We unite active people, social enterprises, start-ups, impact investors, experts focused on achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and provide a wide range of tools to ensure personal and corporate growth for each member of the community.
LEARN
ENGAGE
- to find team members, partners, advisory board, search for open positions at opportunities
- to publish your digital products and services on the market
- in creating contests or participating in existing competitions
- in creating polls and exciting posts on forum
INVEST
- how to fundraise successfully - find investors, donors and sponsors which match your criteria at invest
- where to source deals - find projects find projects and impact businesses to invest or engage
- stay informed on new projects and investment offers which match your investment criteria
Invitation from Kevin Harrington, the original « shark » on the hit TV show « Shark Tank », Camomile’s Advisory Board Member
Hi! My name is Svetlana, I am the founder of Camomile Impact community. Come on in, make yourself at home!
What's the topic? Entering a market with a minimum horizon of explosive growth of the coming 10 years and a volume of $ 800 billion in 2020 aimed at creating a sustainable economy.
What are we doing? We unite active people, social enterprises, start-ups, impact investors, experts focused on achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the community and provide a wide range of tools to ensure personal and corporate growth for each member of the community.
Our principles:
Provide Free Basic Tools to Every Community Member
We do not track and analyze user preferences for promotions, nor transmission to third parties
We do not put targeted ads on app pages
How can we help? After registering with the community, you can:
CONNECT
- Join the community and present yourself, your company, your product or services in the community
- Follow other members and create your own Network
- Conduct private correspondence with community members
- Unite a team of professionals in Projects around your idea or business to confidently achieve goals by joint efforts, or simply create a club of interests (association). Manage the roles of participants, create tasks with deadlines for them. Set up a paid membership and manage membership fees (coming soon)
LEARN
- Create training courses for everyone
- Train your team
- Create manuals for your products and services
- Create online and offline free or paid events, invite participants, unrestricted communication with joined participants
ENGAGE
- Recruiters and applicants - place an ad in Jobs about the search for candidates or offer your resume
- Buyers and Sellers - publish paid access to download digital products in the Market such as books, designs, logos, software, articles, coupons, digital gift donations, service warrants, etc.
- Talents and Prizes - create a Competition on your own terms, assign a prize fund, select participants or participate in existing competitions.
- Followers - publish a post on the Forum, create a Poll, store files
- Expertise - get points for being active and increase your status in the community and become a community leader and get on the Leader Board.
- New members to the community - earn by participating in the referral program (coming soon)
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- Find a potential investor
- Find an investment object
- Track investment offers and inquiries using Saved Search Technology
What else?
In addition, all your activity will be displayed on Timeline in two feeds, one of which is available to everyone, and the other to your followers.
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If you have a proposal for further development of the platform, make it on the Ideas page, we will definitely consider and try to implement. The status of your proposal will be available to you.
The number of available tools depends on the user's membership level, it can always be upgraded in the Pricing section.
If you have any questions, see the sections About us, FAQ or ask us questions through the Contact form.
Try it now! Fill out a profile, create a company or project, follow other users and write your first post. Let's change the world for the better together!
Thank you!
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliated; we may earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. We only ever add brands & products we truly believe in.
eco-friendly, organic & sustainable bed sheets
It’s amazing how many organic and sustainable bed sheets you can find today. In our home, we have tried a few different brands and have been happy with it all. I felt this post would benefit a lot of people looking to create more of an eco-friendly and healthy bedroom oasis.
Why Choose Organic and Natural Fabrics for your bed sheets?
Because we spend 1/3 of our lives in our beds! Why wouldn’t we want to make it a safe, non-toxic zone? We shouldn’t have to compromise our health (or the planet’s) when we get a little shut-eye. You don’t want to sleep on toxic dyes or fibers which have been grown with pesticides. These types of fabrics in this post are highly regulated during the entire process from crop to finish, so you can be sure you are sleeping on a safe product.
What types of fabrics should we look for when shopping for new bed sheets?
From organic cotton to hemp, all of these sheets bring you comfort and a good night’s rest. Their quality is superb, and you can rest easy knowing you aren’t sleeping on chemically infused linens. Organic Cotton, Linen, Hemp, and Tencel are the main fabrics to look for. Linen sheets give a beautiful French aesthetic, while Tencel is the perfect alternative to silk. Hemp is usually blended with organic cotton and can provide a very soft linen appearance and may even feel softer. Organic cotton is the basic go-to and one you can’t go wrong with. To learn more about sustainable fabrics, visit our Fabrics & Certifications section here.
