In the face of large-scale global challenges — from poverty and hunger to social justice and the climate crisis — businesses with an eye toward the future can make small changes and collaborate with other organizations to create collective, effective change.  

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015 by the United Nations member states are a call to action to leave no one behind in the face of global challenges that threaten our planet and societies. The SDGs touch on issues that require companies to rethink their approaches to value generation. In this context, B Lab is working with the UN Global Compact to develop a tool for launch in 2020 to help companies chart their next decade of progress on the SDGs. Learn more about this development here.

 

In the fourth of a series of insights on the SDGs (find links to previous articles below) and how they can guide and inspire Certified B Corporations and other businesses, B the Change contacted Max Mintz, partner and financial advisor at B Corp Common Interests, and Steve Distante, CEO of Vanderbilt Financial Group. At Common Interests, based in Metuchen, New Jersey, Mintz and business partner Bob Goellner (the founder of the firm) and their office manager Ruth Arriaza provide values-based impact investing and holistic financial planning for clients. Distante and the Vanderbilt Financial Group team based in Woodbury, New York, aim to bring about positive social, environmental, or governmental change through their business and investments.

 

Distante and Mintz will be part of the Impact Forum, set for December 4–5, 2019, at the United Nations that will include a film festival and impact investing conference. Read on to learn more about how Distante and Mintz support the SDGs through their work and why they encourage other businesses to chart their progress on the SDGs.

  Let’s start at the highest level. What do you think is most valuable about the Sustainable Development Goals?

 

Steve Distante: The SDGs were created collaboratively by 193 governments over a three-year time frame around 2015, addressing some of the world’s toughest challenges and most pertinent problems. The global goals were given an ambitious deadline of 15 years to be addressed and resolved, which speaks to the urgency of many of these issues. The most valuable aspect of the SDGs are that they are not just for global governments or larger corporations to tackle — they also empower citizens, entrepreneurs, leaders, employees and activists to all come together under a common language and intention with the backdrop of the UN. It is truly an inclusive movement from formation through implementation.   The most valuable aspect of the SDGs are that they are not just for global governments or larger corporations to tackle — they also empower citizens, entrepreneurs, leaders, employees and activists to all come together under a common language and intention with the backdrop of the UN. It is truly an inclusive movement from formation through implementation.  

 

Max Mintz: To me, the most valuable part of the SDGs is that they give us a visual language to discuss the issues facing society and the planet. Too often, I’ve seen people become overwhelmed by the scope of these issues and either fall into despair or inaction. The SDGs allow people to identify the issues that they want to focus on so that they can take action in a way that is meaningful to them. The SDGs are a positive, uplifting message built to inspire, not cause people to get depressed.  

2030 is only a decade away. Where do you think action needs to focus in order to get there?

 

SD: I think we need to create more awareness of the SDGs in general. One project I’m working on is to use storytelling as a medium to educate, inspire and celebrate entrepreneurs who are using the SDGs in their businesses. I recently released my second film, Igniting Impact, which shares the stories of eight entrepreneurs doing just that.   It’s important we begin focusing our businesses on the benefits of aligning purpose with profit and engage leaders in meaningful ways using the SDGs as a framework for doing so. Becoming a B Corp is definitely a step in that journey, but also focusing on one or more of the SDGs (as they are very interdependent) elevates businesses to exist in service of finding real solutions to the problems that matter.  

MM: The power of the SDGs is that they allow us to focus our efforts on the issues that matter most to us. As we have met with clients and discussed the SDGs in detail, I’ve found that every time I bring them up, a different SDG speaks to each client. If we each work on the issues that matter most to us, together we can accomplish great things! I’m reminded of a saying we have around the office: Do what you do best, and pay for all the rest. To me, this means that we should each be working on those issues that speak to us, that inform our passions, where we can do the most to move the needle on these issues.

 

The SDGs have been called the closest thing to a sustainability strategy for humanity. Do you think this strategy has enabled business to meaningfully take action?

 

SD: For many businesses, yes; however, for others it often takes creativity to align their businesses in a meaningful way. Not every business has sustainability baked into its core, but I believe every business can be sustainable.  

A real issue in the strategy of the SDGs is awareness that they exist and that successful entrepreneurs and businesses are already utilizing their framework to infuse meaning and purpose in their business. Those of us working in the space need to share our story and spread the word to companies and entrepreneurs to show that this purpose can also be profitable. This is one of the main drivers for my creating a documentary film. I want entrepreneurs, leaders and students to see a range of businesses that are working on a wide spectrum of issues while also achieving economic success.

 

MM: Absolutely! The SDGs provide a framework to understand how we can move toward a more sustainable future. The SDGs are global and must be understood through a regional lens. Great strides have already been taken to galvanize companies to take action, most prominently in Europe, where the EU has launched its Taxonomy for Sustainable Activities, which provides a roadmap to achieving the SDG targets that the EU has identified as critical — namely climate action, sustainable natural resource management, and good work and economic growth, all of which are supported by and aligned with their sustainable finance initiative. In the US, we’re far behind this regulatory framework, but the impact of the EU’s actions, as the world’s second-largest economy, will be felt globally.  

Can you give us an example of a business that gives you hope that we will achieve the Sustainable Development Goals?

 

SD: We cover a wide range of examples in the film, but two that are top of mind are John’s Crazy Socks and World Tree.

John’s Crazy Socks is a great example of two SDGs intersecting in one business: SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth, and SDG 10, Reduced Inequalities. In providing meaningful job opportunities to people of differing abilities, John’s Crazy Socks taps into an underemployed and often underpaid workforce. John’s Crazy Socks gives us the playbook.  

