cruises lasting as much as nine months! However, with the COP26 closing last week and [...]
Digital Pollution Environment
With more than 4.79 billion users in the world, the Internet has become an essential tool of our daily lives. Thanks to the digital world, information is widespread, remote areas and people are connected to the rest of the world, ideas circulate faster… Even though the digital area appears mostly [...]
Construction Environment
Being one of the most important industries in the world, today, the construction industry is a necessity for livelihood. From building skyscrapers to providing employment opportunities to skilled labour, this industry offers a variety of benefits but at the same time, has its drawbacks as well. According to Supply Chain [...]
Environment Luxury Fashion
The fashion industry has a disastrous impact on the environment. In fact, it is considered as the second most polluting industry (just after the oil industry) accounting for up to 10% of global carbon emissions and producing 20% of the world’s waste water through textile dyeing and other treatments (UN [...]
Environment Food Retail
Although being one of the slowest sectors in terms of innovation, companies belonging to the food retail industry have been forced to rethink their business models due to Covid-19. The pandemic has not only highlighted the vulnerabilities of our food chain but has also accelerated the process of awareness on [...]
Environment Waste Management
Although the EU is doing a good job in terms of waste management’s impact on CO2 emissions, on a global scale waste generation is expected to grow from 2 billion tonnes/ year generated in 2016 to 3.4 billion tonnes in 2050. Especially in low-income countries, this increase is linked to [...]
Environment Mining
The mining industry includes searching for, extracting, and processing of minerals from the earth, which include coal, metals, and industrial minerals. As these constitute essential sources of raw materials, specifically for the chemical industry as well as for electronic products, the industry is essential to the functioning of various parts [...]
Automotive
Mobility plays a key role in the strongly needed sustainable transition. As new approaches are shaping the industry and consumer behaviours, players in the auto industry need to venture out into new product offers as well.COVID-19, among other factors, led to automotive sales being at a historic low in the [...]
Energy
The European Green Deal is the European Union’s strategy to become carbon neutral by 2050 while maintaining economic growth. One of the pillars of that strategy is hydrogen. It isn’t energy in itself, it’s a vector of energy. Let’s suppose that renewable energy is extracted and converted into electricity. You [...]
Chemicals
The chemical industry assumes a central position in the transition to a sustainable, circular and low-carbon economy. That is due to the essential nature of chemicals: they are elements of virtually all value chains in our economy. As such an essential ingredient, chemicals are therefore vital to enable sustainable changes. [...]
As sustainability is continuously growing in importance and impact, it naturally plays a crucial role in the agriculture industry as well. There is an inherent link between agricultural practices and the health of fields, lands, and finally the consumers. Therefore, sustainability is one of the central priorities. From government funding [...]
Airline
As movements such as Fridays for Future continue to raise claims for more climate action, industries like civil aviation are not expected to lower their global emissions. In fact, by 2050, carbon emission levels caused by the international civil aviation industry are estimated to be twice as large as 2019 [...]
The issuance of green bonds has grown at an exponential rate since their introduction in 2007. In 2015, USD41.8bn worth of green bonds were issued. The issuance has since increased sixfold to USD257.7bn in 2019. It is clear that issuance of green bonds, and other sustainability linked bonds will continue [...]