Our Top Picks for sustainable Bedding:
1) Made Trade
Materials | Tencel, Organic Cotton, & more
Queen Set Price | Various
This wonderful online shop is home to many sustainable home brands like Sijo, Coyuchi, HOOT, and Area Home. If you are looking to create a more sustainable living space, this is the place to check out! Their selection of organic bedding is made from earth-friendly materials like Bamboo Sateen and Tencel Eucalyptus.
Shop Made Trade
2) Maggie’s Organics
Materials | Fair Trade, Organic Cotton
Queen Set Price | $120
Originally known for their supersoft organic socks, Maggie's Organics also carries luxurious (but affordable) sheet sets, duvets, and pillow shams. They're made from supersoft and amazingly cozy GOTS-certified organic cotton combined with ethically produced linen. Plus, everything is Real Fair Trade-guaranteed by the World Fair Trade Organization.
Shop Maggie's Organics
3) Under the Canopy
Materials | Organic Cotton
Queen Set Price | $78
Under the Canopy has been in the game of bringing conscious consumers quality, organic and fair products since the beginning. They are, by far, the most affordable of any organic cotton sheets on the market. They adhere to 6 kinds of certifications {FAIR TRADE, GOTS, OEKO-TEX, C2C, RCS & FSC}, and sustainability is at the forefront of their business model.
Shop Under the Canopy
4) Pact
Materials | Organic Cotton
Queen Set Price | $120
Pact has two different sheet sets to choose from - a Room Service set, which is silky smooth sateen, and the Favorite Tee set, which feels like your most comfortable t-shirt. The first set comes in more classic colors, like blush, natural and sea foam, & the second set has more pops of color, like lavender, scarlet & pine.
code: SustainablyChic20 for 20% off
Shop Pact
5) Cozy Earth
Materials | Bamboo
Queen Set Price | $369
These temperature-regulating and super soft sheets are great whether you tend to sleep hot or cold. This bamboo bedding is produced using a closed-loop system, and the end product is tested to ensure it does not contain any harsh chemicals. The Cozy Earth team works directly with the factory where products are made in order to ensure safe working conditions and fair wages for workers.
Shop Cozy Earth
6) Takasa
Materials | Organic & Fairtrade Cotton
Queen Set Price | $288
With a passion for exceptionally high quality materials and socially conscious manufacturing processes, Takasa - a Vancouver, BC based Benefit Company - is focused on combining thoughtfully designed premium products for those who value beauty, durability and ethical sustainability. Takasa products are crafted with certified GOTS organic and Fairtrade Cotton, they measure their environmental footprint, provide a carbon offset certificate and plant a tree with every single order.
Shop Takasa
7) West Elm
Materials | Linen, Tencel, Organic Cotton, Hemp
Queen Set Price | $150
West Elm is a leader in the sustainable and ethical home goods arena and was even the first-ever home retailer to join Fair Trade USA in 2014. This is probably the biggest selection of eco-friendly bedding you can find. Many of the materials used are FSC-Certified, recycled, GREENGUARD certified, Better Cotton certified, and more.
Shop West Elm
8) Coyuchi
Materials | Organic Cotton, Linen
Queen Set Price | $238
From relaxed linen to organic cotton, Coyuchi is making sheets to suit everyone. They even have flannel sheets for when winter comes and jersey sheets if you like to feel like your sleeping in a big t-shirt. Coyuchi even compares your impact to conventional cotton - for the Percale sheets, you save over 1,400 days of drinking water and 141 sq ft of land farmed without the use of pesticides!
Shop Coyuchi
9) Grund America
Materials | Organic Cotton
Queen Set Price | $238
I have a few organic cotton towels from this brand that are wonderful, so I’m sure their bed sheets are just as great! Their bedding is made from 100% organic cotton and comes in a range of colors - and even a few patterns! What’s really cool with this brand, you can buy flat sheets and fitted sheets separately, & if you are like me, this is amazing because we rarely use our flat sheets since it is so hot in Florida.
Shop Grund America
10) Shades of Green
Materials | European Linen
Queen Price | $199+
Linen is always a great choice for bedding because it has natural anti-bacterial properties and a lived-in feel. If you are looking for products that have undergone rigorous evaluation, this is the place for you. Shades of Green offers us carefully curated products that stand the test of time without sacrificing aesthetic.
Shop Shades of Green
11) Anchal
Materials | Organic Cotton
Price | $275-558
We absolutely love Anchal’s unique aesthetic, blending traditional kantha quilting techniques with contemporary geometric designs. They carry a variety of quilts and duvet covers—many of which are reversible! A member of the Fair Trade Federation, everything from Anchal is handmade by artisans who are paid a living wage for their work, and each piece carries a hand-stitched signature of the maker.
