Posts tagged with "sustainability"

María Gabriela de Faria is nominated for her 14th Kids Choice Awards

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Venezuelan actress María Gabriela de Faria received her 14th Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards nomination, in the “Inspiration of the Year” category (KCA Mexico 2020).

Her work this year with organizations like World Wildlife Fund and Mercy for Animals, as well as the constant championing of animal rights, veganism, sustainable fashion and an eco-friendly lifestyle in her social media channels and her new blog, TheFaria.Online, have made the actress one of Nickelodeon’s most popular agents of change.

Voting for the KCA Mexico will remain open until October 18, 2020 on the www.kcamexico.com website, and from Twitter and Instagram by including the oficial hashtag of the event (#KCAMexico) plus that of your favorite nominee, #TheFariaInspiration.

De Faria’s personal motto is “Changing The World, One Small World at a Time,” so for those who think it’s important to celebrate how small actions can generate big changes on the planet, don’t hesitate to vote.

De Faria Additionally Starts Engines on New Productions, Film, and TV Work

De Faria is most known in Latin America for her leading roles in the Nickelodeon series Isa TKM, Grachi, and Yo Soy Franky, as well as Fox Telecolombia’s Sitiados 2.

As production begins to ramp up again, she has three major projects lined up. In recent days, Fox gave the green light for the second season of the successful family comedy The Moodys, in which de Faria plays “Cora.”

The series, the premiere of which has been announced for 2021, stars Denis Leary and Elizabeth Perkins as the heads of a tight-knit, but slightly dysfunctional family. Her fourth, fifth and sixth films are currently in post-production, with both Pacifico and The Exorcism of God expected to release in 2021, and a yet-to-be announced film headed for film festivals next year.

De Faria begins filming a new, exciting (and secret!) U.S. film in Indiana this week. The name of her seventh film, has not yet been revealed.

For more information on Maria Gabriela de Faria and social media please visit:

Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter

Website: https://thefaria.online/about-me/

Blog: TheFaria.Online

PUMA x The Hundreds Team Up For Another Collection

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PUMA has teamed up again with community-powered streetwear brand The Hundreds for a new line of footwear, apparel and accessories designed with sustainability in mind.

The collegiate-inspired PUMA x The Hundreds collection aims to increase awareness around our environmental impact and make us more conscious about the way we dress. Sustainable materials used throughout the collection include recycled rubbers, organic cotton, chrome-free leathers, and recycled meshes for uppers, lining and sock liners.

Standout pieces from the collection include the PUMA x The Hundreds Performer Sneaker featuring bold colors and recycled materials, the colorblocked Future Rider made from 80% eco-friendly materials, the Chore Jacket which comes in both black and tan along with the Chino Pants to match, and the Reversible Shorts which offers the chance for customization with a different print on each side. Accessories include the PUMA x The Hundreds Convertible Bag which transforms from a shopper into a cross body and a super lightweight packable PUMA x The Hundreds Cap.

Retailing for $40 – $150, the PUMA x The Hundreds collection will be available on thehundreds.com, PUMA.com and select retailers starting Saturday, September 26.

Sustainability and Smart Technology Brings Living Future®

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2020 has been a year of unprecedented challenges for the humanity. Covid-19 has changed the world irrevocably, and cities around the world are searching for new ways of providing heightened safety and hygiene measures while maintaining a welcoming, sustainable environment. The vulnerabilities of the current state of urban hygiene and health systems around the world demand urgent, efficient and sustainable solutions. This brought a new source of inspiration for architects and designers involved in the search for alternative solutions to help us avoid a global pandemic in the future and improve urban sanitation in general. With this in mind, architectural and interior designer Chloe Rokelle Sun developed Living Future® a sustainable art installation that introduces color, light, greenery, and provocative, space-enhancing architecture to any public space, while at the same time offering an inviting handwashing station that filters and recovers the water it uses.

Living Future® combines important principles of biophilic design, sustainability, and social purpose, providing a clean, green source of fresh water for public handwashing to promote hygiene and combat the transmission of airborne viruses, while beautifying and enhancing public spaces through sustainable technology.

