Responsible Production & the Circular Economy

Mike Bloomberg, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, submitted an unprecedented statement of unity from hundreds of U.S. mayors, governors, state attorneys general, CEOs and others to achieve and eventually exceed America’s commitment to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Nestlé’s Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation System is the most comprehensive in place to help children working in cocoa production, according to a report by the STOP THE TRAFFIK Australian Coalition and Baptist World Aid Australia called ‘A Matter of Taste’.

General Motors’ sustainability approach enables the company to serve its customers and shareholders, increase operational efficiency, mitigate risk and improve the communities where it does business.

Last week at the end of the second day of Bio-Based Live Europe, hosted at the University of Amsterdam, the winners of the Bio-Based Innovation Awards (Europe) were announced. The winner of our European Bio-Based Chemical Innovation of the Year 2017 which is Cyrene developed by Mercki, the Chemistry Centre of Excellence at the University of York and Circa Group in response to increasing demand for safer, greener alternatives to PMF and NMP.

Today, a new chapter is being written in Dublin, Virginia, at the company’s first production facility in the States. Back in Poland, the company started the manual production of candles with a team of about 20 workers and several basic machines. It was very labor intensive, Agnieszka Fafara, the company’s president and CEO, explained. Ignited by the desire to manufacture top-quality candles, the company invested in automation and attracted more skilled employees in the process. Korona experienced tremendous growth in its hometown, building up to 900 employees.

The chief executive officer of Exxel Outdoors swam against the tide of manufacturers moving their businesses overseas – a calculated risk that has led to continued success over the last 17 years at a sleeping bag factory in rural Alabama. Helping smooth the way was Congressman Robert Aderholt of Alabama’s 4th District. The longtime U.S. representative co-sponsored and supported legislation that has helped companies like Exxel better compete in the global market, resulting in expanded production and more jobs in the States. Recently, we caught up with Aderholt after he toured the Exxel factory and asked him about the importance of American made.

On the fifth floor, M Factory buzzes with the busy energy of an eyewear manufacturer. This type of space is rare to see in the U.S., for a very specific reason: Most eyewear manufacturing is done in Italy or China, and always has been. This is also one of the reasons why what M Factory is doing in Brooklyn is so exciting: Crafting quality, affordable eyewear is not something typically done in the United States.

Resource reuse makes such a big impression today because our natural resources are becoming noticeably scarce. But now, we have the technology to sustain them. Water is a great example, and a lush county in New York State is seeing its climate pose an issue that calls for circular thinking.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Corporate Citizenship Center, a nonprofit organization driving the circular economy in the U.S., is releasing a new case study report in June featuring examples of how companies are translating circular economy aspiration into action that drives greater resource productivity improvements, eliminates waste and inefficiency, and contributes to a stronger competitive economy.