Cheers to Sustainable Champagne!

With the upcoming Christmas holidays, the sparkling wine industry is looking forward to its financial peak in the last month of the year. The Christmas and New Year’s sales of Champagne alone account for 15% of total annual. However, the core activities of the global wine business are threatened by climate change, as the map of wine is migrating to cooler climates. Champagne no longer coming from the Champagne area in France, and Cava not originally produced in Spain are possible future scenario’s. So how does the glamorous sparkling wine industry deal with this alarming issue?

What will sustainable commuting look like in the Netherlands?

In order to gain more information on consumer behavior in relation to sustainable mobility, Finch & Beak and GFK Panel Services Benelux started a continuous research on this subject. By monitoring this behavior every six months, more information is generated on the sustainable who, what, where and why of the people in the Netherlands. The research does not focus solely on the various types of fuel, but includes also subjects such as new working behavior. In the first research, which starts in October, the following companies will participate: Opel, VW, Toyota, DELTA Energy and Rijkswaterstaat.

Energy saving as a catalyst for customer satisfaction

Data from Aedes shows that the social housing sector of the Netherlands has invested 222 million euro in energy saving measures in 2008. Within the sector the realization is growing that energy saving measures in itself, such as double glass and efficient central heating is insufficient. The tenants need to join! But how to achieve that?

Sailors for Sustainability: Darwin’s Beagle Voyage Inspiration Source

Sailors for Sustainability (SfS) is formed by Dutch sailors Ivar Smits and Floris van Hees who will chronicle their sailing trip around the world in search of sustainable solutions and examples of circular economy thinking. The goal is to inspire their followers with positive cases while raising awareness of the urgency of sustainable change. Using renewable energy sources such as wind and solar energy, they will travel sustainably. Finch & Beak is involved as a partner of the project to share the insights gained by SfS to inspire sustainable business transformation.

Global Warming as Next Challenge for Livestock

The livestock sector is under scrutiny. Food scandals and the current bird flu outbreak have drawn the public’s critical attention to the sector with concerns focusing on food safety, food integrity and animal welfare. Meanwhile, a much lesser known fact is that greenhouse gas emissions associated with livestock production are estimated to account for over 14.5 percent of the global total output, exceeding the amount of emissions produced from powering all the world’s road vehicles, trains, ships and aeroplanes combined. This emerging topic appears to have ducked the radar of consumers, which poses the question: what can the sector do to prevent the next reputational scandal from happening?

Sustainable Protein Production in Dairy: Less Farting, More Fat

As projected by the World Resources Institute, the world will need to produce 70% more calories by 2050, to feed its global population of 9.6 billion people. A major part of these calories will consist of animal protein: meat, milk and eggs. While alternative solutions will also make contributions to filling the food gap (reducing food waste, shifting diets), it is clear that the production of animal protein will have to increase dramatically in order to meet growing demand.

Maersk Line wins award for super slow steaming initiative

Maersk Line is named Sustainable Shipping Operator of The Year for challenging the shipping industry and bringing about significant reductions in energy consumption and emissions.

Sparking Innovation with Service Jamming at Eneco

In July 2015, Dutch energy company Eneco organized a open service design jam, in which the opportunities of implementing a service design process was central point of discussion. Due to rapid changes in technology, for example in the energy production market where the development and usage of solar panels has increased tremendously, consumers’ demands are shifting. From the first electrical power station, build in 1868 in Northumberland, the UK, to the possibilities for consumers today to take care of their own energy production, with solar panels transforming up to 40% of sunlight can into energy. This example of the speedy transition from centralized to decentralized energy production indicates that consumers become less dependent and more and more self-sufficient. The implication for energy companies are enormous: how can they cope with this change in order to stay ahead of fierce competitors and keep track on the needs of their customers?