Lauren Sweeney’s Post

"We die by being bold." Playing devil's advocate, let's understand why the adoption of reuse has been so slow among the companies Lauren mentioned, then explore the missing puzzle pieces to make it clear that there are no excuses to *not* adopt reuse. Emotions run wild when integrating new practices into operations. Anxiety, impatience, distraction—they all dance alongside the bottom line. While reuse is there, leaders ruminate: • What if things go awry, and we lose money in Q3 of 2024? • Sure, Lauren's ideas are intriguing, but we have way too many priorities to focus on *right now*. • Are our customers really clamoring for reuse? They seem content with compostable silverware. • Will shareholders approve? Should one shareholder with a significant equity stake pull out, we’ll face serious legal, financial, and operational ramifications. Lauren's crew has the functionality of reuse down, no doubt. But until companies confront their emotions, progress will remain sluggish. They’ll repeatedly tell her crew, "Wow, you've solved every challenge that comes with reusable packaging." Behind closed doors, they’ll say, "We don’t have the bandwidth for this. Let’s sideline it." They’ll flip Lauren’s words and insinuate: "We die by being bold." Yet, there's one undeniable, irreconcilable truth, as Lauren proclaimed: "We are bold, or we die." A movement is rapidly growing for reuse, offering social support to integrate it into your company. Trivium Packaging, in collaboration with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), found that 74% of consumers crave products in refillable packaging [1]. That's a staggering number, and it's backed by a survey of 15,000 customers spanning 3 continents! Worried about financial losses? Lauren's team specializes in reuse logistics—they've got your back. Concerned about the time and effort involved? They're on it. "But what about the shareholders?" With the climate emergency, we stand at the brink of environmental, social, and economic upheaval. Let's not let short-term gains discussed behind closed doors blind us to the urgent need for change that Lauren and so many reuse advocates are proclaiming. Your chance to make a monumental impact is here. I join Lauren in extending the invitation to sweetgreen, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Starbucks, and all the rest to embrace reuse and pioneer a sustainable future. Edit: Added references.

In many product categories, packaging gets disproportionate attention in commentary about products' climate footprint. But in wine, the bottle is one of the primary drivers of emissions. That's why I was so intrigued to learn more about Packamama, a company redesigning the wine bottle to prioritize emissions reductions while protecting the product in transit, standing out in-aisle, and preserving the experience at the moment of consumption. It's a great case study in multi-solving for commercial and climate priorities through design choices. Learn more in today's episode on reinventing the wine bottle with Santiago Navarro, CEO and Founder of Packamama https://lnkd.in/etCJeEEA #sustainablepackaging #winebusiness #wineindustry

Petaluma's Reusable Cup Trial: Revolutionizing Sustainability! 🌍 Petaluma, California, is at the forefront of sustainability with a citywide test to gauge consumer acceptance of reusable beverage cups. 30 businesses, including Starbucks, Dunkin', Burger King, and KFC, have partnered in this three-month pilot to replace single-use cups with bright purple reusable cups featuring the slogan "Sip. Return. Repeat." Over 60 return bins are strategically placed across the city, supporting sustainability goals. The initiative, coordinated by the NextGen Consortium and managed by Closed Loop Partners, aims to reduce waste and create a scalable, circular economy solution for the beverage industry. The trial will collect vital data on return rates, operational challenges, and consumer feedback. Starbucks plans to leverage these insights to create a toolkit for broader implementation. 🙌 Kudos to these companies for stepping up and collaborating on this transformative initiative. 👉 Could reusable cups become the new normal? Share your thoughts below! #Sustainability #CircularEconomy #ReuseRevolution #nosingleuseproducts

We're back with another blog! This time, we're shining the spotlight on some of our favourite B Corp brands. From sweets to pet food, we explore more about B Corp and how these brands are leading the change. Check out some amazing B Corp brands including Candy Kittens, Lily's Kitchen, and Sipsmith in our blog here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eiR9uHJb #bcorp #bcorpbrands #sustainability #blog #digitalmarketing #ecofriendly

What is the Big Food Redesign Challenge? In 2023, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, in partnership with the Sustainable Food Trust, launched the Big Food Redesign Challenge to catalyse and inspire the food industry to build a better food system that regenerates nature, based on the principles of a circular economy The Challenge brings together ambitious producers, retailers, start-ups, and suppliers to design new food products – or redesign existing ones – to regenerate nature. Showcasing food products that have been designed to help nature thrive. We are pleased to join the Big Food Redesign Challenge, alongside Waitrose & Partners and Grupo Carrefour Brasil, to support bringing Challenge products to market. Look out for more news on the food products that put nature first in 2025. This partnership aims to inspire innovation and action and drive positive change within the food industry, and the Challenge is split into three phases – the Design Phase, the Production Phase and the Retail Phase. With the Design phase complete 150+ products from 60+ organisations are now bringing their products to life in the Production Phase of the Challenge. Participants successfully made it through to this Phase by demonstrating the application of the principles of the circular economy as shown in the Foundation's Circular Design for Food Framework. The Big Food Redesign report shows that applying the principles of the circular economy across all dimensions of food design – from product concept, through ingredient selection and sourcing, to packaging – unlocks substantial environmental, economic, and yield benefits. Our thanks to everyone in Team Fortnum's who has played such a vital role in this important project to date. #circulareconomy #sustainability #foodindustry #fortnumandmason

