Responsible Production & the Circular Economy

The FDA has banned 19 antibacterial ingredients used in hand and body soaps, citing a lack of evidence demonstrating that these ingredients are safe and more effective than ordinary soap for preventing illness. The ban specifically targets consumer products and does not apply to soaps used in hospital settings and food services. This is part of a larger effort by the FDA to push consumers toward using ordinary soap and water for sanitization.

Earthworm-inspired innovation wins $10K Living Product Prize

A University of Oregon design team has won the first Living Product Prize in the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge for the Living Filtration System, an innovation that creates healthier soils by preventing nutrients from leaving fields in runoff. Their $10,000 Living Product Prize win was announced at the Living Product Expo in Pittsburgh, PA yesterday.

Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA recently issued its 2015/2016 Global Corporate Responsibility Report. The report provides an overview of the company’s corporate responsibility activities, progress and performance in the areas of Access to Health, Environmental Sustainability, Employees and Ethics & Transparency.

Today, severe droughts are driving substantial economic losses, hundreds of millions of people still lack reliable access to clean water, and many critical water resources are being depleted or contaminated. Solving these water challenges will take a variety of solutions, including recycled water.

For corporations, the age of “random acts of greenness” is over. Progressive companies integrate sustainability into their everyday, core business models and throughout their value chains. It means being accountable for your entire value chain — but engaging sustainable suppliers has proven to be a challenge for many companies.

High-profile events impacting water supply and distribution networks in the U.S. have dramatically raised the awareness of operational challenges. At the same time, these events demonstrate an opportunity to change decades-long funding trends that have left many water systems struggling to adequately finance upgrades and repairs.

With the rhino poaching crisis showing no signs of abating, Vietnam must crack down on its rampant illegal rhino horn trade or face sanctions, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said ahead of a critically important wildlife trade conference next week in South Africa.

We frequently discuss the differences between oil-free and oil-injected air compressors and their uses in various industries. While oil-free compressors are essential for pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and semiconductor production, oil-injected compressors are great for operation in harsh environmental conditions like those found in oil and gas, railway and marine applications. However, one issue that is often not considered is what happens to lubricant after it’s used in an oil-injected compressor.

Friday evenings are traditionally a​ time​ when in alcohol-friendly cultures people get together with their workmates for a beer or two (well, maybe more than that…). For that reason, it’s also a good ​moment​ to promote responsible drinking. United around that common goal, globally famous brewers Anheuser-Busch InBev, Carlsberg and Heineken have joined hands with a range of stakeholders to promote responsible drinking to help advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals to prevent alcohol-related harm.