- Elin Wibell
Don’t miss 110 innovation examples and a cucumber not wrapped in plastic.
You know that bad feeling you have when picking up a plastic-wrapped cucumber in the supermarket. That could soon be over. By rethinking both the product and how we get products and services to users without creating waste.
Ellen MacArthur Foundation has once again provided us with an excellent guide. This time it involves packaging solutions. A quite straightforward approach. Based on the notion that the best way is not to be able to handle your waste but to prevent it from being created in the first place.
Rethink the product, the packaging and the business model.
Can it be that easy? Yes, it can. The upstream innovation mindset can be used to achieve three key circular economy innovation strategies — elimination, reuse, and material circulation. 3 simple steps.
Check out their guide and more than 110 innovation case examples!
Save the Environment and your Profit
- Elin Wibell
I believe that I love compliance because I love what is right. With a compliance framework in place, there is an outline of the right way to do things. And no way to avoid it - without the risk of public shame and a possible shut down of the business.
When it comes to sustainability there are so many compliance codes and frameworks in place whether it be legal requirements, company policies, or industry/voluntary codes. Being a business with limited resources, it can feel quite frustrating.
Thankfully, there are experts who can help you draft your own ambition based on legal framework and industry codes. You can not be an expert on everything, but be aware of the reasoning and have an understanding of the most important codes to adhere to.
The World Bank has a free online training module on their code of conduct when identifying risks and making assessments of financial investments in terms of society and the environment. It is a rather short introduction to their process but could be applicable to due diligence assessment in general.
Environmental and Social Governance (ESG) training module by the World Bank.
The process helps determine if the investment is worthwhile and ensure that there is a sustainable long-term plan of governance in place. This is of course essential that banks or investors carefully select the project or business they support. To foresee environmental and social risks is crucial before embarking on a new project - not doing so could lead to costs and the need to abort the project or investment.
Happy Learning!
- Elin Wibell
Updated: Feb 18
Berlin is opening a department store which only sells recycled and second-hand goods.
As part of its effort to become a zero-waste city by 2030, the city is opening a pop-up shop on the third floor of the of the city’s Karstadt Hermannplatz department store. The pilot project will last for six months and if successful the city plans to launch more stores.
The store, which is to be called B-Wa(h)renhaus, sells only high-quality recycled and upcycled items. The new store has 650 square meters of selling space, and nine vendors offer products ranging from recycled and upcycled furniture and clothing to refurbished electrical appliances and toys.
In the store you can also enjoy dumpling made from “excess but high-quality” ingredients. A meeting space that will be used for a series of events to raise awareness of recycling and reuse and the possibility to allow shoppers to borrow cargo bikes to take their bargains home.