Sustainable Innovation
Seaweed to Improve the Soil – a New Zealand Success Story
When New Zealanders Jill Bradley and her partner Keith visited an organic farm that used seaweed to improve the soil, it changed their lives forever. They researched which seaweed had the best qualities, and started a business to supply farmers with natural biostimulants. Some twenty-five years later, Agrisea is a sizeable player in New Zealand’s agricultural sector. The Sailors for Sustainability, Floris and Ivar, speak to Tane and Clare Bradley, the company’s current directors, to learn more about their business model and their products’ environmental benefits.
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.
Evolving Materialities for the Construction Sector
The construction sector is a continuously growing industry led by rising urbanization and global population increase: In 2050, about 68% of the world’s population will live in urban areas. These trends will increase the pressure for construction companies to improve the durability and efficiency of their infrastructures. Incorporating new digital technologies will be key to face these challenges in the future.
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.
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.
Positive Impact Through Meaningful Partnering
In a fast-changing world with increasing internal and external risk, companies need to find smart solutions to achieve their sustainability objectives. Building strong partnerships with external stakeholders can help companies increase their positive impact as well as gaining a competitive advantage. This article sheds light on the partnership between Accor and the food waste reduction start-up Too Good To Go, highlighting both organizations’ objectives and partnership’s benefits.
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.
Lessons from DSM’s Winning Sustainability Strategy
The roots of global specialty chemicals company Royal DSM are as a Dutch state-owned coal mining company that started in 1902. The company’s future, however, is far removed from its past. DSM’s Strategy 2021 describes how the company plans to drive above-market growth through developing innovative solutions addressing Nutrition & Health, Climate & Energy and Resources & Circularity, together with increased customer-centricity and large innovation projects. In this article, DSM’s approach is decomposed by looking at the elements of its sustainability strategy, and we provide tips how to replicate this.
Reverse Logistics: Sustainability's Next Frontier?
With the rise of sustainability, reverse logistics is one of the next frontiers for retailers and manufacturers around the globe. In a 100% circular economy, the return flow is equal to the volume of the original transaction. According to Optoro, a UPS-backed service provider focused on eliminating waste from returns, the retail industry is far from achieving such circularity. In its Retailer Sustainability Research on 128 prominent U.S. and global retailers, the company found that less than 1/4 of the retailers analyzed were implementing programs and adopting initiatives to advance the circular economy and only 30% of retailers implemented product take-back or recycling programs for consumers.