Urban centers throughout the world are extremely densely populated, increasing public health risks and posing daunting challenges to public safety in the new reality of infectious airborne viruses. To meet this challenge, the pioneering project, Living Future®, is designed to be installed in urban spaces such as shopping malls, office buildings, city plazas, and other high-traffic areas. While enlivening public spaces with captivating aesthetics, Living Future® makes handwashing inviting, sustainable, and pleasant, offering a first and most important step toward increasing public hygiene in the post-pandemic world.

THE MAKING OF: Living Future®

Living Future utilizes technology from some of the most forward-thinking contemporary architectural projects and repurposes them for a new, smarter, and safer future. This biophilic installation is both a modular, interactive lighting sculpture and a living machine filtration system, uniting the conceptual and aesthetic capacities of sculpture with the ecological and technological.

Nanoleaf modular smart LED light panels on the installation’s facade can be customized in color and luminosity to enhance any environment, adding captivating colors through interactive lights that react to the touch.

Live plants sustained by Living Machine Technology are placed throughout the design structure, providing a calming sense of nature regardless of the feature’s location, while also contributing to the wastewater filtration system. The installation’s built-in ecosystem blends cutting-edge science and engineering with beneficial microorganisms and the plants’ natural properties to generate a clean, reusable, lasting water source.

The first Living Future installation is planned for 2021. Keep an eye out by following Chloe Rokelle Sun below!

FOLLOW CHLOE ROKELLE SUN

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Environmental Effects × COVID-19

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MIT Sloan School of Management study shows potential long-term environment effects from COVID-19 and the findings show a decrease in clean energy investment could exacerbate health crisis

While the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced air pollution in the U.S., the longer-term impact on the environment is unclear. In a recent study, MIT Sloan School of Management Prof. Christopher Knittel and Prof. Jing Li analyzed the short- and long-term effects, finding that the actual impact will depend on the policy response to the pandemic. Their study suggests that pushing back investments in renewable electricity generation by one year could outweigh the emission reductions and deaths avoided from March through June 2020.

“The pandemic raises two important questions related to the environment. First, what is the short-run impact on fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions? Second – and more important but harder to answer – what are the longer-term implications from the pandemic on those same variables? The health impacts from the pandemic could stretch out for decades if not centuries depending on the policy response,” says Knittel.

In their study, the researchers analyzed the short-term impact of the pandemic on CO2 emissions in the U.S. from late March to June 7, 2020. They found a 50% reduction in the use of jet fuel and a 30% reduction in the use of gasoline. The use of natural gas in residential and commercial buildings declined by almost 20% and overall electricity demand declined by less than 10%. However, the professors point out that the shutdown also halted most investment in the transition to low-carbon energy. In addition, clean energy jobs decreased by almost 600,000 by the end of April.

“The short-term impact of the pandemic is clear, but the long-term impact is highly uncertain,” says Li. “It will depend on how long it takes to bring the pandemic under control and how long any economic recession lasts.”

The best-case scenario, according to the researchers, is a swift and low-cost strategy to control the virus, allowing the economy to reopen by the end of 2020. In this scenario, investment trends prior to the pandemic will continue.

“Unfortunately, we view a second scenario as more likely,” notes Knittel. “In this scenario, the consequences of the pandemic will be greater, with many more deaths and deeper disruptions to supply chains, and a persistent global recession. The need to backpedal on the reopening of the economy due to flare-ups could destroy rather than defer the demand for goods and services.”

In this scenario, the delays in investments in renewables and vehicle fuel economy could lead to an additional 2,500 MMT of CO2 from 2020-2035, which could cause 40 deaths per month on average or 7,500 deaths during that time.

“Our findings suggest that even just pushing back all renewable electricity generation investments by one year would outweigh the emissions reductions and avoided deaths from March to June of 2020. However, the energy policy response to COVID-19 is the wild card that can change everything,” they wrote in an article for Joule.

