A future-focused forum on plastics, Plasticity Rio ’12, will be held on 21st June alongside the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20 Earth Summit.

Plasticity Rio ’12 will focus on the future of plastic in an exciting exploration of the opportunities that will make a difference in the way that plastic is designed, used and reused. The forum is a global collaboration by Ocean Recovery Alliance (Hong Kong), Republic of Everyone (Australia), Applied Brilliance (America) and Metodo (Brazil).

“Plastic is one of the materials that links almost all of our companies and industries to the ocean and our environment,” said Doug Woodring, founder of Plasticity and the Ocean Recovery Alliance. “By focusing on the newest technologies and innovations in design, packaging, materials, recovery, recycling and re-use, we will be able to showcase where leaders are going in this space and how great improvements can be made in reduced environmental impact.”

Plasticity Rio ’12 will bring together 300 leading plastics decision-makers to show the world what innovations, technologies and solutions we can expect in the future of plastics. The forum is supported by leading innovators: Google, Clinton Foundation, Business for the Environment (B4E), Hub Culture, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Taiwan’s Plastic Industry Development Center (PIDC), MBA Polymners, and VISY.

The forum attendees will come from wide-ranging sectors including textiles, retailers, manufacturers, service industries, recyclers, design and packaging industries, waste-to-fuel companies and bio-plastic producers.

To engage global communities to consider the future of plastic prior to the event, the forum is launching a global initiative called ‘Capturing Gold’ which focuses on the opportunities in PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) bottles. Launching on 22nd April 2012 ‘Capturing Gold’ is an international initiative to identify ideas for ‘Capturing Gold’ i.e. bringing in large volumes of PET plastic bottles and finding the most innovative, valuable ways to then use that PET ‘gold’.

“Creativity, innovation and ideas are critical to build a sustainable future,” said Matt Perry founding Partner of Republic of Everyone. “Capturing Gold will seek out the smartest, brightest thinking on the future of sustainable use and re-use of plastic. We looking for ideas that range from the simple and obvious – ‘Why isn’t every company doing this already?’ – to the wildly insane ‘you must be kidding, right?’ types of ideas.”

‘Capturing Gold’ will use Tinkby, an online collaboration platform designed to help large groups of people think together. The system invites users to generate ideas, build on the ideas of others and vote for the concepts most likely to have an impact in the real world.

“We know the most powerful way to brilliant thinking is through collaboration,” said Mr Perry. “We are delighted to be partnering with Tinkby on this initiative and can’t wait to see the ideas start to come in from around the world.”

The ‘Capturing Gold’ is aimed at individuals, companies or organisations with an interest in design and or concept-led solutions for PET plastic. The winning ideas will be judged by an international jury and announced at Plasticity Rio ’12 and discussed in a half-day stakeholder workshop on 22nd June with Rapid Results Institute – a renowned consultancy that help teams achieve real results in 100 days or less.

Nadim Matta, President of the Rapid Results Institute and Managing Partner of Schaffer Consulting, will engage workshop participants in finding ways to experiment with some of the winning ideas within 100 days from leaving the UN RIO+20 Earth Summit.

The ‘Capturing Gold’ workshop will be broadcast and shared via YouTube and other social media platforms. Sharing the workshop means leaders, thinkers and ‘doers’ within their communities can take advantage of the opportunities that result from this collaborative process.

For more information on Plasticity Rio ’12 and ‘Capturing Gold’ go to www.plasticityforum.com.

ASFF 2012 will be held in conjunction with the B4E Global Summit 2012, a preparatory meeting for business, governments and NGOs in the lead up to Rio+20.

The Africa Sustainable Future Forum (ASFF) is a global platform for dialogue and partnerships with the objective of developing a sustainable future roadmap for Africa. Convening leaders from government, business and international organisations, the Forum will define collaborative solutions that will drive sustainable development in Africa. The inaugural 2012 ASFF will address topics such as policy development, smart agriculture and resource stewardship.

ASFF 2012 will be held in conjunction with the B4E Global Summit 2012, a preparatory meeting for business, governments and NGOs in the lead up to Rio+20.

Date:
22 May 2012
14.00 – 18.00

Venue:
EnergieForum Berlin
Stralauer Platz 34
10243 Berlin
Germany

All details on agenda and speakers available at www.africasustainablefuture.com.