Shop Anchal
12) SOL Organics
Materials | Organic Cotton
Queen Set Price | $149
SOL Organics live up to these four features: sustainable, organic, fair & transparent - but I can add on cozy, too. We own their Sateen sheets, and they are so comfortable and get even softer over time. You can sleep confident knowing the person who made them were paid a fair wage, too! SOL Organics also has a more affordable set of linen sheets at around $200 - and flannel ones!
Shop SOL Organics
13) Savvy Rest
Materials | Organic Cotton
Queen Set Price | $129
Savvy Rest is a US based {Central Virginia} organic brand specializing in mattresses, bedding, furniture and so much more. My gorgeous Esmont Platform bed is one of theirs! They also create some of the comfiest pillows I have ever used. Their Organic Kapok Pillows are made with kapok - a buoyant natural fiber that is the perfect alternative to down. These fluffy {& super comfy} guys are customizable, too!
code: SUSTAINABLYCHIC20 for 20% off
Shop Savvy Rest
14) American Blossom Linens
Materials | Organic Cotton
Queen Set Price | $289
American Blossom Linens is the only bedding brand made completely in the USA, with 100% USA Organic Cotton grown by family farmers in West Texas. These eco-friendly & chemical-free bed sheets are woven to last a lifetime & grow softer the longer you use them. The entire manufacturing process, from farmer to sewer, is kept right here in the USA.
Shop American Blossom Linens
15) Boll & Branch
Materials | Organic Cotton
Queen Set Price | $240
This brand has a few different styles for sheet sets, but they always use 100% premium organic cotton with ethical production and attention to every detail. Their Classic Hemmed Sheets have a buttery feel and get softer after each wash. They have certifications such as Fair Trade Certified Cotton & Factory, GOTS Certified Organic Cotton and STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®.
Shop Boll & Branch
16) Naturepedic
Materials | Organic Cotton
Queen Set Price | $239
The Naturepedic Organic Luxury Sheet Set includes 100% certified organic cotton 400 thread count sateen fitted and flat sheets plus one or two pillowcases. It comes in its natural cotton color, and is grown without synthetic insecticides, herbicides or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Their sheets are GOTS Certified, plus 1% is given back to the planet. You also have a 30 day trial!
Shop Naturepedic
17) Delilah Home Goods
Materials | Organic Hemp & Cotton
Queen Set Price | $350
I highly recommend trying out Delilah Home Goods’ hemp duvet comforters and sheet sets! Did you know hemp needs no pesticides or fertilizers to grow and uses about half the water needed to grow conventional cotton?! For their organic cotton sheets, Delilah Home Goods uses a GOTS Certified Organic Cotton making it a close runner-up to hemp.
Shop Delilah Home
18) Nest Bedding
Materials | Tencel, Organic Cotton & Linen
Queen Set Price | $139
We own a set of Tencel bed sheets from another brand (which unfortunately went out of business this year), and they are the softest you can possibly sleep on. Tencel feels a lot like silk so it is so smooth and it keeps you cool through the night. This brand has almost every option of bedding for you, so if you like to mix up fabrics and textures, this is the place to go!
Shop Nest Bedding
19) PlushBeds
Materials | Organic Cotton, Tencel, Bamboo, Linen
Queen Set Price | $199
Another brand who offers a wide range of bedding textiles. Besides Tencel being one of my favorites, linen sheets are next on my list to purchase. I’ve stayed in French hotels where they only used linen sheets, and they were absolutely perfect. PlushBeds offers a French Linen Set, but it is definitely a splurge at $561 for a queen set - now on sale for $449.
Shop PlushbedsMAKE SURE TO PIN THE PHOTO BELOW TO SAVE THIS POST FOR LATER!
Want more? VISIT OUR
sustainable
brand directory!
Our Brand Directory is home to hundreds of sustainable brands, from makeup to cleaning supplies, from underwear to shoes. We have broken everything down by category for easy shopping, along with discount codes unique to Sustainably Chic viewers.
Shop Our Brand DirectoryYOU MAY ALSO like:
#Content-Attribution#
Content Creator: Natalie Kay Costello
Date:
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliated and/or sponsored, so we may earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. We only add brands & products we truly believe in.
The Best Sustainable & Organic Bath Towels
In need of some new bath towels? We’ve compiled a list of our favorite sustainable brands using organic cotton to create plush, cozy towels for your bathroom.
Why should you choose Organic Cotton Bath Towels?
According to the Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s Material Sustainability Index, the environmental impact of conventional cotton production from cradle to gate (so basically, not considering cotton as a garment and its post-consumer ‘after-life’) is so significant that it’s the fifth most impactful material of all. After silk, alpaca wool, cow and goat leather, conventional cotton has the greatest eco-impact when considering global warming, eutrophication (which can lead to dead-zones), water scarcity, fossil fuels, and chemistry.
