Innovation & Technology
The latest products, services, design approaches and business models that are helping organizations of all sizes deliver on their sustainability ambitions and establish a new business as usual
Starbucks Expands ‘100% Reusables’ Tests in Bid to Sink Disposable Cup Waste
Since 2021, Starbucks has been testing the 100% reusables model across more than 25 markets. With most of its beverages enjoyed on the go, the company continues to test and learn how to best encourage customers to embrace reusables. Read More...
Free, Open-Source Recycling Ecosystem Is Making Plastic ‘Precious’
Precious Plastic is all about democratizing circularity. And it’s enabling a new form of craftsmanship: One in which anyone, anywhere, can start a small business recycling and making new products from plastic waste. Read More...
Could Coastal Carbon Capture Clean Up Atmospheric Carbon at Gigaton Scale?
Vesta is accelerating natural processes using carbon-removing olivine sand to promote coastal resilience, advance ocean uptake and storage of carbon dioxide, and reduce ocean acidity. Read More...
‘Big Build’ Brings Mars Closer to Goal of Restoring 1M Corals Worldwide by End of 2023
The massive coral-restoration project took place in the Spermonde Archipelago, Indonesia — in the world’s most biologically complex marine ecosystem in the Coral Triangle — alongside Indonesian community partners. Read More...
Advanced Livestock Genetics Are Making Protein Production More Sustainable
Historically, corporate carbon-reduction strategies haven't looked to genetic innovations as a viable Scope 3 reduction opportunity; but it is one of the most important considerations for improving the sustainability of livestock production. Read More...
Connected Construction a Promising Way to Reduce Impacts of the Built Environment
Constructing a sustainable built environment requires more than efficient design, equipment and materials — but processes and workflows that say exactly where and how these assets combine to streamline processes as much as possible. Read More...
From Mealworms to Meals: How Ÿnsect Is Cultivating a Food Revolution
The French company is poised to meet the nutrition challenges posed by a growing population and a climate- and resource-challenged agricultural future. Read More...
GAF's First Urban Heat Project Produces Cool Results
GAF coatings had been proven to cool surfaces and ambient air on individual applications but had never been applied on a community-wide scale. Preliminary data showed a 25-50% reduction of the urban heat island effect during peak temperatures. Read More...
VivoBarefoot Offers Glimpse Into a Truly Waste-Free Footwear Future
Vivobarefoot’s new scan-to-print, circular design platform enables rapid prototyping — saving development and lab time, labor, and materials waste. The company is seeking 200 UK participants to test the first generation of VivoBiome footwear. Read More...
Alt-Protein Industry Ramping Up to Be ‘All Sizzle and No Steak’ — in the Best Way
Future Food Tech’s recent Alternative Proteins event, which convened over 600 industry players, showcased the myriad innovations that will enable us to continue to bring home the bacon (and chicken, beef, fish …) without further endangering the health of the planet. Read More...
How Transportation Partnerships Can Help Accelerate Scope 3 Emissions Reductions
It’s important for organizations to seek like-minded partners that understand their climate goals and are interested in working together to identify decarbonization strategies and solutions. Read More...
The Science of Tree Planting: How Data Is Boosting Climate Resilience of Both Cities and Forests
Arbor Day Foundation’s Forest Priority Index and NatureQuant’s NatureScore tool identify where trees are needed most in both rural and urban areas — enabling better planning for addressing climate and human-health risks. Read More...
Change the Product, Not Just the Packaging: A Crucial Step Towards a Sustainable Food Future
A growing industry solution to plastic packaging pollution is to create food products that are more stable and compatible with more minimal and sustainable packaging materials. Read More...
FootPrint Coalition: Propelling Climate Tech to Create a World of ‘Radical Abundance’
Robert Downey Jr's FootPrint Coalition is taking a three-pronged approach to boosting environmental science and technology — including a science engine that funds non-traditional innovators, a VC fund for scaling promising solutions, and a media platform that amplifies the innovations. Read More...
Report Shows Path to Zero-Emission Passenger Transport with 'More Mobility and Less Mining'
A new report shows a just pathway to zero-emission urban mobility. Simple changes such as smaller EV batteries can greatly improve resource-use efficiency; but holistically reducing car dependence will be paramount. Read More...
50+ CEOs Join Aviation Industry Initiative to Transform Airports into Clean-Energy Hubs
The World Economic Forum’s Airports of Tomorrow initiative seeks to address the energy, infrastructure and financing needs of the transition to a net-zero aviation industry by 2050. Read More...
Colombian Toy Company Encourages Circular, Co-Creative Model of Play
Toynovo has created a subscription model for toys that eliminates waste, along with a co-creative approach to play that enhances creative thinking and problem-solving capacities. Read More...
Danfoss ‘Smart Store’ Sets New Bar for Energy-Efficient Supermarkets
The Smart Store — expected to be ~50% more energy efficient than a typical supermarket — will also work as Danfoss’ test center for energy-efficiency technologies. Read More...
Concrete Has an Emissions Problem. Thankfully, Startups Are Queuing Up to Solve It
In 2021, global construction projects consumed 30B tonnes of cement to make concrete — with every tonne emitting almost a tonne of CO2. The good news is, technologies already exist to reduce the impact of concrete production. Read More...
Renewables May Be Booming; But Shifting from Fossil Fuels Is Being Hindered By …
Projects that could generate more than 1TW of renewable energy are still waiting to be constructed and connected to the grid in all parts of the world, due to delays in permitting and a lack of investment in grid infrastructure. Read More...
