Pandora to ditch unethically sourced diamonds
Pandora is ditching raw materials associated with unethical production methods, instead opting for sustainable alternatives that are near identical without being morally bankrupt. Pandora has outlined plans to stop using natural, mined diamonds in all of its products. Last year it sold 50,000 diamonds in alone and makes more pieces...
Current in Companies
L’Oréal unveils sustainability programme ahead of Earth Day
The world’s largest cosmetics company has ambitiously pledged to reduce its carbon footprint by 50% before 2030, setting a prime example for other beauty brands to follow. With Earth Day around the corner (and an estimated one billion people mobilised to take part in this year’s events), it seems fitting...
The Prince’s Trust helps Gen Z in a tough job market
In an extremely tough year, young people are letting their voices be heard through organisations such as The Prince’s Trust, expressing how they’re feeling about the pandemic, their careers, and mental health. In January 2021, The Prince's Trust conducted their Youth Index, which surveyed over 2,000 Gen Z (16-25)...
TreeCard’s wooden bank card aims to reforest the planet
TreeCard, a UK fintech innovator, has unveiled its flagship wooden bank card. Designed to minimise negative environmental effects, its USP is planting trees using our everyday interchange fees. If you needed a valid excuse to burn through your hard earned wages in 2021, we may have just found it. TreeCard, a...
Start-up ‘Redefine Meat’ secures funding for 3D-printed vegan steaks
It might sound like a scenario you’d find in Wall-E rather than real life, but Israel-based start-up ‘Redefine Meat’ is beginning a test run of 3D-printed vegan meat products. What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the term ‘3D-printer’? Homemade toys, geeky creations by cosplay enthusiasts?...
Amazon’s new HQ is an example of eco-conscious architecture
Amazon’s helix design for their new HQ in Arlington, Virginia is all about creating a healthy space for the community and the planet. Architecture firm NBBJ’s proposed 350-foot-tall design recently did the rounds on social media, being compared to a certain brown emoji that sounds a lot like Patrick Stewart,...
Funeral facility Recompose launches ‘human compost’ initiative
The new technique slowly converts human bodies into soil which can be used to fertilise family gardens or local nature reserves, offering a more sustainable approach to the end of human life. Discussing how we bury and store our dead can be an uncomfortably morbid topic, but it is becoming an ever more pressing issue as populations rise and our climate continues to change. Traditional methods of body disposal are...
Coca-Cola to test out first paper bottles
The soft drinks giant Coca-Cola is beginning to test out paper bottles as part of a long-term strategy to eliminate all plastic packaging. Despite its eco-friendly marketing and emphasis on recycling, Coca-Cola remains one of the biggest producers of plastic in the world, pumping out three million tonnes of packaging every year. The company’s head of sustainability, Bear Perez, also went on record just over one year ago to say...
Apple backing new equality initiatives with $100 million pledge
Last summer Apple announced it would be putting $100 million into a new Equity and Justice Initiative and has now finally revealed how it’ll be spending the cash. In response to the Black Lives Matter protests in mid-2020, Apple committed $100 million to a new Racial Equity and Justice Initiative lead by the company’s vice president of environment, policy, and social initiatives, Lisa Jackson. Apple has kept relatively quiet about...
The sustainable start-up nixing menstruation taboos
Nixit is a one-size-fits-all menstrual disc designed to 'nix' the wastage and stigma typically associated with having a period. Although disposable tampons and sanitary towels are extremely commonplace, 80% of women don’t realise that the majority of their period products aren’t made with cotton or compostable materials. In fact, given that manufacturers aren’t usually required to disclose a list of ingredients when selling these items, pesticides, glue, and even bleach has...