World Tree directly correlates with SDG 13, Climate Action. They use a for-profit business structure to benefit both farmers and investors while using the regenerative power of the Empress Splendor tree to have dramatic effects on our fight against land and air degradation: It reduces carbon 11 times more than any other tree, reinvigorates even the most decimated soil, and is one of the fastest-growing trees in the world. Not to mention, World Tree is a heart-centered, female-founded and female-operated business fighting for gender equality and representation.

 

MM: One of our most exciting projects this year was our first private impact investment in a company called TerraCycle, an innovative recycling company that is committed to eliminating waste through materials science and upcycling. Discussing this business with our clients has inspired many of them and given them hope that businesses are in fact working to create a more sustainable economy.

 

How will the online platform that B Lab is developing alongside the UN Global Compact serve the 2030 agenda?

 

SD: From my understanding, the online platform will begin to quantify the effectiveness of B Corps in an SDG matrix. It’s been a struggle to quantify the impact the SDGs have had inside of businesses. We desperately need tools like this to help make the business case for the SDGs and show the impact we’re having in the world to all our stakeholders.  

MM: As a Certified B Corp, our firm has used the existing B Impact Assessment as a roadmap to improve the sustainability of our firm, and we’ve made huge strides! This platform will give us and others the next step: tools to align our mission with the SDGs and report back to our stakeholders. We don’t have the infrastructure to develop this kind of platform on our own, so we rely on B Lab to provide these kinds of tools.

 

Which SDG is top of mind for you right now, and why?

 

SD: SDG 17: Partnerships. The SDGs are incredibly interconnected between issues and the stakeholders of people working on them. Entrepreneurs and companies offer solutions; investors drive capital toward those solutions. We need to harness the power of collective action and work together with others to multiply our effect on the SDGs.  

MM: I’m in an interesting position: as a fiduciary, I’m obligated to put my clients’ interests ahead of my own, so my work on the SDGs is motivated by my clients’ wishes rather than my own. In our recent impact report, we conducted a survey of our clients to understand how they prioritize the SDGs, and we’re driven by that data.

 

Interestingly, our clients’ priorities fall into the areas of basic needs: Clean Water (SDG 6), Zero Hunger (SDG 2), and Quality Education (SDG 4) topped the list, while Gender Equality (SDG 5), Good Health (SDG 3), and Climate Action (SDG 13) were close behind. We’re actively searching for investments that work to achieve these goals.

Let’s face it, the world is overwhelming. The climate crisis may seem like something we can’t stop, but we promise you, any changes to your habits will be of benefit. Here’s a few small changes you can make right now to transition to an ecofriendly beauty routine.     If you’ve been following our Instagram, you will already know we’ve been slowly transitioning specific aspects of our lives towards more sustainable practices. (Check out this IGTV story on how we made the kitchen more eco-friendly.) In the last few months, we’ve been focusing on our beauty routine.   The beauty industry is wasteful. We love skincare and makeup, not to mention this job requires us to explore new products, which has been sort of an excuse not to focus on it too hard. It’s part of our job, so what can we do to change? But, as the world becomes more conscious, our options for sustainable practices become more common, which is very exciting. That being said, here’s a few small changes we’ve done to transition to an ecofriendly beauty routine  

Reusable Cotton Pads

  Are you a daily micellar water user? If you’re like us, you probably use up to two cotton pads a day. Multiply that by 7 days a week, 365 days a year and you can imagine the amount of waste we’re producing, just by cleaning our face. Cotton isn’t made of plastic, but you can’t recycle it. It naturally ends up in landfills. Moreover, cotton production requires a massive amount of water. Swapping for reusable cottons pads seems like an easy way to eliminate a huge amount of waste in your routine.   We like these ones from Amazon, but there’s a ton of other options made out of bamboo. These are made of organic cotton, but you can find other brands that use bamboo. It takes a hot minute to figure out how to use them, but once you get the hang of it, it’s very easy. Make sure to wash them with clean, non-fragrant laundry detergent and to use a laundry bag  

Refillable Fragrance

Did you know this was a thing? Refillable fragrance bottles make a huge difference. We’re daily user of the Angel Eau de Toilette (US$84), enough to empty a bottle every four months. That’s a lot of bottles a year, and have you seen how beautiful they are? It’s very sad recycling them, and worst of all, we don’t even know if all their parts are recyclable. The Mugler Fountain, which has recently been revamped, allows you to refill your Angel or Alien bottle. For our Canadian readers, your local Shoppers Drug Mart will have refillable stations. (Most importantly, you only pay for the fragrance, so it’s more cost-effective as a consumer.) Mugler is an example, but many brands have or are release refillable fragrance bottles–to cut down on waste and cost. Less waste, less energy spent on a new bottle, on packaging, shipping, etc.. it’s genius.  

Prioritizing Brands Making A Difference

  Prioritizing brands that are making a difference is a way to reward those making a change. Let them know they’re doing the right thing (because it’s not cheap, unfortunately), by giving them your time and money. For example, we can’t stop preaching about the earth-friendly initiatives behind REN. Our fave, the Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium Anti-Fatigue Body Wash (CA$36/US$27) is made with 100 percent recycled plastic, 20 percent of which is reclaimed plastic found in our oceans. The REN Clean Screen Mineral (CA$47/US$36) bottle is made up of 50 percent recycled plastic and the cap is 100 percent recycled plastic. They even went as far as to ensure packaging was made of a single type of plastic, to facilitate further recycling. We constantly re-purchase from REN and shout it from the rooftops, to reward them for their eco-friendly ways.  