World Maker: David Bronner The ubiquitous soap bars and bottles you see on shelves from Whole Foods and Krogers to hardware stores and Target is Dr. Bronner's. "It started as a kooky soap company with a counterculture ethos. Today, the family-run business is an unlikely juggernaut and one of the most outspoken companies in America. Here’s how Dr. Bronner’s is rewriting the playbook for corporate success by doubling down on its vibey values." Founded by the eccentric Emanuel Bronner. with an ethos of All-One, so Emanuel could broadcast his ideas about unifying the human race. As a reward for people showing up to hear his talks, he would hand out a bar of homemade soap (he came from a soap-making family). When he found most people took the soap but left his printed philosophy, he began wrapping the soap with his proclamations. That's where the unique packaging comes from- read it sometime. “In all we do, let us be generous, fair & loving to Spaceship Earth and all its inhabitants. For we’re ALL-ONE OR NONE!" — Emanuel Bronner Radically and quietly, Dr. Bronner's has evolved into the top-selling natural soap brand in North America. The radical, and not-so-quiet, David Bronner now leads this fascinating and Beautiful Business, and is leading the regenerative organic movement because Dr. Bronner's felt that "certified organic" wasn't good enough for the planet. Radical. Read more about their effort here: https://lnkd.in/dAHaxx3Z It's not easy to find a business that does such good business that has not only remains true to their roots but keeps pushing the edge on what a business and assortment of products can be. GQ Magazine just did a great profile of the company, titled, Is Dr. Bronner’s the Last Corporation With a Soul? Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/ghVprdiJ We celebrate David Bronner and his team for keeping true to their foundations, while leading the radical edge of what a business can do. “Most brands and companies our size sell out to some soulless conglomerate that has not a lot of ethics in the world,” David Bronner says. “We get to rock it how we want here.” Rock on, Drbronner! #BeautifulBusiness #Design #Purpose #Regeneration

We're brewing a conversation about sustainability inspired by this enlightening article on Starbucks' dedication to sustainable coffee with a commitment to sourcing and producing coffee responsibly. Starbucks is committed to enhancing the livelihoods of coffee farmers through education and economic empowerment initiatives. By prioritizing sustainable practices and social responsibility, they're not just brewing coffee. They're cultivating positive change. At Almonds Ai, We admire their efforts to address #environmental and social challenges within the #coffee industry. Our innovative Green Loyalty Program™ is designed to empower businesses to Educate #channelpartners and customers about sustainable practices. Imagine the impact of incentivizing sustainable rewards and encouraging a community of environmentally-conscious customers! Together, let's keep the conversation brewing! 💡 Share your insights and experiences in the comments below!  To read the full article, click the link in the first comment. #sustainability #starbuckscoffee #GreenLoyaltyPorgram #education #ecofriendly #greenbusiness

Would you ever buy a $50 bag-in-a-box wine? Not wine made to be thrown around at a party, but wine to be savoured over a nice meal. Would you be more inclined if you knew 1/3 of greenhouse emissions from glass bottled wine comes from exactly that... the glass bottle. Why do we think something from a box is inferior in quality? Sure it's cheaper, but it also lasts longer and there's more of it! I believe that there's room for two worlds in wine - wine to be aged and wine for immediate consumption (which already makes up the vast majority). There's no denying that glass and a cork help with the development of wine over time. But, for wine that's made to be enjoyed sooner rather than later, it just makes sense for it to come in a box. We're rather obsessed with 'sustainable' wine right now, which is of course a good thing. However, if we truly care about sustainability, the most sustainable change is not to do with the wine at all, but what the wine comes in. The trend for higher-quality, immediate-consumption wine in boxes is just starting off and now is the time to get behind it. And we need to! As the greatest inhibiting factor for this becoming mainstream is consumer perception. So as a New World wine region here in Aotearoa, let's stay at the forefront of the industry and push for sustainable change. I encourage you to quickly skim over a report commissioned by The Wine Society (The International Exhibition Co-operative Wine Society Limited) which clearly outlines the problem with packaging and provides a range of great alternatives. Watch this space!!!!

Check out the latest issue of The Food Report and let me know what are your thoughts.

🗞 𝐈𝐧 de Volkskrant 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲: 𝐢𝐬 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐩 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲? To answer that question, food system journalist Maarten Albers visited us, and sat down with our co-founder & CEO Tom Peeters for an interview. Find out why the concept of traditional supermarkets -stocking fresh, perishable groceries on offline shelves, waiting for customers to purchase them- feels uneasy. And how we use technology to build an alternative: a grocery service that makes tasteful & sustainable food directly accessible for the many. ➡ The full read: https://lnkd.in/egr-HBSB