Li explains that budgets will be strained to pay for the costs of the virus, making it challenging to invest in clean energy. And if a recession persists, there may be pressure to lessen climate change mitigation goals. However, stimulus packages could focus on clean energy, increasing clean air, clean jobs, and national security.

“Just stabilizing the economy can go a long way to putting clean energy trends back on track. We need to solve the pandemic and continue to address climate change. Otherwise, it will lead to even more tragedy,” adds Knittel.

Li and Knittel are coauthors of “The short-run and long-run effects of COVID-19 on energy and the environment” with Kenneth Gillingham and Marten Ovaere of Yale University and Mar Reguant of Northwestern University. Their paper was published in a June issue of Joule.

Denmark’s Eco-Luxury Hotel

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The highly anticipated Villa Copenhagen sets the new standard for sustainable luxury hospitality

One of Europe’s most anticipated launches of 2020, Villa Copenhagen officially opened its doors in the heart of Denmark’s capital city on July 1. Housed in the century-old Danish Post and Telegraph office, the 390-room Villa Copenhagen offers conscious luxury through a commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This combination allows guests to create meaningful experiences that connect visitors to the landscape, culture, and energy of the city.

Villa Copenhagen combines sustainability and luxury seamlessly. For example, rooms like the Earth Suite are fully sustainable and entirely comprised of recycled materials with eco-friendly furniture by Mater Design. Similarly, Executive Chef Tore Gustafsson is responsible for Villa Copenhagen’s sustainable food profile, which focuses on ‘carbon-free’ dining and zero food waste. Another sustainable practice of Villa Copenhagen comes from the uniforms of the employees; the team members’ uniforms are sourced from a local sustainable fashion brand called sur le chemin.

“This project has proven to be a labor of love and, in many ways, is testament to Copenhagen’s resilient spirit. We are delighted to reveal Villa Copenhagen to the public and are confident that the health measures we have in place will put guests at ease in this new era of travel,” said Peter Høgh Pedersen, managing director of Villa Copenhagen. “The vision behind the build was to create an authentic destination – for the many and not the few – that upholds three key pillars: contrast, conscious luxury, and happiness. We believe these values show in the hotel design, guest facilities and amenities, collaborative partnerships, and our approach to service, which recognizes Villa Copenhagen’s connection to the city and our belief that luxury hospitality should focus on conscious choices that benefit the local environment and surrounding communities.”

The hotel features ample outdoor and interior green spaces to go above and beyond current government health and sanitization regulations. Villa Copenhagen appointed Universal Design Studio, an award winning London-based architectural firm, to create several public spaces. The courtyard, boardroom, rooftop pool and bar, and more spaces are beautiful and functional spots at Villa Copenhagen. Some other thoughtful and health-oriented touches include keyless entry and remote check-in, virtual check-out, and an optional white glove service. All in all, Villa Copenhagen offers the luxurious, clean, and healthy experience of your dreams.

To book a room or for additional information, visit www.villacopenhagen.com and follow Villa Copenhagen on Instagram.

Climate Crisis × COVID-19

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In a new interview, Dr. Roland Kupers, author of A Climate Policy Revolution, discusses the ways the pandemic helps the Climate Crisis

During Covid-19, the world was able to see the impact a lockdown can have on our environment. Since quarantine, people no longer drove to work, school, nor any other locations. Despite the tragedies of the pandemic, one positive can be found in research showing that carbon monoxide levels were reduced by nearly 50%, compared to levels in the same period last year. In addition, emissions of the planet-heating gas CO2 also fell sharply.

Roland Kupers is an advisor on Complexity, Resilience and Energy Transition and the author of the book A Climate Policy Revolution – What the Science of Complexity Reveals about Saving Our Planet. Kupers and C.M. Rubin, founder of CMRubinWorld, discuss 10 ways the pandemic helped to fight the climate crisis.

From psychology we know that it takes 3-6 weeks for new tastes to remain. Our new pandemic habits of less travel, video meetings and valuing cleaner air just might stick,” says Kupers.

Read all 10 ways the pandemic is bettering the climate change here.

