Responsible Production & the Circular Economy

Timberland recently joined Rotary members and leaders from around the world in Toronto at the Rotary Peacebuilding Summit, part of the 109th annual Rotary International Convention. The Summit marked the culmination of a series of presidential peacebuilding conferences held since February in different locations around the world. This final Summit presented findings from the previous events to create a plan to apply Rotary’s focus areas to identify conflicts and their root causes in communities worldwide, develop action steps to create peace, and connect with others interested in peacebuilding work to prevent conflict worldwide.

Walmart recently released its eleventh annual Global Responsibility Report (GRR), highlighting the company’s progress and accomplishments in fiscal year 2018 to increase economic opportunity, enhance sustainability of supply chains and strengthen local communities. To become the most trusted retailer in a way that creates value for business and society, Walmart works in partnership with suppliers, NGOs, thought leaders and elected officials to positively impact entire systems.

This title may scream fake news to many of you. Yet it is true, and particularly relevant given the latest efforts to ban the plastic straw. A 2016 study found that replacing plastics in packaging and consumer products could raise environmental costs nearly fourfold. This is because strong, lightweight plastics help us do more with less material, providing environmental benefits throughout the lifecycle of plastic products and packaging. The study also concludes that the environmental costs of alternative materials can be lower per ton of production but are greater in aggregate due to the much larger quantities of material needed to fulfill the same purposes as plastics.

It’s been three months now since Ecolab had the honor of receiving the WEC Medal for International Corporate Achievement in Sustainable Development. And while the afterglow is fading – slowly – and the Gold Medal displays have come down from big digital signage screens in the lobby of our headquarters building in Saint Paul, Minn., our efforts in sustainability aren’t slowing down. Quite the contrary.

Ah, the power of certifications. None of us has the time to research every last aspect of all of the products in our lives, so certifications let us be reasonably conscious consumers despite our time crunch.

Las Vegas Sands conducted its annual Global Clean Plate Challenge in an effort to reduce its environmental impact on the environment through its award-winning program, Sands ECO360. The company encourages its Team Members to be conservative with their food quantities during the clean plate challenge, but also the rest of the year.

For Kraft Heinz, one of the largest food and beverage companies in the world, food safety is paramount. That’s why their central California plant looked to Ecolab to help ensure consistent cleaning on every level — microbiological, physical and chemical. The aim was two-fold: boost safety and drive more efficient use of resources.

Following are four easy-to-follow tips developed with the Pollinator Stewardship Council that you can use in your garden.