Responsible Production & the Circular Economy

Our world is more connected than ever before, and these connections are increasing. Research predicts that 500 billion devices will be connected to the Internet by 2030. Explosive growth and innovations, including augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things (IoT) are also transforming our global landscape in unprecedented ways.

2018, like most years, has begun with statements both hopeful and optimistic about what the new year may bring. And there are many positive developments in global sustainability to acknowledge, including the on-going implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement by many nations; increasing collaboration among business, non-government organizations and other institutions on renewable energy, food waste and other issues; the expanding human rights agenda; women’s empowerment; and accelerating investor interest in sustainability. So far…so good.

RecycleMania, the premier collegiate recycling competition managed by national nonprofit Keep America Beautiful, is back for its 18th year as college and university campuses across the country compete to see who will claim the championship title in the fight to reduce, reuse, recycle and compost the most on campus. Registration for the 2018 RecycleMania competition will close on Friday, Feb. 2. RecycleMania will begin on Sunday, Feb. 4, with the campus competition running for eight weeks, concluding on Saturday, March 31.

The International Living Future Institute is pleased to announce Majora Carter as their third keynote speaker at the annual Living Future unConference, held this year in Portland, OR from May 1-4.

Carter is a leading urban revitalization strategy consultant, real estate developer, and Peabody Award winning broadcaster. She is responsible for the creation & implementation of numerous green-infrastructure projects, policies, and job training & placement systems.

She will join author and activist Raj Patel + conservationist and advocate Terry Tempest Williams as keynotes.

The Living Future unConference is the forum for leading minds in the green building movement to make strides toward a healthy future for all. To learn more and to register visit 2018livingfutureunconference.org.

Sustainable Brands® recently opened general registration for its flagship conference: SB’18 Vancouver. More than 3,000 business leaders are expected to gather June 4-7th at the Vancouver Convention Centre for conversation around how brands are staying relevant and resilient in a challenged world. The conference will showcase brands that are proactively innovating their product and service offerings to align with shifting consumer societal aspirations.

It’s back! Every January, Realized Worth shares a guide of the year’s upcoming CSR and employee volunteering conferences around the world – with a few relevant employee engagement and sustainability events included, too. Based on what we’ve seen, it looks like we’re going into this year with even more of a global focus, and a more visible push to strengthen multi-sector partnerships in the name of social good. Big things are in store for 2018!

The new Dreamliner jet is designed to be at least 25 percent more fuel efficient than the planes it is replacing.

For Josh Kaplan, giving back to the community is part of who he is. Driven by the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam, or “repairing the world,” he believes each of us has the power to create change and participate meaningfully in the world around us.

Domtar was recently named a sustainability leader by Newsweek, coming in at No. 42 on Newsweek's Green Rankings 2017 list. Find out what else is happening at Domtar by checking out the January 2018 edition of the Domtar Sustainability Monthly Minute.

"Increasingly businesses are realising that small sustainable impacts are no longer enough. To meet the SDGs requires a wholesale shift in thinking and operations across both business and industry," says Candy Telani Anton, Head of Strategy Europe at Ethical Corporation. But how can companies go about integrating the SDGs into their own business operations?