2Sustain

Last month, the Clorox Company launched both a new smartphone application and a mobile website that allow consumers to have immediate access to information about the ingredients in Clorox products marketed in the US and Canada.

The first consumer packaged goods company to launch a smartphone application for ingredient disclosure, Clorox is offering the app initially to iPhone users, enabling them to scan a product UPC code and be taken instantly to that product’s ingredient listing.

The free application can be found in the iPhone App Store by typing in “Clorox ingredients,” and the company says the Ingredients Inside app will be available for other mobile devices soon.

In addition to the app, a new mobile website, which is available for all mobile platforms, gives easier, on-the-go access to the company’s Ingredients Inside program by offering content and functionality optimized for mobile device use.

Clearly, Clorox is responding to two emerging consumer trends: (more…)

For years now, consumers, investors, advocacy groups and other stakeholders have been pressing for improved transparency in business practices, and in line with appeals like these, California legislators passed the Transparency in Supply Chain Act (SB 657), effective as of January 1, 2012.

Simply put, The Transparency in Supply Chain Act requires retailers and manufacturers to publicly disclose their efforts to eradicate slavery and human trafficking from their supply chains. The law applies to all corporations doing business in California with more than $100 million in worldwide gross receipts, and as a result, it’s estimated to affect some 3,200 companies.

Not surprisingly, the new regulations have been the subject of much debate. (more…)

Today’s B-school graduates have grown up with issues like environmental protection and social responsibility as constant features in their lives. But, I often wonder how this will affect their career goals. Are these MBA students ready to lead what some now are calling the first “sustainable generation?”

New research from the UK’s Sky provides some intriguing insights and suggests that future leaders are ready to embrace the challenge of integrating sustainability into business best practices.

In its recently released report The Sustainable Generation: The Sky Future Leaders Study, Sky, a television service from the UK and Ireland, examines the attitudes and ambitions of more than 750 corporate graduate trainees, high-potential middle-managers and MBA students.

Among the highlights:

• 34 percent of the survey respondents see creating social and environmental value as an overall career goal, and a whopping 96 percent said they plan on being involved with sustainability in their careers.
• 79 percent said the vision and values of a company are an important factor when looking at potential employers.
• 70 percent agreed that sustainability can create new opportunities for businesses, and just 21 percent said sustainability has to come at the expense of profit.

However, the study also revealed that these future leaders sense a disconnect between corporate words and actions with regard to sustainability: (more…)

Last week, IKEA announced plans to install solar energy panels on five locations in the Midwest, extending the company’s solar presence to nearly 85 percent of its US locations. Pending governmental permits, installation can begin this winter, with completion expected in summer 2012.

Collectively, the five stores will total approximately 20,400 panels, 4.8 megawatts (MW) of solar generating capacity and an annual output of 5.62 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity –that’s the equivalent to reducing 4,273 tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and  equal to eliminating the emissions of 760 cars or providing electricity for 484 homes yearly (calculating clean energy equivalents at www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html).

This investment by IKEA reinforces the company’s long-term commitment to sustainability and confidence in photovoltaic (PV) technology, and it’s worth noting that IKEA will own and operate each of its solar PV energy systems atop its buildings, as opposed to a solar lease or PPA (power purchase agreement).

If you’re curious about more details, here are a few of the locations, along with approximate system statistics and corresponding clean energy equivalents: (more…)

General Motors believes that sustainability goals are best achieved when directly integrated into its business model, and the company reinforced this commitment last week with the release of its first global sustainability report since restructuring as a new company.

In particular, I was pleased to see that the report includes the incredibly forward-thinking declaration that what GM needs to grow its business is aligned with the needs of society –namely, energy alternatives and advanced technologies to help reduce dependency on petroleum, improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions, as well as bold thinking about personal mobility in the 21st century.

Looking back over the past year, GM says it has made marked progress in water conservation, renewable energy use, wildlife habitat preservation, recycling waste and material repurposing. Plus, the company is expanding its Greening Supply Chain Initiative to additional suppliers and joint ventures in China, its largest national market. In 2010, GM also earned the title clean-tech patent leader by the Clean Energy Patent Growth Index for the advanced technology, fuel efficiency and overall sustainability-related aspects of its products.

Looking ahead to the next decade, GM plans to achieve even more. The company says it will: (more…)