Terracycling

  We recently discovered the Body Shop has a partnership with Terracycle, which is an incredible company. (Since then, we’ve noticed other brands doing the same, namely Burt’s Bees.) Terracycle collects plastic and works with companies that take hard-to-recycle materials. You can basically be assured your beauty products are being recycled properly. Why should you worry about it? Recycling isn’t as straightforward as we like to think it is. Each city does its own thing (in general) and a lot of the things we put in our blue and black bins aren’t fully processed by certain plants. For example, your greasy pizza box can be considered a contaminate. At the end of each month, we round up our empty (and clean) beauty products and deliver them to our local The Body Shop. It’s a total game-changer if you’re transitioning to an ecofriendly beauty routine.  

Last year I washed 42 pair of reusable tennis shoes of which were donated to homeless. That doesn’t count the hundreds of other tennis shoes that were either singles or completely destroyed and the amount of tennis shoes that were put in the trash. It has become obvious that even tennis shoes have become a disposable item, a sad sorry when you consider that an estimated 300 million people in the world do not have shoes.   Just about everyone has old running shoes lying around their homes, filling up much-needed closet space. It can be easy just to toss them away, not thinking twice about it. However, this is not only dangerous for the environment, but it also increases your carbon footprint. Don’t let your running shoes wind up in a landfill or the beach repurpose them!   There are several ways to repurpose old running shoes, all of which require minimal extra effort. This little effort needed by you can create a world of difference for the environment. All you need to do is get creative!   Our Favorite Way to Repurpose Sneakers   Running Shoe Drive Fundraiser   This idea is particularly effective as a nonprofit fundraiser. If you aren’t already involved with an organization, no worries! Partner with a local nonprofit, school or Terracycle to make sure the running shoe drive funds are used for community advancement. For instance we have a local business Randalls Sandals who collects shoes and does beach clean ups.   Running shoe drive fundraisers are an excellent way to repurpose unwanted sneakers while also supporting the environment. By spreading the word, you’ll encourage the community to join together for a worthy cause. Here’s how they work:   1.    Partner with a running shoe drive coordinator. 2.    Collect gently worn, used and new athletic shoes. 3.    Fill and send the shipping bags provided by your facilitator. 4.    Receive a check based on how many pairs you send. 5. That’s it! Instead of throwing out perfectly good sneakers, encourage supporters to declutter their homes and make room for new ones while you generate some extra income for your cause.   Parting with sneakers you’ve depended on for so long can be difficult. Knowing they’re being put to good use (instead of decomposing in a landfill) makes the process much easier.   How to Repurpose Athletic Shoes At Home     If you’re not willing to part with your beloved sneakers (and understandably so), reuse them around your home. No matter their condition, there are ways you can give them a new purpose that only take a bit of handy work.   Here’s where you can get really creative. Whether your child has outgrown their athletic shoes or you’ve worn your sneakers into the ground, the possibilities are endless. The only limit is your imagination!   Planters Give your garden some flare by using your old sneakers as planters. This art project works for even the tiniest (and dirtiest) sneakers, so it’s a fun activity the whole family will enjoy.     Personally, I just put in dirt and added cactus. But if you want to sterilize start by cleaning and disinfecting them. You can apply outdoor acrylic sealer both inside and outside the athletic shoe, so the sneakers can face and survive the weather. Drill holes in the sole of the running shoe to create a drainage system. Now, you can fill them with dirt and pick which plants will call them home.   You can grow anything from tiny succulents to clusters of flowers. Plant greenery of all shapes and sizes to create an intriguing and colorful garden. If your foliage will bloom at some point, make sure the flower color and athletic shoe color complement one another.   Get creative with your display, too. For instance, you can attach several planters to a stump or hang them on a tree or fence. You can even paint each sneaker to give it an extra splash of color.   Birdhouse or Feeder   Encourage wildlife to visit your home by turning your old running shoes into a birdhouse or bird feeder. There’s no better place to start giving back to the environment than in your own backyard.   Just like you would when making planters, you’ll want to start by disinfecting them. Remember to stuff the toe with something so that birds don’t get stuck when they decide to visit. Then, nail your creative birdhouse to a tree through the heel. From here, all you have to do is wait. It may take a while, but be patient. Hopefully, a family of birds will make a nest out of your old running shoes.   Another idea that birds will love is a feeder. To do this, remove the sole from the sneaker and nail it to a tree or fence. Alternatively, you can hang it from a limb by its strings. Keep an eye on it and regularly fill it with birdseed. Birds will flock to your backyard in no time.   Paint Them   If your sneakers are in wearable condition but look a little rough, whip out a brush and some eco-friendly paint.⁴   Painting works best with white sneakers but can really be done with any solid-colored athletic shoes. To get started, clean the running shoes. Then, remove the shoelaces and apply painter’s tape to any areas you don’t want the paint to touch. Finally, prime your surface and get to work.   Use your innovative canvas to display colorful scenery and designs. Don’t be afraid to express yourself!   This idea works well for young children who need an outlet for their creativity. Encourage them to paint a story (maybe about where those sneakers have been), and watch as their imaginations flow. They’ll be excited to show off their “new” kicks to their friends.   How to Repurpose Running Shoes With Your Community   If you truly want to make a difference, you’ll need to band together with the rest of your community. While you can influence positive change on your own, you’ll make a much more powerful transformation with others.   Explore these community-driven ideas, and take your green efforts to the next level!   Walkathon   Not only are walkathons effective peer-to-peer fundraisers⁵ for any cause, but they also serve as excellent opportunities for recycling running shoes.    A running shoe drive fundraiser is a natural addition to any athletic event—especially walkathons. Once you’ve lined one up, encourage registrants (and spectators, too!) to donate their sneakers. You can even offer a discounted registration fee in exchange for a pair of gently worn, used and new athletic shoes. Whichever route you take, make sure to advertise well in advance, so participants know to bring a change of sneakers.   To fully immerse attendees, get creative with your walkathon’s theme.⁶ Leverage eco-friendly themes, such as:  

