Sustainability

The Mahindra Group, one of India’s leading business houses, today joined nearly 200 forward thinking companies as the newest member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

Jason F. McLennan, partner and CEO of McLennan Design and founder of the International Living Future Institute, has been dubbed a “troublemaker”—but in the best way possible. His work uncovered the importance of sustainability before it was a buzzword and movement in the design industry. Starting his career as an architect, McLennan said he was focused on sustainability from the start of his path, focusing on its importance “before it was cool.”

WBCSD held its annual Member Meeting in North America earlier this month, welcoming almost 100 professionals from over 50 companies to discuss how “teams of rivals” are changing the sustainability landscape.

CECP has been known for measurement since its founding, with our dataset starting back in 2001 and Giving in Numbers almost to its 15th anniversary. While our companies’ questions drive CECP’s work more than anything, across our team we also keep a pulse on new product offerings or studies to find opportunities to play match-maker between a company challenge and another organization’s solution (if not ours).

A new interactive web-based analysis released today by Ceres examines how more than 600 of the largest publicly traded companies in the U.S. are responding to urgent calls to act on climate change and other sustainability threats, such as water pollution and scarcity, and human rights abuses, and positioning themselves for success in a world shaped by these unprecedented environmental and social challenges.

Sustainability reporting has been a growing trend in China for at least a decade. To support seasoned and first-time reporters alike, GRI has launched the Simplified Chinese translation of the GRI Standards.

Smart cities also can be “Safe Cities” through the integration of smart city and public safety initiatives. An estimated 20 Safe City pilot programs are underway across the United States, in addition to programs on nearly every continent, in cities such as Dubai, Singapore and London.

The flooring giant’s Flooring North America segment, which includes area, accent and bath rug division Mohawk Home, posted a 3% sales increase in the period, driven by products made of the company’s own sustainable fibers and treatments.

According to a new report released by the State of Hawai‘i, the impact of sea level rise poses an imminent danger to the islands of Hawai‘i, with the potential to cause the loss of roads, utilities, and structures across the state. Tetra Tech developed the “Sea Level Rise Vulnerability & Adaptation Report”—the first statewide assessment of its kind—in conjunction with the State of Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources, Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands. The accompanying, interactive Hawai‘i Sea Level Rise Viewer illustrates projected impacts to coastal areas.

The recently concluded 2018 World Economic Forum in Davos focused extensively on energy and environmental challenges that companies are facing to ensure they attain their sustainability commitments. Most of the corporate participants at Davos agreed that they need to integrate and advance their energy and sustainability programs on an urgent basis to address the issues arising out of rapid climate change.