Organic cotton is grown without the use of synthetic pesticides and herbicides. Organic cotton crops can be sprayed with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) natural proteins to protect them from insect infestation and crop destruction, but not with the cocktail of toxic chemicals often sprayed over conventional cotton crops.
This not only helps to protect farmers, but the environment, too. Eutrophication occurs when water is overly enriched with nutrients, often due to fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, which can result in dead-zones in water, where life struggles to persist. The same Sustainable Apparel Coalition data shows that eutrophication is reduced in organic cotton as compared to conventional cotton production.
We can go on and on about the benefits of choosing organic cotton, but if you want to learn more, we suggest checking this post out here. It also dives into the different types of organic cotton like GOTS, Fair Trade, and Recycled Cotton.
Our Top picks for Eco-Friendly, organic bath towels:
1) Under the Canopy
Price | $18
This brand has a strong commitment to a cleaner planet and home goods industry. They adhere to 6 kinds of certifications {FAIR TRADE, GOTS, OEKO-TEX, C2C, RCS & FSC}, and sustainability is at the forefront of their business model. All products are made ethically with eco-minded materials. They want everyone included in conscious consumerism. Therefore, their products are affordable, accessible & {of course} attractive.
Shop Under the Canopy
2) Affina
Price | $38
All of Affina’s colors, patterns, and textures are inspired by nature. Woven by some of the finest towel weavers in Portugal, these luxurious and eco-friendly bath towels are made out of 100% organic cotton. They are tested and certified free from more than 300 harmful substances by the Oeko-Tex® Standard 100, and are GOTS certified. They also carry bath mitts, soap dishes, bedding, and beach towels, too!
Shop Affina
3) Coyuchi
Price | $48
From plush to Mediterranean style, Coyuchi makes towels to suit everyone. I love how Coyuchi shows your impact when purchasing one of their products. For example, The Cloud Loom Organic Towels save 1,190 days of drinking water, 5 miles of driving emissions avoided, and 114 sq ft of land farmed without pesticides. Coyuchi is probably one of the best brands to go to when shopping for linens for the home. If you get some towels, pick up a robe & bath mat, too!
Shop Coyuchi
4) Delilah Home Goods
Price | $90 for set of 2
These soft towels are European-crafted and made of 100% organic cotton. They are created with long-staple, 100% organic Turkish cotton, Global Organic Textile Standard Certified, spun into fine yarns, and loomed into long, two-ply, double loops making the most of the fiber’s extraordinary length. The extra-long loops make the towels highly absorbent, soft, and up to 50% thicker than most other towels. Talk about cozy & warm!
Shop Delilah Home
5) Sunrise Bliss
Price | $28
You know a product is a keeper when you aren’t in your own home and miss it. That’s how I am with these towels. I have one at my grandparents where I frequent often because I can’t wash my hair and not have one on hand. I LOVE these towels, and even carry one in my car & handbag for those ‘just in case’ days. Each towel is made from GOTS Certified Organic Cotton with low impact dyes, and washes very well.
Shop Sunrise Bliss
6) Takasa
Price |$62
With a passion for exceptionally high quality materials and socially conscious manufacturing processes, Takasa - a Vancouver, BC based Benefit Company - is focused on combining thoughtfully designed premium products for those who value beauty, durability and ethical sustainability. Takasa products are crafted with certified GOTS organic and Fairtrade Cotton, we measure our environmental footprint, provide a carbon offset certificate and plant a tree with every single order.
Shop Takasa
7) Made Trade
One of my favorite online stores for home goods has several different sustainable bath towels for you to choose from.
Made Trade carries brands like Coyuchi, Minna, and Anatoli. Plus, they make sure each product covers one {or more} of these values - Sustainable, Fair Trade, Heritage, USA Made & Vegan. Each value has a little symbol that is placed right next to the product, so you know exactly what category it falls under.
Shop Made Trade
8) SOL Organics
SOL Organics lives up to these four features: sustainable, organic, fair & transparent. I love my SOL bed sheets, so I’m sure their GOTS certified towels are just as wonderful! Like their name, they look pretty plush and cozy. Their longer cotton fibers mean stronger, finer & smoother yarn. The long-staple fibers spun into single-ply yarn make for light, long-lasting towels. Along with their organic cotton, they also use low-impact dyes!
Shop SOL Organics
9) Boll & Branch
Price | $48
Their towels look plush luxury and are all made from 100% organic cotton. Boll & Branch uses a 2-ply organic cotton yarn and high pile height to give their towels a substantial feel. In addition, they can fluff up the yarns through a unique, chemical-free tumbling process. Of course, you can always try their products out during a 30-day trial period, but based on reviews, I think you’ll like them. They have bathrobes, too, if you want to add that on.