Attendance for the Africa Sustainable Future Forum is by invitation only!

To be considered for an invitation, please contact us:
benjamin.tan@globalinitiatives.com

Interested delegates to B4E Global Summit 2012, please register here.
For more information about the Summit agenda, please click here.

The B4E Berlin Summit will send a clear message to the Rio +20 negotiators about the policy framework needed for innovative and sustainable solutions.

On May 22 and 23, B4E, WBCSD, and other partners will hold an important Summit in Berlin on the theme ‘Collaborate, Innovate, Act – Delivering the Green Economy’. It places the emphasis on business initiative. But business cannot succeed under policies that favour business-as-usual or only provide weak, uncertain signals for change.

Rio +20 has government negotiators prepare renewed commitments to the objectives of sustainable development. In this process they hear many voices; some push them forwards, others hold them back.

True to its theme, the Berlin Summit will send to the Rio +20 negotiators a clear message about the policy framework needed for innovative and sustainable solutions.

We invite participants and interested parties to react here to a number of policy ideas for this message.

The following survey is based on the recent work by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. It will be presented and discussed, with the survey results, at the Berlin B4E Summit.

Take part in the survey: here.

Please give us 5-10 minutes to complete this survey. Your contribution will nourish a legitimate message to the Rio +20 policy makers.

Interested delegates to B4E Global Summit 2012, please register here.
For more information about the Summit agenda, please click here.

Elizabeth Thompson, Executive Coordinator for the UNCSD Rio + 20 Conference, will be joining the B4E Global Summit 2012 in Berlin.

Alongside with Sigrid Kaag, Assistant Secretary General & Assistant Administrator UNDP, they will be exploring the inclusive green economy and what it means for business and policy makers to drive growth in the context of sustainable development.

Ms. H. Elizabeth Thompson is a former Minister for Energy and Environment of Barbados and also served as Minister for Physical Development and Minister for Health. She was appointed to the Barbados Senate and was a practising attorney, as well as, a journalist. Additionally, she was a lecturer in ecology, economy, energy and politics. Ms. Thompson graduated from the University of the West Indies and has advanced degrees from the University of Liverpool and Robert Gordon University, Scotland.

Themed “Collaborate, Innovate, Act – Delivering the Green Economy”, the B4E Global Summit 2012 in Berlin will define the role of business as innovator and implementer of solutions for a sustainable world.

All outcomes and concluded policy recommendations, as well as renewed business commitments will be presented to key decision makers in June at the B4E @ Rio+20 event, titled ‘Big Ideas for a Sustainable Future’.

Interested delegates to B4E Global Summit 2012, please register here.
For more information about the Summit agenda, please click here.

Kenya already faces growing challenges of drought and energy scarcity, and these are expected to be exacerbated by global warming.

This initiative, funded by the World Bank, is the start of a programme to build a global network of Climate Innovation Centres.

The Kenyan capital is set to play host to the first of a global network of Climate Innovation Centres (CICs). These will provide targeted financing, as well as technical and marketing assistance, to help entrepreneurs scale up innovative cleantech solutions to meet local needs and create jobs.

The initiative springs from the World Bank’s InfoDev programme, and should eventually amount to a 30-strong network of CICs, mostly in developing countries at the frontline of climate change. The Bank’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, Andrew Steer, said the centres would “harness the creative spark of entrepreneurs to transform climate challenges into market opportunities”.

The Nairobi centre has a goal of creating 70 businesses and 4,600 jobs over the first five years of its operation.

Kenya already faces growing challenges of drought and energy scarcity, and these are expected to be exacerbated by global warming. Over 60% of the country’s electricity comes from hydro power, which has resulted in frequent shortages and blackouts when water levels are insufficient to drive the turbines. But on the plus side, it is well placed to harvest both solar and wind energy, and small-scale biogas and biomass schemes are also playing a growing role in meeting rural people’s needs.

This article is originally published in Green Futures Magazine.

First-quarter sales for the world’s best-selling alternative powertrain car keeps Toyota on track to meet a goal of 220,000 Prius sales in the U.S

Toyota Motor Corp.’s U.S. sales of Prius hybrids reached a record in March and in the first quarter, propelled by higher gasoline prices and two new models.

