Circular Economy
Accelerating the Circular Economy in the Port of Rotterdam
At Finch & Beak, we are always curious about the sustainable developments taking place in the cities that we work in, and Rotterdam is one of them. In 2016, a shocking 20% of the national CO2 emissions of the Netherlands was accounted for by the port of Rotterdam. Time to take action: between the period 2016-2020, the port of Rotterdam managed to reduce its CO2 emissions by 27% to 22.4 million tons. A noteworthy reduction that can be explained by the switch to more renewable energy sources and the exploitation of waste-to-value opportunities. The port of Rotterdam is making an impact through discovering the benefits of the circular economy.
Tackling the Rapidly Growing Issue of E-Waste
As consumers are increasingly aware of environmental issues, topics such as climate change, ocean plastics and alternative proteins are grabbing the collective attention. An equally important issue, however, still seems to be hiding in plain sight: e-waste. Its scale and impact have grown because of the pandemic, as companies are purchasing new hardware to accommodate homeworking while the office equipment sits idle. As such, it is estimated that approximately 25 percent of IT equipment in Europe will not be used in the future. Electronics companies have a great opportunity in measuring the impact of their core activities and products, and collaborating with value chain partners on knowledge-sharing initiatives in order to ultimately reduce the generation of e-waste.
Summary of S&P Global's Webcast on Packaging
On the 18th of March 2021, S&P Global conducted a webinar zooming into the criterion of Packaging, which was thoroughly updated in the 2020 Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA). The 2020 CSA revealed that stronger commitments towards the removal of unnecessary packaging and packaging reduction are needed. Download our free summary of the highlights in the attachment of the article.
The Sharing Economy's Circular Business Opportunities
The Dutch climate agreement and recent developments in the carsharing market present business opportunities to tap into the circular economy and bounce back better. Car sharing not only reduces the administrative and financial burden of company cars but also decreases emissions and congestion, which lead to better ESG performance. It also paves the road for a more circular automotive industry by incentivizing manufacturers to retain ownership of cars and maximizing their useful life.
Building Back Better: A Positive Outlook on the Post-Covid Economy
The World Economic Forum kicked off 2021 with its Annual Meeting - the year in which we hope to leave COVID-19 behind us. It is clear that we are not out of the woods yet, but the pandemic crisis has also revealed other underlying issues. It has amplified existing inequalities – there are those who have access to work, healthcare, education and digital technologies and those who have not – and has particularly exposed the many shortcomings of our current systems. The more reason for countries and companies to look into opportunities to emerge stronger and more sustainably. The pandemic has hastened the need for transformations and to #BuildBackBetter.
Sign up for IMD’s Winning Sustainability Strategies online program
Designed to integrate ESG in your corporate strategy, the Winning Sustainability Strategies online program from IMD Business School in Lausanne teaches how to build a strong business case for sustainability and how to develop opportunities for innovation. Due to its practical approach, the program has proven to be highly appreciated by executive and senior management level participants. Moreover, it is suitable for larger groups of corporate participants to obtain a more thorough understanding of doing well by doing good.
Develop and accelerate your company's transformation to a more sustainable business model
Winning Sustainability Strategies Online Program: February-March 2021
The second edition of the IMD Winning Sustainability Strategies Online Program is a “how-to” guide that offers a very pragmatic take at how to integrate sustainability in your corporate strategy – while ensuring it has a strong business case. The program is aimed at business executives, strategy practitioners and sustainability professionals, who are looking to harness sustainability innovation and its strategic implications. Facilitated by the authors Jan van der Kaaij, Managing Partner of Finch & Beak, and IMD professor Benoit Leleux, this edition starts on 22 February 2021.
Algramo Develops Refill Business with Unilever
In the outskirts of Santiago, inexpensive food is very hard to come by. There are only few supermarkets, and the food at local stores is typically priced 30-40% more expensive than normal. Chilean based startup Algramo has developed a solution to address this challenge. Founded in 2012, the company is solving economic and environmental issues through its vending machines. Algramo dispenses staple products, like grains, rice, beans, lentils, and sugar “by the gram” (al gramo) to low-income customers. Now partnering with Unilever and others, the company has developed a reusable packaging solution for household cleaners and detergents.
Learn how to embed sustainability into the core of your business
Start of the IMD Winning Sustainability Strategies Online Program
Following the publication of the book Winning Sustainability Strategies, IMD Lausanne is launching an online program aimed at business executives, strategy practitioners and sustainability professionals who are interested in the business case for sustainability and its strategic implications. Facilitated by the authors Jan van der Kaaij, Managing Partner of Finch & Beak, and IMD professor Benoit Leleux, the program starts on 21 September 2020 and is designed to help integrate sustainability in your strategy so you can maintain your competitive edge.