Boll & Branch
10) Anact
Price | $35
A towel made from hemp and organic cotton! A fiber I’ve been rather excited to see have a comeback is hemp. Hemp fiber has so many benefits; it’s silly we haven’t been able to grow it for years. Unfortunately, at this point, there are still a few obstacles to combat, such as access to quality fiber seed, processing equipment, and market size before it becomes widely used. However, this brand is based in my town Jax, FL, and they make an excellent towel set!
Shop AnactMAKE SURE TO PIN THE PHOTO BELOW TO SAVE THIS POST FOR LATER!
WANT MORE SUSTAINABLE BRANDS? VISIT OUR BRAND DIRECTORY!
Our Brand Directory is home to hundreds of sustainable brands, from makeup to cleaning supplies, from underwear to shoes. We have broken everything down by category for easy shopping, along with discount codes unique to Sustainably Chic viewers.
Shop the Sustainable Brand DirectoryRELATED READING YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY:
#Content-Attribution#
Content Creator: Natalie Kay Costello
Date:
Veolia has acquired Allpipe Technologies, a Perth-based business that specialises in drainage and has provided trenchless solutions to councils across the city. The acquisition marks an expansion of Veolia’s services into Western Australia.
Veolia’s Chief Operating Officer for Water, Dan Spiller, said that the purchase was an exciting step as the business grows its services in the state.
“With our existing industrial services and waste activities, the expansion of our water business will complete our ability to drive a full complement of solutions for customers,” said Spiller. “Working as part of our network services business, the acquisition will bring new opportunities to drive innovation and whole-of-life network solutions.”
The partnership will see all of Allpipe’s local assets and employees transfer to Veolia — including the former owners, who will continue to offer their experience in drainage.
Spiller said that the two businesses would work well together due to a shared interest in knowledge-sharing regarding drainage.
“There are strong synergies between our organisations and a shared commitment to building a successful relationship that benefits our customers. Veolia already operates similar businesses on the east coast, so the opportunity to expand in Western Australia by combining with some local expertise was too good to miss,” he said.
“I’m confident it’s the start of a long and successful engagement for Veolia’s water business in Western Australia.”
#Content-Attribution#
Date:
The right battery for the right device — it’s a simple switch that could help Australian businesses make significant savings and move them closer to achieving their carbon emission targets.
Procell, the professional batteries arm of leading global manufacturer Duracell, has developed a cost calculator, using Australian specific data, to help businesses identify hidden costs associated with battery replacement and its environmental impact.
It is estimated sectors, such as hospitality, could save significantly on battery related costs by simply using the right battery, as the correct battery solution reduces battery replacements, labour costs and appliance downtime.
Duracell Asia B2B Senior Director Jane Lo demonstrated the new cost savings calculator at Australia’s premier facilities management conference, Total Facilities 2022.
“In today’s highly automated, always-on business environment, there’s a heavy reliance on battery-operated devices for companies to operate seamlessly. As a result, business expenditure on battery replacements has increased,” said Ms Lo.
“Batteries play an important role in the overall safety, performance, and reliability of many devices whether in a hospitality, security or medical setting.
“If it’s buying batteries for remote controls, smoke alarms, or sanitiser dispensers, we want to help businesses explore ways to increase efficiencies by replacing batteries less and save more.”
AVOID DRAINING YOUR BATTERY BUDGET
Finding new ways to increase efficiencies and reduce overheads remain key commercial priorities for Australian businesses, but when it comes to battery expenditure, the true cost isn’t always apparent.
Firstly, you have the labour costs to replace the battery itself, and then other associated costs, such as interrupted workflow and downtime, deliveries, and logistics. These costs are not always taken into consideration by businesses, but they have a significant impact on operations and service levels.
Procell’s new cost calculator has identified significant opportunities for businesses to save money on battery related costs, across a variety of industry sectors, including:
- manufacturing facilities
- medical facilities
- security
- infrastructure
- hospitality
This hidden cost for businesses is caused by high frequency, high drain devices (typically those operating a motor or mechanism such as electric door locks or blood pressure monitors), which have different battery needs compared to intermittent low drain devices (such as remote controls or blood glucose meters).
“Taking into account device functionality when selecting batteries can achieve longer-lasting consistent performance, which in turn means fewer replacements and less expenditure,” said Ms Lo.
“Saving time and labour replacing batteries is particularly important in the current labour market, with chronic staffing pressure being felt in both healthcare and hospitality, two sectors that also have a high reliance of battery automation.”
BETTER FOR BUSINESS, BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
The use of battery-operated devices is on the rise. Trends like the Industrial Internet of Things are enabling businesses to connect and automate buildings, technology and energy systems; transforming the way facilities are managed.