Toyota, the largest seller of gasoline-electric autos, sold 28,711 units in March of the Prius “family,” now comprising a plug-in Prius and c subcompact, the original hatchback and v wagon, the company said today in an e-mailed statement. Prius sales surged 54 percent from a year ago, and topped the previous monthly best of 24,009 set in May 2007.

First-quarter sales for the world’s best-selling alternative powertrain car keeps Toyota on track to meet a goal of 220,000 Prius sales in the U.S. this year, up from 136,463 in 2011. The vehicle accounts for half of U.S. hybrid sales. A shortage of the car last year due to Japan’s earthquake and tsunami cut industrywide deliveries to about 273,000 units from about 275,000 a year earlier, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. “At this pace, and with the recovery in the U.S. economy, Toyota’s target for Prius sales looks fairly doable,” said Takashi Aoki, senior fund manager at Mizuho Asset Management Co. in Tokyo.

Toyota’s American depositary receipts fell 0.5 percent to $86.22 at the close of trading in New York.

First-quarter Prius sales were 60,859. The model’s best previous quarter was April-June 2007, said Celeste Migliore, a spokeswoman for the company’s U.S. sales unit in Torrance, California.

“Toyota’s move to raise the price of their bigger Prius models is a good sign that the company is trying to make the models more profitable, too,” Aoki said, citing the carmaker’s planned $150 price increase for the v wagon model.

Hybrid sales typically track the cost of gasoline, rising in line with pump price increases. Regular grade gasoline cost an average of $3.92 (3AGSREG) a gallon on April 2, up from $3.28 at the end of last year, according to AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge.

“Fuel economy remains a top purchase consideration among consumers, and we are pleased with the continued response to Toyota’s lineup,” Bob Carter, group vice president of U.S. sales, said in an e-mail yesterday.

The original Prius hatchback and the Prius c are rated as delivering an average of 50 miles (80 kilometers) per gallon in combined city and highway driving by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Prius v wagon averages 42 mpg and the plug-in Prius, able to go as far as 15 miles on electricity alone, is rated as getting 95 mpg-equivalent when drivers frequently recharge the lithium-ion battery pack, according to the EPA. The Toyota City, Japan-based company today reported combined sales of Toyota, Lexus and Scion models of 203,282 vehicles from a year ago, a 15 percent increase, matching the average estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News.

This article is originally published in Bloomberg.

Levi’s is collaborating with Reformation in a campaign to refit its customer’s vintage 501 jeans. Photograph: Denis Poroy/AP

If fashion wants to truly embrace sustainable practice then it needs to reach out to small companies for innovation

Size matters, particularly in business. Growing to be a sizable company has always been regarded as “the” achievement for any business but as Seth Godin points out in his book, Small is the new Big, the era of “big” has come to an end. Small companies have proven to be leaders in innovation, particularly when it comes to re-engineering products or processes, and when trying brand new approaches. The UK trend forecasters, Index B, identify six major UK trends in its The Ones to Watch report 2012.

What is behind the shift?

Small organisations are often led by visionary product specialists or designers, particularly in the fashion industry. The small scale allows companies to be flexible, this is crucial in order to adapt to very diverse market conditions and economic turbulence.

In addition, small companies have no other option than to take risk in order to leave their mark, notably if they are start-ups. Small companies habitually lack financial resources though, and it is precisely here where larger organisations can decide to take on a calculated risk and allocate some of their funds, in order to outsource processes, products or development.

In the past few years a trend has emerged whereby large corporations and SMEs across all sectors collaborate. In today’s hyper-segmented markets, big brands need the flexibility and the fresh ideas that only small businesses can guarantee.

As a consequence, more large businesses decide to outsource innovation to small, highly specialist organisations, which in turn help them to stay ahead of the crowd and remain (or become) unique.

How innovative is the fashion industry?

Innovation goes hand in hand with creativity and is normally led by entrepreneurs and other creative people who can think and design beyond the mainstream framework.

The fashion industry is normally regarded as a highly innovative industry as it churns out new products every season, if not more often than that. Fashion brands, particularly premium brands, deal with innovation every day and invest in it even in hard times. This is the only way they can successfully compete in this ever-changing environment without having to participate in the price race. It is also the reason why the position of the creative director is of such importance to a fashion brand.

