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.
Vintage fashion from recycled cotton
Everyone has heard about the plastic waste ruining our planet by now. But who knows about the 13.1 million tons of textile waste (worth roughly USD 350 billion) the United States alone produce every year? And who knows that 11 million of that textile waste goes almost directly to landfills? Read More...
This company wants to save millions of lives, using a $25 plastic bag
Singapore-based WateROAM aims to tackle this issue through a cost-effective way to convert waste water into drinking water. At just 400g, the company's palm-size Fieldtrate Lite appears as a non-descript plastic bag but the portable filtration system claims to remove bacteria and other pathogens, Read More...
New credit card lets you give to your favorite charitable causes
America's 200 million credit cardholders are better at accruing rewards than spending them. As one survey showed, in 2015 credit card holders failed to redeem about $16 billion worth of loyalty points. That’s why you may want to consider Charity Charge. This new MasterCard, issued by Read More...
Philips Electronics commits to carbon neutral operations by 2020
Dutch multinational technology company Philips has committed to a new sustainability 5-year program that is aimed at rendering its operations carbon neutral by 2020. The “Healthy people, sustainable planet” program builds on Philips’ objective to “improve the lives of three billion people a Read More...
Social enterprise a practical solution in tight times
When Wrexham Council decided to close down the Plas Madoc Leisure Centre in 2014, members of the local community clubbed together to save what they saw was a “vital local landmark.” After applying for funding and writing to various groups for advice on how to set up a community trust, Read More...
Black gold from the Amazon: fighting climate change while improving soil
“Terra preta” or “black soil” is very fertile, dark and manmade soil found in the Amazon. It’s the result of an indigenous farmers’ practice 3000 years ago, they would bury charcoal in the ground to boost the otherwise relatively infertile Amazonian soil. The charcoal allows the soil to Read More...
Heineken opens the world’s first large-scale carbon-neutral brewery in Austria
Dutch beer maker Heineken opened the world’s first large-scale zero-carbon brewery this week in Austria. The factory is powered completely by electricity from solar, and hydropower, as well as biogas and waste heat from a neighboring sawmill. Four different beers will be brewed at the Read More...
Insurer launches UK's 'first driverless car policy'
Car insurer Adrian Flux has launched what it claims to be the UK’s first personal driverless car insurance policy. The policy is designed for consumers who already have driverless features in their cars, such as self-parking, or are thinking of buying a car with autopilot features. Fully Read More...
Interface launches campaign to eliminate any negative impact of carpet manufacturing
Led by its visionary founder, Ray Anderson, carpet manufacturer Interface has been an early leader of sustainable business. The company is now launching a new bold campaign to “eliminate any negative impact Interface has on the environment by 2020”. That means: zero waste, zero greenhouse gas Read More...
From beer to bananas: 8 lessons for business and government partnerships
In a recent online chat, experts joined us to discuss how businesses can work together with government to make progress on sustainability. This is what we learned: 1. There are lots of examples of business and government collaborating for development. Construction companies worked with the Read More...