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.
Patagonia gives design of sustainable wetsuit away
Wetsuits are horrible for the environment. They’re made of neoprene, a petroleum derivative, and the manufacturing of neoprene is extremely toxic for the environment. California clothing company Patagonia has partnered with Yulex, a company who makes plant-based biorubbers, to create a wetsuit Read More...
General Mills announces plans to minimize greenhouse gas emissions from operations and supply chain
A few months ago Oxfam released a report detailing greenhouse gas emissions in the food production sector—pointing out General Mills, one of the largest food producers in America, as one of the worst offenders. General Mills has now announced plans to greatly reduce greenhouse emissions from both Read More...
Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables a big hit in France
Apples with lumps, carrots with two legs, and oranges that aren’t perfectly round usually get thrown away before they even reach the grocery store. Many people get upset over all the ‘failed’ fruits and vegetables that go to waste; why would you toss out ugly produce when it tastes just as Read More...
UK’ s Sainsbury powers store with food–waste
Living off the national power grid is difficult for individuals, and nearly impossible for commercial stores—but that’s exactly what Sainsbury’s in the UK is looking to do. Sainsbury’s is working with local recycling company Biffa to run their Cannock store completely of anaerobic Read More...
Value of new digital currency is determined by reputation
Internet currencies as Bitcoin turn money into something completely virtual. Values are determined by rules of mathematics and programmers and freed from banks and government. But entrepreneur J. Chris Anderson wants to reform money even further. His Document Coin is less about replacing dollars Read More...
Grocery store in U.K. is first to publish Seafood Sustainability Reports
Transparency is a magic word when it comes to progress and positive change. The British grocery chain Asda is the first major supermarket to publish a Seafood Sustainability Report. The report, called the Wild Fisheries Annual Review, looks at all fisheries the grocery store has done business with Read More...
Circular economy is going mainstream
In the predominant current business model companies make products and create a lot of waste in the process. In the proposed business model of the circular economy such waste is being used again as fuel for a new production process. A new report from JWT Intelligence shows that the circular economy Read More...
B Corporations are good for the environment and society
B Corps are companies who meet or exceed a stringent set of standards in terms of social responsibility, environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. There are 1000s of different B Corps out there providing goods and services ranging from litigate consultations to cell phone Read More...
New map of palm oil plantations helps save rainforests
Almost everyone consumes palm oil on a daily basis. It is an ingredient in about half the products you find at the store. Demand for palm oil is immense and rapidly increasing. In many places tropical rainforests are burnt to create illegal palm oil plantations. A new website from the Roundtable Read More...
Ricardo Semler tells businesses to get rid of “boarding school” rules
Ricardo Semler broke through thanks to a radical reorganization of Semco, the company he took over from his father when he was barely twenty years old. Ricardo Semler was unhappy and made a radical change. Employees were no longer obligated to come to the office. They could set their own salary. Read More...