Procell is a professional range of device specific alkaline batteries designed to minimise battery replacements and reduce the environmental impact of battery waste. It is the only range of high-performing batteries with products tailored for both low drain and high drain devices, which have been tested to guarantee highest quality and consistently reliable performance.
In hospital settings it has been demonstrated that Procell Intense batteries (used in patient monitors) lasted three and a half times longer than competitor brand batteries and were highly rated for performance, sustainability, safety and reliability.
The new cost calculator helps organisations determine the right Procell battery for each appliance across their business and identifies the potential cost savings, as well as environmental benefits of a reduction in battery turnover.
“We listened to the market and heard that businesses were looking for alternatives to the never-ending cycle of purchase-use-dispose-repeat when it comes to batteries,” Ms Lo said.
“We’re now looking forward to helping businesses use the batteries to their advantage and make significant savings, while also delivering improved operational and environmental outcomes.”
Procell, and local importer Pental, are signatories of the Battery Stewardship Scheme (BSS) design to encourage recycling and better waste management of end-of-life batteries. As accredited collectors, processors and recyclers of used batteries, they receive an import levy rebate further reducing the cost of the range.
To access the Procell cost saving calculator and determine your potential business savings please contact your local distributor at https://www.procell.com/en-au/where-to-buy/
For more information about the Procell range visit https://www.procell.com/en-gb/all-batteries/
#Content-Attribution#
Date:
Swiss Impact with Banerjis
(Season 4, Episode 9)
“Start young, think big, and stick with it” (Sir Ronald Cohen).
On Friday, 8th April we had one of the most amazing guest on our Swiss Impact TV, Sir Ronald Cohen, Chairman of the Global Steering Group for the Impact Investment. He is a pioneering philanthropist, venture capitalist, private equity investor and social innovator whose story and legacy will remain in your heart, and hopefully in your mind as well.
Sir Ronald Cohen was born in Egypt. At at the age of 12, with his family he had to leave his country and arrived in UK as a refugee. There, a school principal’s decision changed his life. Despite not knowing English, the principal was touched by his father’s words and allowed him to join. Sir Cohen came first in his class and later on graduate from Oxford and Harvard. After many years of a successful carrier as an investment professional he decided to do something more meaningful, something that would bring well being to everyone. This is how, he ended up making Impact Investment a globally known term.
When asked about the most important lesson he has learnt in life, he answered: “You can’t learn to swim by doing exercises on the beach. And perseverance is a very important part of success once you’ve started”.
The Global Steering Group, he mentioned, is an organization that started after the G8 Task Force decision on social impact investment (the first impact venture fund). They realized how the world was starting to shift, from economies that optimized risk and return, to economies that optimize risk, return and impact. After they presented such discovery in their report (titled The Invisible Heart of Markets) the British Government asked them to push that thinking globally. Today, GSG is operational in more than 35 countries. The idea behind is to change the economic systems so that they bring solutions to social and environmental challenges.
Sir Ronald then talked about his book, Impact: Reshaping capitalism, which is about major changes occurring in society. These changes are a response to the great environmental and social challenges we face. Governments have been unable to solve this wicked problems due to lack of resources. With this approach the economic system, which traditionally created all the above mentioned problems, can be turned into the solution through conscious investing. The book, he mentioned, is suitable for people with no prior knowledge on the topic, and is also useful for people with advanced knowledge on the matter, and it’s available in many languages!
Finally, Sir Ronald Cohen called us to take action: “Think about what we have talked today, read the book and pass it on to others, and if you agree with it, talk to your children about it. Begin to adjust your spending, management of your business and your investment portfolio to deliver impact as well as profit”.
You can watch the entire interview at various channels, including Youtube, Spotiy and Smart TV.
With warm regards,
Ben
A ‘rescue’ hotline has been launched for farmers with unattractive and difficult-to-sell produce that has been rejected by retailers. The service will allow farmers to make arrangements with social enterprise Good & Fugly to purchase these surplus vegetable, which are then resold to consumers.
The 13-000-FUGLY phone number provides producers with a convenient way of organising for these ugly fruits and vegetables that are otherwise perfectly fit for human consumption to be saved and eaten. This has the dual purpose of providing nutritious produce to people and, since up to a quarter of all fresh produce never leaves the farm due to the aesthetic standards of retailers, providing a cost-effective way for farmers to maximise the amount of their products being sold instead of disposed of.
“Our team is dedicated to finding ways to support all farmers across Australia — especially during these times with the supply chain shortages and floods,” said Richard Tourino, founder of Good & Fugly.
