SUPPLY CHAIN -
WAP Sustainability Consulting works with manufacturers and brands to help them meet customers’ expectations on sustainability – specifically around life cycle assessment (LCA), carbon management and product ingredient transparency, particularly in regards to chemicals management.
We spoke with founder William Paddock to learn more about these current hot spots in the ongoing quest for supply chain transparency.
What are some of the key issues or buzzwords of concern for companies right now?
William Paddock: I tend to see organizations struggling with three things:
PRESS RELEASE -
On May 2, 2018, BASF and Solenis have signed an agreement to join forces by combining BASF’s paper wet-end and water chemicals business with Solenis. The combined entity with pro-forma sales of around €2.4 billion and around 5,000 employees in 2017 aims to deliver additional value for paper and water treatment customers. The goal is to create a customer-focused global solutions provider for the industry. For the paper industry, the product portfolio of the combined enterprise will cover the entire range of functional and process wet-end chemicals, solutions for the water cycle for paper mills, as well as comprehensive service capabilities.
PRESS RELEASE -
London: 18 April 2018 -Today, at the London Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, the world’s leading Crop Protection companies announce their commitment to support the research, development and supply of innovative products to save lives and help eradicate malaria by 2040.
PRESS RELEASE -
Braskem, the largest thermoplastics resins producer in the Americas and the worldwide leader in bio-polymers, announced today its expanded focus on the research, development and commercialization of chemicals and materials sourced from renewable feedstocks. Braskem started a new operation in Boston focused on leveraging groundbreaking developments in biotechnology and advanced materials. The activities will include biotechnology and material science R&D, business and market development as well as technology scouting for key strategic partnerships.
MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
The Green Chemistry & Commerce Council (GC3), a multi-stakeholder collaborative that drives the commercial adoption of sustainable chemistry, has selected the 10 startups that have won the opportunity to pitch their sustainable chemicals, materials, products and manufacturing technologies to large, strategic companies at the GC3’s 3rd Annual Green & Bio-Based Chemistry Technology Showcase & Networking Event.
MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
By 2020, the market for “green” chemistry is expected to reach $100 billion globally, with North America seeing an increase from $3 billion to over $20 billion during the same period. This growth, essential to the future of our planet, is a sign that the industry is engaged in much-needed change. Today, 8.3 percent of all deaths and 5.7 percent of the total burden of disease worldwide are related to chemical exposure.
PRESS RELEASE -
IVL Swedish Environment Research has analysed the environmental impact of ten products from BillerudKorsnäs. The findings reveal that emissions of greenhouse gases have fallen by between 5 and 19 percent since the previous analysis in 2012.
The products that have been examined are BillerudKorsnäs Artisan, Carry, Decor, Design, Flute®, Light, Liquid FC, Liquid LC, Supreme and White, and the results demonstrate that the company has succeeded in cutting the associated greenhouse gas emissions by 5–19 percent* since 2012. The majority of the reduction is attributable to cuts in the consumption of fossil fuels.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
News Deeply, in partnership with Sustainable Brands, has produced a series of profiles looking at how brands are tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges. The goal is to examine trends and gather insights from a new wave of corporate citizenship — in an era when the private sector is increasingly expected to play a positive role in improving our lives and societies. This is the 16th article in the series.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
Pinpoint specific local issues. Promote sustainable local development. Pave the way for caring and productive corporate growth. That’s how Japan’s Otsuka group of companies seeks to shape its role as an essential company for society.
MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Circularity is slowing making its way into the fashion industry, aiming to transform one of the most polluting sectors into a shining example of sustainability, but it still has a long way to go before it can truly shed its bad reputation. Technology has been an important driver of change, allowing brands to improve efficiencies and reduce impacts, but the sharing of resources and best practices is proving to be just as critical in nudging the industry forward towards a circular future.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Scientists at the US Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have developed a technology that could finally make it economically feasible for coal plants to curb their carbon emissions.
MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
While carbon emissions and water and energy efficiency are top-of-mind concerns for companies keen on reducing the environmental impacts of their products, a sustainable future can’t be achieved without considering chemistry — the foundation upon which countless products are built. We’ve already begun to see progress on this front, with an increasing number of companies embracing better chemicals management practices.
COLLABORATION & CO-CREATION -
The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) has released early registration of the Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM), a self-assessment tool that globally standardizes sustainability measurement for apparel, footwear and textile manufacturing facilities. Optimized for use at an industrial scale, Higg FEM enables factories of any size to assess sustainability performance and easily share results with supply chain partners.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Researchers at MIT have developed a new membrane system that could be used to convert power plant CO2 emissions into fuel for cars, trucks and planes, as well as into chemical feedstocks for a variety of products. Funded by Shell Oil and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, the breakthrough is the work of MIT postdoc Xiao-Yu Wu and Ahmed Ghoniem, the Ronald C.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Sweden is a leader in waste-to-energy generation and earlier this year, the country began powering its incineration plants with trash purchased from neighboring countries. With less than one percent of Swedish household waste sent to landfill since 2011, the country needed to look outside its borders to keep its incineration plants going. Now, news has emerged that some of this waste is discarded clothing from fast fashion giant H&M.
MATERIALS & PACKAGING -
Chemicals management continues to go mainstream, with sporting goods manufacturer ASICS Corporation and chemical company Stahl joining the growing body of brands, manufacturers and chemical suppliers to achieve bluesign® system partner status.
PRESS RELEASE -
Braskem, the Americas’ leading producer of thermoplastic resins, and Danish-based Haldor Topsoe, a world leader in catalysts and surface science, have signed a technological cooperation agreement to develop a pioneering route to produce monoethylene glycol (MEG) from sugar. The agreement calls for the construction of a demonstration plant in Denmark, with operation slated to begin in 2019.
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS -
CDP, RobecoSAM, EcoVadis — they are all organizations that assess the sustainability performance of companies worldwide. They all have their own agenda and targets, and of course, their own methodology to assess a portfolio of companies.
PRESS RELEASE -
To many consumers, the ubiquitous plastic beverage bottle is an environmental zero. It's made of nonrenewable fossil resources, holds a low-value product, is used only once, and often ends up in a landfill or, worse, as litter fouling our land and oceans. But plastic packaging remains a fact of life. Chemical and material companies, and their big-brand customers, hope to turn this zero into a hero by making plastic resins from renewable ingredients rather than petroleum.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
Trust. It can sound a lot like a buzzword or business jargon, a word or phrase thrown around by leaders when trying to identify, define or solve a problem. Sometimes it’s not even a consideration until it’s lost.
According to the 2017 Edelman Trust Barometer, only about half of the general population trusts business, government, media and nongovernmental organizations to do the right thing. Trust in business fell to 52 percent, and CEO credibility also fell globally.