Sweden × Liquefied Carbon Dioxide

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Liquefied carbon dioxide ready to sail

Gothenburg and Sweden could be the first in the world to create a joint infrastructure for the transport of liquefied carbon dioxide extracted using Carbon Capture Storage, CCS, technology. The project –Carbon Infrastructure Capture, or CinfraCap, – is a unique collaborative venture between Göteborg Energi, Nordion Energi, Preem, St1, Renova, and Gothenburg Port Authority.

“We must speed up the process if we are to achieve our climate goals and collaboration is the best way forward. We expect to be able to transport two million tonnes of captured carbon dioxide per year from our quayside facility and to do so we must have an efficient infrastructure,” said Elvir Dzanic, Gothenburg Port Authority chief executive and one of the parties involved in the joint CinfraCap infrastructure project.

CCS is widely regarded as a key component in the transition of the global energy system, and several research and development projects are already under way. CCS involves trapping carbon and liquefying it under pressure. It can then be safely stored deep underground, in many cases below the seabed, reducing emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. If the carbon dioxide is captured from a biogenic source, this could even result in a reduction in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Within the CinfraCap project, the various parties are focused on the transport of captured carbon and how this can be done in a climate-smart, cost-effective way.

Here’s how CCS occurs:

Carbon dioxide capture plants.
Liquid carbon dioxide is transported through pipelines from capture plants nearby and by truck or railway from plants further away.
CinfraCaps reception site with temporary storage in Gothenburg harbour.
Liquid carbon dioxide is loaded on ship using loading arms.
Receiving terminal from where liquid carbon dioxide is unloaded and pumped into formations 3000 meter below seabed.
Porous rock, with impermeable rock above, where liquid carbon dioxide is returned.

The Swedish Energy Agency climate initiative Industrial Evolution (Industriklivet) has agreed to cover half the cost of funding a pre-study, which is being conducted by the consulting company COWI. The pre-study will focus on the means of collecting captured carbon optimally from each company, transporting it down to the port, intermediate storage prior to loading, securing of permits, risk identification, and presentation of a business model.

“We are starting up CinfraCap in western Sweden although the ultimate aim is to share our experience and the business model behind the carbon capture infrastructure with the rest of Sweden and the world. We are joining forces with other partners to ensure the requisite resources are in place to rapidly reduce the climate impact of companies and contribute to a sustainable future,” said, Karin Lundqvist, Business developer for Preem AB.

With research and enforcement of projects like CinfraCap we can better environmental practices across the world.

About the Port of Gothenburg:

The Port of Gothenburg is the largest port in the Nordic region. 30 percent of Swedish foreign trade passes through the Port of Gothenburg as well as half of all container traffic. The Port of Gothenburg is the only port in Sweden with the capacity to receive the world’s largest container vessels and has the broadest range of shipping routes within and outside Europe. The 25 rail shuttles that depart each day mean that companies throughout Sweden and Norway have a direct, environmentally smart link to the largest port in the Nordic region. The Port of Gothenburg has terminals for oil, cars, ro-ro, containers and passengers. Follow The Port of Gothenburg on Twitter.

Summer Sustainability Reading List

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It’s summertime technically!

It might not feel like a normal summer, but we’re still going to enjoy some beach reading, even if we’re sitting in our backyards or balconies. Make sure to check out this Sustainability-focused Reading List from Whitney Bauck at Fashionista. Bauck asked a number of industry leaders about their sustainability reading recommendations and the choices are enough to make anyone feel ambitious.

Note: We loved that Bauck mentioned the book Winners Take All as having influenced how she thinks about sustainability. It’s about the much broader topic of change-making and philanthropy but has had the exact same effect for us.

There a number of pieces in this week’s edition worth checking out, including:

A Retail Dive summary of the major BCG + Higg report on fashion’s post-COVID sustainable future
A thought-provoking look from Vogue Business on rethinking the definition of “growth”
A very neat, interactive tool from Farfetch that demonstrates the carbon footprint from various materials. For example, did you know that the carbon footprint of 1 kg of wool equals 184 km driven in a car?