• A paint walk that features environmentally-friendly powdered paint or chalk
• A costume walk that encourages participants to wear up-cycled Halloween costumes
• A nature hike where participants follow a well-kept trail in your community

Door-to-Door Campaigning   Nothing rallies up support quite like a good, old-fashioned door-to-door campaign.   Recruit a team of enthusiastic volunteers and get to work. It should be particularly easy if you’re part of a political organization or an environmental nonprofit that aims to promote a greener planet.   First, partner with a running shoe drive coordinator so that you can trade the sneakers for cash. Then, assign each team to a neighborhood or two within the community. Team members will knock on every door asking for gently worn, used and new sneakers. All your motivated supporters will need is transportation, bags to hold the sneakers, and some strong hands to get the job done.   This idea works considerably well because donors won’t have to leave the comfort of their own homes. In fact, you’ll likely receive many more donations than if you were to coordinate it with an event.   Use this as an opportunity to spread the word about going green by encouraging people to take action right then and there. Chances are, they’ll know exactly which athletic shoes they’d like to give away but just need a little push to do so. Best of all, this is a great nonprofit fundraising method⁷ because it helps spread a positive, eco-friendly message associated with your cause.   Donate Your Soles   Even sneakers that are on their last legs don’t have to be thrown away. These athletic shoes, while unable to be re-homed, can still be put to good use. Bring the community together by having volunteers gather unwearable running shoes around local neighborhoods.   When donated to a dedicated program, running shoes that are falling apart can be recycled for their materials. Typically, the recycled materials are then used to create new athletic shoes or other clothing items.   If the collection goes well, consider making it an annual fundraiser, where you scour the community for old sneakers. A great day for this would be World Clean Up Day⁸ in September or America’s Recycle Day⁹ in November. When you choose a consistent date, supporters will come to look forward to it each year. They may even start hanging onto their unwanted running shoes just to show their support.   If your sneakers are still in wearable condition, consider bringing them into secondhand stores or donating them to an athletic shoe drive fundraiser. You can also continue wearing them until they can’t handle another mile. Then when they’re truly worn down, they can be donated for their parts.   From brand new sneakers to those that have run their last mile, there are innumerable ways to repurpose old running shoes.¹⁰ Hopefully, you found an idea here that works for your old athletic shoes. If not, use these ideas as inspiration for your craft, fundraiser, or community event.   Remember, when you get creative, the sky’s the limit. Don’t let your sneakers pile up in your closet or wind up in a landfill. Give them a new purpose with one of the unique ideas listed above today!   A Few Other Ways to Reuse Sneakers  https://www.pinterest.com/GreenEcoServices/reuse-recycle-shoes/  

Ilia beauty is redefining clean beauty. And it’s not just about the ingredients. Sasha Plavsic decided to start a company shortly after the 2008 recession. That too, she wanted to build a clean beauty company, which was a niche market and a largely unheard idea over a decade ago. She quit her job, moved back home to Vancouver, Canada, and started on the journey with one idea: how to make her tinted lip conditioner that she’d been wearing for years from more natural ingredients. Two years of exploration followed. Then, she took the leap to start her own company“People get so scared to just start. You cannot know everything when you start. But you have to jump in. If you wait, you may never be ready,” she says. Now, based in southern California, Plavsic is thinking through the environmental details of her beauty brand: from the packaging to maintaining a balance between natural and organic ingredients in her skincare-meets-color range. But the slew of clean beauty brands that have emerged in the past five years, Plavsic says, is a bit of a mixed bag. “Some of us had to really figure it out, working from the zero up,” she says, referring to early start-ups in the space. “It’s not been a straightforward path.” Now, it’s chaotic and confusing for customers, she admits. “Get educated. There isn’t one list you should be referring to. You have to dig further into a brand’s philosophy and understand where they’re coming from.” For her, it’s always been a balancing act between what’s natural and organic and what works. “At the end of the day, the product has to work. Yes, we have some products that are entirely natural, and have a high organic content, above 80 percent. But others, may not.” Her emphasis is instead on what’s safe for consumers. For instance, she notes when a product has water, a preservative is necessary to make sure the product doesn’t go rancid. Safety, in those scenarios, she says is more important than being entirely natural. But as a whole, most of the products contain 75% or more organic ingredients. Specific ingredients such as Vitamin E, she notes, are hard to find organic; so they opt for a natural source, stemming from sunflowers. There’s also the challenge of materials used in packaging: most of their lipsticks are housed in recycled aluminum cases. The boxes are 100% recycled paper and the print is all done with vegetable-based dyes. “More and more people want to know about these fine details.” Aluminum can be infinitely recycled; glass is bulkier, more costly to ship, and harder to recycle. Promotional bags that Ilia uses are made with silicone and designed to be reused. Lastly, as an animal-friendly company, they choose not to sell to countries that test on animals. “Brands and companies need to take the lead on this. Yes, the government can help by making more favorable policy and infrastructure, but companies can start choosing what they package in, how they sell, and so on.” Ilia is introducing an option with the recycling company TerraCycle to make it easier for customers to dispose of their empty containers—and those include any “empties,” she says, “they don’t even have to be ours only.” It’s a long list of deliberate decisions and choices that Plavsic says she has spent time thinking about. “This is all very nuanced. Some people want a beauty product to last for 24 hours and not come off. That’s harder to do with truly natural ingredients—and maybe that’s something we cannot offer.” Instead, the aesthetic and vision for the company, she says, has been about bringing together skincare and cosmetics—products that highlight elements of a woman’s face without completely masking them, she says. “It’s not about piling it on, but accentuating, and playing up a few features.” In 2015, Ilia started talking to Sephora, the ubiquitous brick-and-mortar beauty retailer. That transition to Sephora’s shelves, Plavsic says has helped them make clean beauty a more mainstream offering and continue to expand these conversations on sustainability from a small group of rookie brands to something that’s now being discussed in the big beauty houses of the world. In 2018, New York-based Silas Capital invested in the startup. Although Plavsic started the company with a loan and her credit cards, she had grown it significantly in 7 years; this month, they announced another round of capital from Sandbridge Capital, which has a series of investments in fashion and consumer brands. A decade later, the idea that Plavsic developed in her free time of transforming a lip tint into a more a natural product has developed into a global business. “The next big thing,” she says, “is sustainability — in a real form, not just greenwashing. That’s for very industry, not just our industry.” Plavsic’s hunch about more eco-friendly and people-friendly products, a decade ago, was spot on.

