Responsible Production & the Circular Economy

Consumer demand for healthier products continues to grow. With concerns ranging from the cost of healthcare to the effects of food and agriculture on climate change, consumers of all ages are opting for natural, organic and functional foods and beverages, nutritional supplements, natural medicines and other eco-friendly products from mission-based companies that share their values and address their concerns.

Smithfield Foods is reducing its environmental footprint while expanding operations to feed the world’s growing population. Learn more about how Smithfield is reducing greenhouse gas emissions, creating renewable natural gas on its hog farms, and diverting solid waste that would otherwise be sent to landfill in the company’s 2018 Sustainability Report:

People are paying closer attention than ever to what goes into their food. That’s why Smithfield Foods provides clean label options that have easy-to-understand ingredients.

A small Austrailian company called Circa Group and the lab services giant Merck KGaA have teamed up to launch a new solvent intended to replace two old but environmentally suspect standbys: N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and dimethyl formamide (DMF).

Social enterprise Sustainable Fishery Trade (SFT) has committed to empowering 5,000 fishers in Perú and Chile by improving practices to protect the sustainability of fishing, and connecting artisanal fishers directly to buyers to provide fair and dependable sources of income. SFT made the declaration as the organisation officially joins the Business Call to Action (BCtA), with the aim of meeting their goals by 2021.

In May, Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) issued its inaugural Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report, which details the company’s goals, progress and achievements for fiscal year 2019 toward its commitment to activate climate change initiatives, enhance sustainability in supply chains and increase economic opportunity for associates.

Following up on the previous two releases (here on The Village track, and here on The Journey track), this release focuses on laying out the third track, The Sherpas, at the 6th International Reporting 3.0 Conference. The Sherpas track, so-named in honor of our Advocation Partners (APs) who act as "mountain guides" in support of necessary transformation, showcases the work of r3.0 Advocation Partners. Participants from high-impact organizations in all of these Programs will share their experiences, particularly elaborating on specific pilot implementations of transformational practices, programs, and policies.

Mohawk Group, a leading commercial flooring company known for innovative flooring solutions and its ongoing commitment to believe in better, will showcase its latest carpet and hard surface collections at NeoCon 2019. Beginning today and continuing through June 12 at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, NeoCon is North America’s largest design exposition and conference for commercial interior design professionals, offering ideas and introductions that shape the built environment today and into the future.

The new U.S. Small Online Business Trade and Inclusive Growth report reveals that at the national level, 96% of eBay-enabled small businesses export and reach an average of 17 different foreign countries with their products. By comparison, only 1% of traditional businesses in the Unites States are exporters and reach an average of only 4 foreign markets. Additionally, 60% of eBay-enabled small businesses sold to customers on four or more continents, further solidifying that the export reach through eBay is truly global.