In my previous article, I detailed how the fashion industry in its present incarnation has got one of the biggest negative impacts on the environment as well as on communities.

The situation is such that if a fashion business really wants, or is required to, change its business model, than creativity that reaches out beyond ‘mere’ product design and breaks rules and minimum standards, is desperately needed.

Importantly, there is a business case to be made for re-thinking business models in a sustainable manner. Marks and Spencer has clearly demonstrated that sustainability pays off as their Plan A net benefits have surpassed £70m in 2011 as a combined effect of “efficiency savings and new business”.

Finally, an increasing number of awards celebrate fashion businesses that pioneer and go beyond sustainability rules. Examples are the Ethical Fashion Forum’s Innovation award, the Guardian Sustainable Business Awards and the Observer Ethical Awards. )

Small fashion businesses are pioneers in sustainability

As in other sectors, there has been a trend of big fashion brands and retailers partnering with, and sourcing from, sustainable small companies. Tesco’s in-house brand F&F partnered with the pioneering upcycle fashion brand, From Somewhere, to make use of the textile waste stored in warehouses of some of its Sri Lankan factories. This collaboration has seen the launch of a six-piece collection made of obsolete fabrics in a green factory in Sri Lanka with a ‘zero waste to landfill’ policy. The first collection sold 1500 pieces and was succeeded by another two collections.

Levi’s has just launched a campaign to refit vintage Levi’s 501 in collaboration with Reformation, a fashion brand that repurposes vintage clothing and materials in their studios in New York and Los Angeles. This campaign will strengthen Levi’s relationship with their loyal customers who will see their beloved pair of jeans gain a second life. Customers will be invited not to throw away their old jeans, reducing the amount of discarded garments going to landfill.

Worn Again is yet another interesting case study. This tiny company is a conglomerate of bright entrepreneurs full of unconventional ideas on what to do with textiles. Its credo is that things are “just too good to waste” and it partners with corporations such as Virgin, Royal Mail and Eurostar to help them re-use textiles, often disused uniforms, they would otherwise discard. The results are stunning bags out of postal workers’ decommissioned storm jackets.

Worn Again chief executive Cindy Rhoades, has boldly stated that, in the beginning the company figured that it would have to build an appropriate supply-chain from scratch to be able to re-use the textiles the way it envisioned. It simply did not exist yet, and the manufacturers they contacted to collaborate with would have no idea how to use discarded uniforms as raw material.

Of course, not every small initiative is successful or attracts interest and support of larger organisations. After all, Seth Godin writes: “Small is the new big only when the person running the small thinks big”.

This article is originally published in The Guardian.

The first challenge set by the company’s Ideas Brewery is for innovators to submit their ideas for sustainable beer packaging.

Beer company Heineken has become the latest company to launch an online open innovation platform, as it seeks ideas to help green up its products.

Beer company Heineken has become the latest company to launch an online open innovation platform, as it seeks ideas to help green up its products.

The first challenge set by the company’s Ideas Brewery is for innovators to submit their ideas for sustainable beer packaging. In particular the company is looking for re-use or recycling of beer packaging; new, sustainable packaging materials; and new ways to distribute or transport the packaging in a more sustainable manner.

Ideas will be assessed on the criteria of “innovativeness,” feasibility, and number of votes from the online audience, Heineken says. The best ideas will win $10,000. Ideas need to be submitted by May 8, and the winners will be announced in June.

The project will kick off today at 5pm GMT, with a “mini challenge,” as Freedom of Creation creative director and 3D prototyping pioneer Janne Kyttanen locks himself up in a secret location for 48 hours, during which he will try to develop solutions to Heinken’s sustainability challenge.

Heineken’s announcement follows similar moves by Unilever and Procter & Gamble.

In March, Unilever’s Open Innovation team launched an online platform seeking help on a range of sustainability issues such as better packaging and natural food preservation. Projects are listed on the Unilever web site as a series of “wants.” The company said that it launched the web site looking for a “fresh, serious” approach to developing new technology.

Procter & Gamble is now seeking to generate $3 billion in annual sales from products jointly developed with outside innovators.

This article is originally published in Environmental Leader.