Water, sustainable infrastructure and climate-screened real estate as well as waste management and recycling are our top themes. We’re hyper-focused on climate right now.   I absolutely believe over the next few years in asset management all we’re going to be talking about is artificial intelligence, blockchain and climate, and the intersection of those things. For example, investment in blockchain in tracking fisheries and the ocean environment is super-interesting right now, because people are going to get more concerned about that.   In the Fiji they are already relocating 43 communities because of climate change, and they are starting to use blockchain to track illegal fishing because of damage to the reefs and fish stocks and the economy. They’re issuing blue bonds — borrowing to fund projects that help the marine environment — for the first time this year. We’re going to see this new wave of climate awareness — even President Trump now is saying that climate change is not a hoax. The Australian fires are indicative of what is going to be top of people’s minds this decade. Between Greta Thunberg and all the kids, this is not going away.   On the high end, we’re going long water and desalinization and short water projects that don’t address the infrastructure. Investment firm Water Asset Management runs a strategy we are following closely. We don’t have any choice — our infrastructure is falling apart, so being thoughtful about that and doing that sustainably is going to be one of the biggest stories of the decade.   We also want to be short mortgage exposure to high-risk climate areas in flood zones. Moody’s just bought California-based climate risk analytics company Four Twenty Seven. We’re going to see the un-priced premium of climate risk in mortgages start to get priced in, so you have an opportunity in the market right now to be really picky about your bond portfolio.   On the private side, we’re seeing one incredible idea after another on both sides of recycling and waste management —  how to create packaging more sustainably and how to recycle it. Companies such as circular economy investor Closed Loop Partners and recycling specialist TerraCycle are going to take off. Big companies are going to be facing pressure on how to create products that make them look better.   Another way to play: California wines are actually a really good investment as wildfires grow. There is risk going forward that the pricing gets out of whack. Luckily a lot of the vineyards have escaped damage, but that’s really a temporary thing. In the last few fires, Sonoma got decimated. In Australia the vineyards are more and more at risk, so owning wine right now as the production gets more limited is a great investment.     Director, Rumah Group   Responsible investing has always been a mainstay at our family office, but with the environmental crisis escalating, breaking out of our comfort zone of equity and property has never felt so meaningful. What’s looking extremely exciting is the alternative-protein space. It’s a rapidly growing ecosystem changing the way food is produced by offering earth- and animal-friendly alternatives to meat lovers.   Alternative proteins are already disrupting the food industry. With increased awareness of the crippling effect of meat production on the environment, as well as increasing concerns around the impacts of factory farming on human health and animal welfare, consumer habits are gradually shifting and making the case for business investment.   From low-tech and high-tech plant-based meats that actually taste and feel like meat, to cultured meat (real meat grown without animals), to protein from microalgae — one has a diverse menu of opportunities to choose from. If these alternatives are able to compete on flavor, texture and convenience then scale and time have the potential to reveal investments that will perform on a global level.   As an avid scuba diver and freediver, my pick is cultivated seafood. Not only is seafood a less mature market segment, but it also offers an avenue to address overfishing — a grave threat to the ocean. Depending on your risk appetite and the players involved, one might consider backing an alternative protein start-up like Singapore-based Shiok Meats Pte., or perhaps a venture accelerator fund like Big Idea Ventures. Regardless of how you choose to invest, having a clear strategy to diversify your portfolio and manage risk is key. The international non-profit organization Good Food Institute is a good place to find out more — their team compiles industry reports, white space opportunities and other resources for investors.   Another way to play: My primary objective is to ensure that our family is climate positive over our lifetime and investing in carbon sinks is one way to manage our carbon footprint while keeping assets on our balance sheet. I’ve been researching blue carbon ecosystems, where mangrove forests, seagrass meadows and tidal marshes capture and hold large amounts of carbon in plants and sediment. Protecting blue carbon ecosystems also offers other benefits such as supporting healthy fisheries; providing livelihoods for locals; improving water quality; as well as protecting coasts from storm surges and erosion. If not blue carbon, a reforestation project in an emerging economy where biodiversity can be promoted and excess carbon credits can be sold would be my pick. Organizations such as Conservation International and New Zealand-based Ekos help create bespoke carbon projects to meet investor needs.     Founder and chairman of Tiger 21; Chairman, MUUS & Co.   The ocean offers a virtually unlimited source of renewable energy. Our family’s private investment company, MUUS & Co., is committed to deploying capital for sustainable energy producers and next-generation technologies that will shape the future of energy. We are currently investing in proven technology developed to produce energy from the power contained within ocean waves.   Ocean technology offers the chance to power floating computer centers with the added benefit of free cooling provided by the seas — eliminating two of the growing sources of carbon emissions (the power for the computers, and the power needed to cool the computer centers to allow the computers to function properly). The same ocean wave-produced energy can be used to power seaborne floating factories that produce low-cost renewable fuels, nutrient-dense food and minerals. The potential of harnessing carbon-free energy from the ocean is boundless and positioned to be a major clean power source in the future.   