“We’re about changing supermarkets’ beauty standards so that consumers will ultimately have access to all fruit and veg. What we do is better for the consumer, better for the growers and better for the planet.
“It’s an economically and environmentally sustainable social enterprise that Aussie farmers can get ahead with. The feedback from farmers has been really positive. They’re telling us we’re giving them an option that didn’t exist before.”
Food growers can organise the collection of fruits and vegetables on the Good & Fugly site or, of course, through the new hotline.
#Content-Attribution#
Date:
Sustainable, local energy sources and energy management are a focus for all communities and countries, and, with recent developments creating politically unstable global energy resources, this focus has become even more of a priority.
The free-to-attend exhibition, Energy Next, will be showcasing the latest clean energy innovation and technologies, connecting thought leaders, businesses and organisations to explore what Australia’s clean energy future could look like.
The event will be held alongside Clean Energy Council’s Australian Clean Energy Summit at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Sydney on 19–20 July.
Energy Next will not only showcase the latest products and innovations on the exhibition floor, but there will be a packed schedule of presentations and talks from the country’s top renewable energy experts, stimulating conversations and hopefully action around clean energy.
The areas to be discussed will include decarbonisation and green steel, traceability technology, energy management including the latest in energy storage such as the aluminium ion battery and microgrids, and the latest in PV and EV technologies.
Speakers include doctors and professors from the country’s leading universities and leaders from the country’s most innovative sustainable energy companies.
The addition of Energy Next to the Australian Clean Energy Summit will form a comprehensive clean energy event in NSW, generating even further conversations and connections to improve clean energy generation and adoption in the country.
“The combination of Energy Next with the Australian Clean Energy Summit offers significant added value by giving attendees first-hand exposure to the technologies and innovations driving Australia’s clean energy transition. It will also help to increase collaboration across the industry, giving technology suppliers the opportunity to create connections and explore opportunities with the industry’s most senior executives and decision-makers. The Clean Energy Council is delighted to welcome Energy Next to the Australian Clean Energy Summit and is looking forward to a fantastic event in July,” said Kane Thornton, Chief Executive, Clean Energy Council.
Energy Next is organised by RX Global, the same people behind All-Energy Australia, one of the largest renewable energy events in the country. Across two days, Energy Next will bring a quality exhibition to New South Wales and provide workshops and networking opportunities for those working in the clean energy industry.
“With NSW’s exciting plans to shift to renewables, Energy Next’s inaugural edition arrives on the industry’s calendar at an important time and is well positioned to cater to the NSW clean energy market. The event is set to be the destination in NSW for the industry to connect with suppliers face to face, collaborate with peers and learn from industry experts about the latest industry developments. We’re proud to be partnering with the Clean Energy Council in delivering an event that can help build the future of NSW’s clean energy industry,” said Robby Clark, Portfolio Director at Energy Next.
Energy Next is proudly supported by the NSW Government. Their support coincides with the state’s Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap and $750 million Net Zero Industry and Innovation Program, demonstrating the NSW Government’s commitment to Australia’s clean energy transition.
Event details
What: Energy Next
When: 19–20 July 2022
Where: ICC Sydney
Web: To access the program and register for free, visit www.energynext.com.au
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It is not simply what is built that matters, but how it is built. This is the mantra becoming more prevalent on construction sites across Australia, as companies become more attentive to the impact that their building methods have on the environment. If a project is to be truly sustainable, the way it is built counts equally as much as the contribution made by the project to sustainable development.
A case in point is the METRONET Forrestfield-Airport Link, which comes into service in Perth in the coming months. To be known as the Airport Line, the rail project being completed by Italian civil engineering group Webuild and a Western Australia partner will connect the city’s eastern suburbs with the airport and central business district. It is 8.5 km long, of which 8 km are underground, with three new stations. By serving 20,000 passengers a day, the line stands to remove up to 15,000 vehicles from the road every day, leading to a reduction of up to 2000 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year.
Practices undertaken by Webuild throughout the build were always with sustainability in mind. One area of focus was the concrete, arguably the most important building material of any construction site. Webuild worked closely with a local supplier to develop two sustainable concrete blends, one of which was for the production of the segments that line the tunnel walls. Known as Triple Blend 60 MPa concrete, it is a low-cement concrete blend containing 65% supplementary cementitious materials, such as ground-granulated blast-furnace slag, which is itself a recycled material. This meant that it had only 195 kg of cement per cubic metre of concrete, compared with more than 550 kg in typical 60 Mpa concrete. By using this blend rather than the concrete made with Portland Cement — which requires a lot of energy to produce — a total of 21,848 tonnes of CO2 emissions were avoided in the production of the 54,000 tunnel segments that line the walls of 15 km of tunnels.