Peter Bakker: “Collective action from business, civil society and governments will help drive change and make Rio+20 meaningful.” Photograph: Ricardo Moraes/Reuters

A letter co-signed by WBCSD and IUCN urges governments to install a sense of urgency in speeding up the transition to a sustainable economy

In a letter to the national negotiators, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) strongly pressed governments to commit to concrete action at the United Nations Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development.

The letter was co-signed by Peter Bakker, president, WBCSD and Julia Marton-Lefèvre, director general, IUCN. It strongly urges governments to speed up the transition to sustainability in order for upcoming challenges to be tackled successfully.

“The simple fact of the matter is that there is no excuse for inaction on sustainability,” said Bakker. “Sustainability is good for national economies, civil society, the environment and business. Now is the time for governments to recognise the urgency and put in place stable policies that will in turn help maximise business contributions to sustainable development.”

“Over the last two decades leading businesses, supported by the WBCSD and IUCN, have helped economies become more sustainable. However, the current voluntary transition to sustainability is too slow to meet future challenges and must be accelerated. Governments must now go further and make sure that all businesses play their part”, added Marton-Lefèvre.

Specifically the letter urges governments to:

• Instill a sense of urgency into the negotiations: addressing economic woes is one of the most compelling reasons to advance sustainability, not an excuse to do nothing or go backwards.
• Ensure that commitments made since 1992 are implemented: additional commitments at Rio+20 will be meaningless without action on previous promises.
• Put in place predictable, stable policies to help business scale up sustainable solutions: Clear, long-term policies and rules that reward more responsible and inclusive business practices, and sanction unsustainable behaviour are needed.
• Strengthen Paragraph 24 of the Zero Draft Document by including the explicit requirement for companies to adopt standardised, rules-based sustainability reporting.

The WBCSD and IUCN have developed numerous tools to help business move toward a sustainable economy, using business models that can be successful and profitable. Many companies have already taken advantage of these resources but further action is needed to achieve a sustainable future.

“Collective action from business, civil society and governments will help drive change and make Rio+20 meaningful.” Bakker said.

This article is originally published in The Guardian.

Jakarta, 29 March 2012 – The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Kadin, today announced that the Sustainable Business Awards, a new annual global award series recognizing best practices in sustainable business, will be launched for the first time in Indonesia, in partnership with Berita Satu Media Holdings, Global Initiatives and Climate Business.

More than 40 Indonesian and multinational companies across 9 industry sectors have registered their nominations for the award that will be presented to the nations most sustainable businesses at a ceremony in Jakarta on 9 May 2012.

Responding to a call for greater business engagement by leaders at the Business for the Environment (B4E) Global Summit opened by President Yudhoyono in Jakarta last April, the Sustainable Business Awards have been established to increase awareness of corporate best-practices and demonstrate how sustainable business benefits companies, the environment and all stakeholders, today and for the future.

In a statement to announce the awards Kadin Chairman Suryo Sulisto said ‘Indonesia has emerged as one of the world’s fastest rising economies and a major player on the global political stage however many challenges of sustainability remain. Protecting our rapidly depleting forests and endangered species, managing our vast natural resources sustainably and providing our poorer communities with access to energy, education and healthcare, these must all be a priority for business to ensure the benefits of growth can be enjoyed by all citizens. With the Indonesia Sustainable Business Awards Kadin will encourage more companies to take the lead on sustainability and create greater benefits for all.”

Co-developer of the Sustainable Business Awards methodology and survey Alex MacGillivray said “We’re delighted with the high levels of enthusiasm shown by so many Indonesian businesses across all sectors to join this pioneering effort. The SBA methodology is designed to help companies on their sustainability journey. It combines the best features of benchmarking and awards processes globally to really deliver green strategy and business advantage.”

Conducted in partnership with the Indonesian Business Council for Sustainable Development and leading international organizations, the Sustainable Business Awards are designed to;

• meet the specific needs of businesses in all sectors, designed by global experts and local stakeholders for maximum relevance and credibility
• build a global knowledge network of best practice, allowing businesses to benchmark and improve performance using peer groups of their choosing
• recognize business realities, helping businesses improve year on year

The Sustainable Business Awards will be launched in four countries in 2012 commencing in Indonesia followed by Singapore, South Africa and Mexico.

For more information visit www.sustainablebusiness.co.id

Contact: Miranda Firartri miranda.firartri@globalinitiatives.com