Investments like these have extraordinary risks, because this is a very early stage technology. Even the best ideas can fail from any number of problems a small company will encounter along the way to commercializing a new and bold technology. There are a few public companies that have tried to use the power of the waves to light buoys and for other uses, but we believe this new technology approach we are investing in has far greater potential in the future.   My family office is investing with another family office that also focuses on carbon-free power solutions. Our strategy was to provide seed funding, based on our assessment of the enormous potential and the team behind a company in this area, and then wait for larger entities, with deeper scientific capability and deeper experience in bringing new technologies to market to validate the initial findings and concept.   We have to be realistic about the risks and size our investment accordingly. Typically, even with a very high degree of excitement, it would be wise to keep allocations to investments like this to well under 1% of overall assets, and maybe aggregate 10 or 20 such investments in a separate portfolio that probably, in total, remains well under 10% of a well-balanced portfolio.   Another way to play: I’ve been collecting handmade Japanese dolls (Ningyo) for many years. For centuries, the Japanese have been creating intricate and extraordinary Ningyo that can be as much as 1 meter tall. These are museum-quality dolls that can be 300 years old, made of ceramics, with eggshell faces and some of the most beautiful materials for their kimonos. In Japan these dolls have a long tradition for the Boys’ and Girls’ Day holidays. After World War II, the Boys’ Day dolls fell out of fashion and exceptional pieces could be acquired at relatively moderate prices. The better antique dolls are quite rare and can be worth up to $100,000 or more. When displayed, they can take the viewer’s breath away.     Portfolio Manager in the Responsible Global Equities team, BMO Global Asset Management   For a long time, we have not invested in solar despite the fact that it’s growing fast. We just don’t have enough confidence in the quality of companies to justify it. The low barriers to entry have, for the main, allowed further competition into the market, driving down pricing and, in turn, profitability.   That said, we are still benefitting from the rapid deployment of energy in renewable resources and one company we like is Orsted. This is an interesting one because it used to be Danish Oil and Natural Gas. Starting a decade ago, the company reoriented away from fossil fuels and embraced the development and maintenance of offshore wind farms. It already holds a quarter of the global market in offshore wind and provides power to about 9.5 million people. Its target is 30 million by 2025.   We are also taking a look at suppliers to wind farm operators, particularly those providing turbine blades. One name we are watching is Vestas Wind Systems, a Danish company that makes wind turbines. We haven’t invested yet because of the potential for increased competition, which in the past has undermined prices and reduced profitability. If there is a shakeout in the space we would likely have a more positive outlook.   What we really like to see in the wind sector is how much capacity a company has coming online. Orsted is currently producing 5.6 gigawatts of electricity but it has 15 gigawatts in development. While the company is already offshore in Europe, it’s made acquisitions in the U.S. that could be a springboard for growth in that market. Naturally, you’re going to get some pushback from local communities but they tend to have a lot more to say about onshore wind farms than offshore ones. So based on Orsted’s record and what they’re bringing to market we have confidence it should continue to win further bids and grow profitability. And there will be regulatory pressure globally for more energy from renewable sources so that provides a tailwind for Orsted.   Another way to play: In my time away from the office I’m a beekeeper. I manage two hives at my family’s home in west London with about 60,000 bees. I’m also a member of a local beekeeping association where we talk things through. Recently we’ve been working together to prepare for the Asian hornet, which has come across from France and can rapidly annihilate entire beehives. With colony collapse disorder and issues around pollination, I feel this is a way to support local ecology. Beekeeping also helps me think about issues around pesticides and farming practices that impact local biodiversity, and we engage with our portfolio companies on those issues. Every summer my bees do pay a dividend — a load of honey.     Co-chairman and CEO, Asia Philanthropy Circle;  Chairman, the Lien Foundation   We have often been told to reduce, reuse and recycle, in that order of priority. We can agree to that, but we still cannot stop waste production completely. In fact, changing people’s behaviors is especially hard. So waste volumes continue to rise, and existing methods of waste management and recycling are woefully inadequate to address the growing mountain of trash.   It is hence critical to invest in new technologies for solid waste value capture that substantially reduce the effort to sort and clean products, while at the same time result in much higher-value end products.   Imagine one integrated engineering technique that effectively treats unsorted waste — combining biological treatment methods to remove organic waste first, and then a mixture of thermal and chemical techniques to turn carbon-based waste into fuel oil, high-value carbon-based materials and valuable gases, and re-utilizing the minimal resultant ash and slag in construction materials. The value of the outputs must significantly exceed the cost of production and must be easy to scale close to the source of the feedstock. I think we are much closer to such a breakthrough today and I would invest $1 million towards such an effort, in collaboration with other funders.   Another way to play: I am invested in an impact fund, called Garden Impact, which has a sustainable development theme, and a sub-focus on researching and commercializing sustainable construction materials. There are many great ideas but a lack of top-notch entrepreneurs to grow them. So I am going upstream to be more hands-on to help identify, develop and mentor promising social entrepreneurs to take on much more ambitious efforts. This would have a much great impact than passively investing.