It is a practice that Webuild has been applying on construction sites across the globe to notable effect. In the last three years, it has been able to reduce the amount of CO2 emissions produced by activities related to the production and use of concrete by over 20%.
For the production of track slabs on which the rails are positioned along the Airport Line, Webuild used concrete reinforced with macro synthetic fibres rather than steel. This solution helped avoid the need to use 6.96 million kg of steel, preventing approximately 13,224 tonnes of CO2 being emitted for its production.
In addition to concrete, there have been a number of other sustainable initiatives pursued by Webuild during the construction of the line in Perth, including specific tunnel-boring methods and the use of solar power.
Webuild had the tunnel-boring machines reuse the water they needed to function properly by having a slurry treatment plant installed on site. The plant used a filter press and centrifuge to process the slurry generated by the TBMs, separating the spoil from the water. It would then send the water back to the TBMs. This practice saved 2740 megalitres of water.
Another focus for the project is the use of solar power. One of the line’s three stations, High Wycombe, has what is claimed to be the largest solar panel system to be installed by a state government department in Western Australia. The 275 kW system will be sufficient to meet the average summertime daylight electricity demand of Airport Central Station and Redcliffe Station, in addition to the High Wycombe Station where the system is installed.
Thanks to technological innovation, this shift towards greener construction methods is making sustainable development truly sustainable, and is aligned with Webuild’s sustainability goals for the 2021–2023 period. One of its priorities is to reduce by 35% greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels and the production of electricity in 2022 compared with 2017.
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Shipping produces a lot of waste, and much of it goes into the landfill, but now two brothers are working to create sustainable options for the sector through the creation of sustainable packaging. Their company, HeapsGood Packaging, was founded in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic to address the millions of tonnes of plastic waste that are produced each year in Australia.
With around 2.6 billion parcels sent around Australia last year, the company wanted to produce alternatives to bubble wrap, shipping mailers and printing labels, which all take many years to decompose. It has a range of compostable products — which started with the Ecomailer, an alternative to plastic mailer, and has since expanded to the bubble wrap alternative Hex Wrap and the thermal label Ecolabel.
The products are all made from various materials that naturally break down in a much shorter time than plastics. Plastic is replaced with paper, cardboard, cornstarch and other plant-based ingredients.
“Everybody loves the convenience of e-commerce, but nobody wants to talk about the elephant in the room, and that’s the plastic used in our online retailing addiction — last year, there was the equivalent of 268,000 fully grown elephants of plastic waste generated globally,” said HeapsGood founder Adam Sarfati.
The company has now developed a network of suppliers and is planning to offer its products in the US in the future. The company is carbon neutral due to its policy of planting trees through its partnership with Ecologi — a relationship that has already resulted in over 15,000 trees being planted.
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Aurecon has appointed Dr Belinda Wade as Principal, Sustainability & Climate Change to lead its climate transition risk consulting across Australia and New Zealand.
With over two decades’ experience in sustainability-related positions and a PhD focused on corporate decarbonisation, Wade will lead Aurecon’s Transition Strategy team to help identify climate transition risks and opportunities and develop climate change response strategies for clients.
Paul Gleeson, Managing Director Energy – Australia & New Zealand and Group Director – Sustainability at Aurecon, said Wade’s appointment represents a significant step forward in elevating our sustainability and climate change services through a full-service model in climate transition risk.
“Climate transition practice is rapidly evolving and has burgeoning demand for expertise in corporate decarbonisation. As designers, engineers and advisors, we play a vital part in supporting our clients in transitioning to a net-zero carbon future and co-creating a better future for people and the planet.”
Excited about her position at Aurecon, Wade said that climate transition risk is a major challenge facing organisations in every market today.
“Tackling the challenges associated with climate transitions requires an integrated strategy at a corporate level. My key focus will include understanding the challenges and opportunities for Aurecon’s clients and applying the team’s diverse range of capabilities and depth of expertise in transition risk management to support their journeys,” Wade said.
“Taking the long view, it’s imperative we marry social considerations with technical capabilities to overcome roadblocks as organisations strive for net zero and competitive success in a decarbonised marketplace. Decarbonisation calls for a suite of new investments and changes, which necessitates a shift in both mental and business models.”
Wade’s research has examined decarbonisation pathways, climate metrics and wider sustainability topics, including circular economies. Through this work she has developed methods that deepen the knowledge of sustainability challenges and promote acceptance and action.
Her experience spans consulting, electricity utilities, academic research and leadership. Before joining Aurecon, she spent more than a decade working in research, leadership and academic positions at the University of Queensland, focusing on organisational carbon management and sustainability. She also spent several years as part of the steering committee of peak sustainability body Future Earth Australia.
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