We hope everyone is able to enjoy their summer a bit. As always, please reply with any new projects, companies, or articles on the intersection of sustainability and fashion!

Sustainable Links

Fashion’s post-growth future (Vogue Business)

As reported by Vogue Business, the goals set by the United Nations Environment Program and the 2030 Agenda won’t be feasible with the current pace of fashion production and consumption. However, it is not a question of creating more sustainable products or reducing the number of collections in the year. The whole system is broken, based on the old way of running the business and aiming for bigger returns. We need to rethink the whole definition of “growth”:

In order to fix the problem, economists say that instead of “green growth”, which argues for green technologies and efficiencies to reduce global emissions with a goal of decoupling them from increased economic activity, the industry must focus on “post-growth”, which rethinks levels of consumption and production.

Does slow fashion provide an answer for creating a sustainable fashion industry? Should businesses think “smaller”? Does fashion equals shopping for new clothes or the relationship between apparel production and its consumption can be redefined and new business models will be created? One thing is certain: the fashion industry has to change, from both the supply and demand side.

Technology’s Potential to Make Your Brand Sustainable (Jing Daily)

According to Jing Daily, given China’s technological development and growing consumer market, it could become one of the key players in the field of sustainability by developing digital infrastructures, leveraging its access to an enormous amount of data, building, and supporting environment-driven communities.

Key takeaway: a company can set itself apart from the competition by leveraging technological innovation. The differentiation based on sustainability and technology will allow the company to be in tune with the demands of post-COVID-19 consumers.

Current Events Have Made Fashion Transparency Consumers’ Top Demand (Sourcing Journal)

“Coronavirus means the end of greenwashing and the end of claims which you cannot fulfill. And everybody who’s in the sustainability business in the future needs to prove every day with all their actions that they are sustainable, and the rest will disappear.”

Brand transparency will shape the future of fashion. As consumers become more educated about sustainability, they will expect more transparency and ethical practices from fashion companies. The companies will have to earn the trust of their customers, build their reputation, and focus on long-term value creation.

Farfetch launches consumer fashion footprint tool (Fashion United)

This week Farfetch has introduced a fashion footprint tool on its website, which allows consumers to consider the environmental impact of the materials used for their clothing, inform on available renewable materials options and drive more conscious pre-owned fashion purchases.

Did you know that the carbon footprint of 1 kg of wool equals 184 km driven in a car, while the water footprint of 1 kg of silk corresponds to 582 bathtubs? (check out Farfetch tool linked here)

As a part of the retailer’s Positively Farfetch sustainability effort launched last year, the company also released the report in partnership with QSA, ICARO, London Waste, and Recycling Board on secondhand fashion shopping habits in the US, UK, and China.

Around the News

Fashion’s most interesting sustainability efforts can also help fight racism – in conjunction with the Juneteenth celebration, we would like to feature this Vogue Business piece on why the company culture should encompass as its core values equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Do brands still care about sustainability amid the pandemic? – last week we’ve featured BCG’s findings on the circular economy and sustainability as the main drivers for growth in post-pandemic business recovery. This week this Retail Dive’s piece shares comments from eight experts on the long-term repercussions of the sustainability commitment.

18 Fashion People Recommend Their Sustainability Must-Reads – check out these book recommendations from fashion sustainability advocates with topics ranging from garment manufacturing and environmentalism to politics and capitalism.

Gucci Launches Off the Grid Sustainable Collection – guilt-free eco-friendly luxury – the Italian fashion house debuted its first collection from Gucci Circular Lines, built around sustainability and circularity.

Apparel and footwear industry proposes green recovery plan for Europe – this Fashion United’s article summarizes seven principles for the development of a circular economy within the textile, apparel, and footwear industry presented by the Policy Hub in its “Proposal for an EU Green Recovery Plan in the Textile, Apparel, and Footwear Industry”

Each week we will cover one term that defines sustainability in the fashion industry – from A to Z.

Animal Welfare – refers to the treatment of animals involved in the fashion supply chain. The demands and profitability of the trade are reflected in the existence of large-scale factory farming and severe mistreatment and cruel handling practices of animals across the fur, leather, exotic leather, down feather, mohair, angora, silk, and wool industries. It is a critical concern in countries with insufficient animal welfare legislation.