PopSockets has partnered with TerraCycle to create a free recycling program for PopSockets products and packaging, as well as any brand of cellular phone case. As an added incentive, for every shipment of PopSockets waste sent to TerraCycle through the recycling program, collectors earn points that can be used for charity gifts or converted to cash and donated to the non-profit, school or charitable organization of their choice.   Participation in the program is easy: sign up at terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/popsockets and mail in the accepted waste using a prepaid shipping label. Once collected, the waste is broken down, separated by material and the plastics are cleaned and melted into hard plastic that can be remolded to make new recycled products.   The PopSockets Recycling Program is open to any interested individual, school, office or community organization. For more information on TerraCycle’s recycling programs, visit terracycle.com.

Bausch + Lomb, the leading global eye health company of Bausch Health Companies Inc. (NYSE/TSX: BHC), announced today that it has partnered with international recycling company TerraCycle to launch the Bausch + Lomb Every Contact Counts recycling program in select eye care offices across Canada. Through the joint initiative, Canadians who wear contact lenses now have a way to responsibly recycle their traditionally non-recyclable disposable contact lenses and blister pack packaging.   “More than 290 million contact lenses end up in Canadian landfills or waterways yearly,” said Matt Nowak, director, Sales and Marketing, Bausch + Lomb Canada. “As more consumers switch to wearing daily disposable lenses, this number will increase significantly. Our customers and their patients are concerned about the environmental impact of the packaging going to landfills, and they want to act to protect the environment. With the launch of the Bausch + Lomb Every Contact Counts recycling program, they will finally be able to divert this waste away from landfills, lakes, rivers and oceans.”   Bausch + Lomb contact lenses help Canadians experience moments that matter. The Every Contact Counts recycling program means wearers can feel even better about those moments.   Contact lenses and blister packs are considered non-recyclable through municipal facilities because they are too small to be captured by standard sorting machinery. Through the Bausch + Lomb Every Contact Counts recycling program, consumers can search for their nearest participating eye care professional on the interactive map found at www.terracycle.com/en-CA/brigades/bausch-and-lomb-en-ca to recycle all brands of disposable contact lenses and blister pack packaging through that location.   “Contact lenses are one of the forgotten waste streams that are often overlooked due to their size and how commonplace they are in today’s society,” said Tom Szaky, founder and CEO, TerraCycle. “Initiatives like the Bausch + Lomb Every Contact Counts recycling program allow eye care professionals and patients to work within their communities and take an active role in preserving the environment, beyond what their local recycling programs are able to provide. By creating this recycling initiative, our aim is to provide an opportunity where whole communities are able to collect waste alongside a national network of public drop-off locations, all with the unified goal to increase the number of recycled contact lenses and their associated packaging, thereby reducing their overall impact on the environment.”   After being collected at an Every Contact Counts recycling location, the contact lenses and blister packs are shipped to a TerraCycle recycling facility where they are separated and cleaned. The metal layers of the blister packs are recycled separately, while the contact lenses and plastic blister pack components are melted into plastic, which can be remoulded to create new products.   In addition to Canada, Bausch + Lomb also has similar contact lens recycling programs in The Netherlands, the United States and Australia. To learn more about the Bausch + Lomb Every Contact Counts recycling program, and how to participate, visit www.everycontactcounts.ca.

It took a baby-shower invitation to make me realize just how far the resale economy has come. The invite steered me toward the registry of the parents-to-be, who opened their list with this line: “We always love and prefer used items over new ones.” Sure, I’ve written about Patagonia’s Worn Wear, Neiman Marcus’ pioneering partnership with Fashionphile, and the decision of retailers like Macy’s, JC Penney and H&M to sell used clothes in their stores. And I’ve been watching the steady flow of ThredUp and RealReal packages on my porch, all addressed to the resident millennial. (I’ve even scored a few items myself.) I’d always assumed the trend came from folks wanting to spend less dough, or as a good-scout choice for the planet. But the “love and prefer” line puts all this resale in a whole new light: This isn’t a trend anymore. It’s the way young consumers insist on shopping. Businesses are getting it. I wasn’t able to make it to the National Retail Federation’s Big Show this year, but attendees were buzzing about a session on circular supply chains. Speakers included execs from the Patagonia program; Yertle, the D2C company that sells used clothes from Patagonia, REI and others; and Terra Cycle’s Loop, a subscription service that lets consumers reuse packaging from major national brands, including Procter & Gamble and Unilever. And a new report from Ike Boruchow, an analyst who follows the apparel sector for Wells Fargo, says we ain’t seen nothing yet. “We continue to believe that the consumer’s willingness to transition to resale is in the very early innings,” he writes. He notes that the U.S. resale market is about $24 billion today and growing at about 15% a year. That compares to just 2% growth for the $400 billion apparel sector. While the RealReal, which specializes in used luxury items, is generating attention, other companies, like Poshmark, Rebag and StockX, are more compelling models, Boruchow writes. And he predicts used clothing will move from about 6% of total clothing sales to 10% of the pie by 2022. Boruchow writes that ThredUp, the world’s largest fashion resale marketplace, has a gross market value of about $250 million, and is growing between 40% and 50% a year. In addition to partnering with retailers, it also benefits from retail partnerships, online collaborations, a loyalty program, and its “secondhand clothes, firsthand fun” positioning. As ThredUp and other D2C brands continue to steal share from conventional retailers,  more stores will look for ways to get in on the action, Boruchow predicts. But given the digital demands of these younger shoppers, it won’t be easy. “Looking at the market demographics, the shift to wearing someone else’s clothes is dominated by the young consumer, as it seems more and more like their natural behavior,” he writes. “As millennials and Gen Z become the core customer, growth will be more exponential.”

