Business
Looking for positive and inspiring business stories? From green operations to employee rights, from innovative corporate structures to diversity and inclusion, the Business section at The Optimist Daily has got the latest innovative solutions from the corporate sector.
IBM has come up with a quick way to recycle all kinds of plastic
The problem with recycling is quite straightforward: only a small percentage of the plastic items we throw away are recyclable. Some items such as plastic bottles can easily be repurposed, but others that use different assortment of plastic or have special coatings cannot. New solutions are needed Read More...
Video games could help increase productivity and motivation in the workplace
Studies have previously shown that video games can benefit players by indulging their brains in constant stimulation and thus improve their cognitive capacities. But more recently, researchers have found that collaborative video games which require a group effort to overcome problems and challenges Read More...
Investors are putting millions of dollars into companies that fight food waste
Every year, roughly one third – or 1.4 billion tons – of the food produced in the world for human consumption ends up in landfills. By some estimates, this adds up to nearly $1 trillion of annual squander and the production of nearly 8 percent of human-caused greenhouse gases. And while Read More...
This program is helping skilled refugees in Jordan and Lebanon find jobs abroad
Many refugees in Lebanon are skilled professionals in one field or the other, and yet, they still have to rely on humanitarian aid. An international organization by the name of Talent Beyond Boundaries thinks that’s crazy (we do too), which is why they created a platform that connects refugees Read More...
This web search engine uses its ad-revenues to plant millions of trees globally
Looking for an easy way to fight climate change? Here's a simple one: the next time you need to search for something on the internet, use Ecosia – a search engine company that uses at least 80 percent of its ad-generated profits to plant millions of trees around the world. The small Read More...
If climate change can’t stop restaurants from wasting food, this study might
By one estimate, restaurants in the US alone throw out somewhere between 22 billion to 33 billion pounds of food—a jaw-dropping amount to say the least. And while the environmental impact that food waste causes isn’t stopping restaurants from throwing food into the dumpster, the results of a Read More...
These entrepreneurs are turning slums into safer places to live
Slums have long represented a great development challenge as they are by definition areas in which the inhabitants lack fundamental resources such as adequate sanitation, improved water supply, durable housing or adequate living space. For centuries, demolishing these settlements was seen as the Read More...
Popular sandwich chain opens hostel for the homeless in London
Being homeless is a vicious cycle, especially when you live on the streets of some of the most expensive cities in the world. Once you’ve lost your home and a stable income, the opportunities to find employment, let alone a place to sleep, can be scarce, making it more than likely that you will Read More...
The majority of American companies plan to transition to a circular economy
If we want an economic system that works with the environment rather than pollute it like our current one does, then the world’s biggest companies need to step up and make a change. Instead of selling products that will quickly become waste after consumption, we need products that are built to Read More...
Why US postal workers deserve a little more love
While reality TV stars, politicians, and sports athletes get the bulk of media attention, there’s a worthy group of workers who deserve a little more stardom in America: The men and women of the US Postal Service. That’s right, at times when natural disaster brings chaos to communities, courier Read More...