Amid protests, can the fur industry survive and be sustainable? – with the introduction of FurMark program and WelFur certification, the European fur industry is tackling the issues of animal welfare, transparency, and traceability across its fur supply chain. As the faux vs real fur debate continues around the world, the development of the fur industry will also depend on the rise of consumer eco-consciousness in China, one of the largest fur markets.

2020 GREEN GOOD DESIGN

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Sustainability award for the Rado True Thinline Leaf

Rarely have the award and the prize winner been better suited to each other: our emerald green Rado True Thinline Leaf was presented with the prestigious GREEN GOOD DESIGN Award by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and the European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies. Under the motto “Build a better world now”, the coveted award honours outstanding architecture and product designs that leave a lasting impression with their “green” concept.

The Green Good Design Award 2020 went to our True Thinline Leaf. Made from hightech ceramic, this timepiece features a green iridescent mother-of-pearl dial with a delicate leaf structure embossed on the underside. As a result of the creative partnership with Grandi Giardini Italiani, an organisation dedicated to preserving extraordinary Italian gardens, this line celebrates the interplay of design and nature.

The creation of each individual watch is just as unique as its dial. Years of research culminated in the True Thinline’s ground breaking monobloc ceramic case – a neverbefore-seen type of case construction featuring solid ceramic with no need for a stainless steel core. This not only gave the True Thinline its extreme lightness and super slim silhouette, but it also paved the way for new design possibilities.

This year’s edition of the GREEN GOOD DESIGN AWARD focused on the world’s most important new products, buildings, construction and planning projects, whose sustainable and environmentally friendly design is pioneering. We are therefore particularly pleased that our vision of a “natural” timepiece has been appreciated by such a prestigious organisation.

About Rado

Rado is known as the Master of Materials for the way it has revolutionised traditional watchmaking, leading the industry by introducing high-tech ceramic, ultra-light high-tech ceramic, colourful high-tech ceramic and Ceramos to its design-led collections. An award-winning designer with numerous prestigious international prizes to its name, and considered the most forward-thinking design player in the watch industry today, Rado has always been a pioneer and leader, setting the standard and raising the bar.

About GOOD DESIGN™

GOOD DESIGN™ is a prestigious, recognised, and longstanding design award program organised annually by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design in cooperation with the European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies. The trademarked awards were founded in Chicago in 1950 by renowned architects Eero Saarinen, Charles and Ray Eames, and Edgar Kaufmann, Jr.

Rado, Allison Christensen, watches, 360 magazine

Kasthall – When Sustainability Matters

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In 1889, in the quaint Swedish hamlet of Kinna, passionate textile craftsmanship met nature-inspired design and gave rise to Kasthall. Today admired worldwide in classy offices in Tokyo and boutique hotels in New York, Persian palaces and royal castles, beautiful residences great and small, exotic hideaways and luxury yachts.

SHOP KASTHALL HERE

Sustainability is, and always has been, an obvious and natural part of our identity and growth. Our environmental responsibility permeates the entire production chain. From raw material selection to production, transportation and waste. It comprises emissions to air, water as well as recycling. Our environmental policy sets a clear target to reduce combustible waste. The yarn we use is prepared, dyed and mounted on spools uniquely for each rug. Everything is made to order and manufactured according to every clients’ request and needs. In a quality that lasts a lifetime. Thus, excess production is avoided. The superior quality makes it a nonrepetitive purchase, contributing to lower lifetime consumption of natures’ limited resources.

A well-measured sustainability policy rests on a long-term collaboration between manufacturers and suppliers. A small but good example are the leather tags attached to our rugs Harvest and Flourish, so-called “circular leather tags”. It all started with a project termed “Developing future markets for climate and resource-efficient products”, aimed at companies wishing to influence the future market for secondary textile. Kasthall is a driving force behind changing the way our industry works, incorporating the changes as a natural part of our production and our co-worker mindset.