Issues such as plastic containers inside boxes remain a talking point when customers go to purchase a product, and some managers say it sometimes turns customers away.   Cannabis suppliers across the country are required by law to present the correct labels and warnings on their products, which takes up space and creates excess packaging.   However, an initiative by a cannabis supplier in Canada has allowed shops across Canada to go green.   Since before shops started to open in the Okanagan, Terracycle, a private U.S. recycling business, partnered with Tweed, a cannabis supplier based out of Ontario, to recycle any and all cannabis packaging purchased from a licensed retailer. Aside from some vape-related products, the program accepts many forms of packaging including outer plastic packaging, inner plastic packaging, tins, joint tubes, plastic bottles, plastic caps, and flexible plastic bags.   The program accepts products from both individuals and retail partners in every province except the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut.   Locally, cardboard Terracycle bins can be seen near the front counter of licensed retail shops. Once a bin is full, retailers package the waste into a box and send it to Terracycle via UPS, where the packaging and plastic is broken down and refurbished into new products.   The four licensed stores in Penticton are among approximately 450 other cannabis stores in partnership with Terracycle.   Spiritleaf owner Matt Bolton said so far, they have shipped approximately 18-20 bins worth of recycled products since they opened in August.   “Packaging has been… one of the biggest complaints that we hear here in the legal market,” he said. “The fact that we do offer that program, we’ve offered it pretty much since the first week of opening; that has been great.”   The Terracycle program accepts most things except for some vaping products such as the batteries and cartridges, however Spiritleaf has taken it upon themselves to offer recycling of this product.   “We’ve basically taken it on ourselves where we said, we’ll hold onto it all, until it’s figured out where they are going to go, and then we will dispose of it properly,” said Bolton.   Cannabis Cottage supervisor Corey Young said the reactions from customers when they find out about the recycling program are very positive. He stated one of the main complaints they receive is also about packaging.   “There is a lot of excess packaging,” he said. “And unfortunately a lot of the companies are slow to come out with new versions. So in the meantime, I believe it’s (Terracycle) essential.”   Although he couldn’t confirm an exact amount, Young estimated they have collected about 800 packages from customers in the past month.   “I think other companies should follow Tweed’s lead in creating their own recycling programs as well,” he said.   In October, the Tweed/TerraCycle program announced the collection of over one million pieces of used cannabis packaging from across the nation, recycling over 22,000 pounds of plastic containers, tubes, and bottles.   Bud-tender at Greenery Cannabis Boutique, Geoffrey Small, said customers seem relieved when they find out what Tweed and Terracycle are doing to help mitigate the issue of excess packaging.   Although some companies package less than other, Green Gaia Cannabis Co. manager Katerina Bakalos said the recycling program is a great service to have, and well-received by customers. So far, Green Gaia has collected thousands of product packages.   In conversations with some licenced producers, Bakalos understands that changes are coming with regards to packaging. This, she explained, is the focus for several producers, now that the 2.0 products, or edibles and concentrates, are on the shelves. In late December, retailers around Canada, including Penticton, started to receive 2.0 cannabis products.   “I’m sure once a few of the producers do it (repackaging), it’s going to start a domino effect,” said Bakalos. “Because I do believe, some of the packaging, people won’t buy it (because) it’s too thick of plastic or too big a box, that kind of thing.”   “Plastic containers within a box, it’s almost like double-packaging.”   Looking forward, all shops expressed their excitement as their first full summer season approaches.

Growing up is a tough thing to do, even if we all have to do it. Us adults often forget the growing pains, both physical and emotional, of learning to find our way in a world where at one point we all felt too small to matter. Kids care about things other than toys and games, and that’s probably why teenage environmental activist Greta Thunberg has become such a hero to today’s youth. When Greta started to speak about climate and social change, everyone listened.   Parents and educators can help empower kids – they have a voice in this world too! Learning how to exercise that voice is just another part of growing up. Here are 5 simple ways that we can guide them in learning how to become an active part of social change, at home and at school:  

Teach them that they do make choices that matter to the environment

  We make thousands of choices every day, but many are so mundane we don’t think about them consciously. Simple choices that kids already have some control over—like what to eat, what to read, and what to wear—can have some big impact. For example, kids can choose to conserve energy in small ways like turning off the light when leaving a room or turning off the TV when they are finished watching. Every little action helps!  

Commit to zero-waste

  How can we throw away as little as possible? It’s easy to start small, with something like your child’s lunch. Juice boxes and sandwich bags can be replaced with a reusable drink bottle and container. Lunch bags and totes can be used to transport them. From there, it’s easy to practice a litterless lunch and find more ways to reduce waste.  

Take recycling to the next level

  Companies are recognizing the importance of working with students to make a difference to the environment. At school, there are recycling initiatives to take advantage of from Staples Canada that will help divert items from landfills including: School Ink Recycling, which collects ink cartridges; Battery Recycling done in partnership with Call2Recycle; Writing Instruments done in partnership with TerraCycle® to collect used pens, pencils, highlighters and more; and Electronics Recycling with partner eCycle Solutions take back end-of-life electronics. Is your school participating in recycling these items? If not, let them know about these green programs.  

Fundraise

  Learning to fundraise for a good cause will motivate students. From tree planting to adopting one of the local zoo animals, kids can make actual, tangible transactions that do small bits of good everywhere they go. And they might just learn a lesson in handling money, too!  

Superpower your school to encourage others to change, too

  Staples Canada has teamed up with EcoKids and Earth Day Canada for the 10th annual Superpower Your School Contest. Elementary and Secondary schools across Canada are invited to enter the contest for a chance to win one of 10 prizes of $20,000 in new technology from Staples Canada. There’s a huge opportunity to both commit your school to change and get some powerful new tech too! From now until January 31, 2020, schools can share their eco clubs and initiatives, everything from planting edible gardens, creating monarch waystations to support monarch butterflies, to hosting boomerang lunch programs where uneaten food and waste is returned home at the end of the day.   Entries can be submitted on the contest website, staples.ca/PowerEco.You can find the step-by-step entry guide here and more information about eligibility and entry criteria here.   Will your school be participating in this amazing contest? We can’t wait to read about some of the creative changes your kids have introduced to help their school and community build awareness about what it means to be green!