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CEH filed lawsuits against four personal care product manufacturers after it found evidence of a toxic substance, cocamide Diethanolamine (cocamide DEA) in their shampoos, soaps and other personal care products. The nonprofit firm also sent letters to approximately 100 firms whose products also tested positive.

ExxonMobil and other major oil companies, as well as several multinational firms in other sectors, are set to announce support for a tax on carbon emissions as a practical tool for fighting global warming. The firms argue that if energy produced from fossil fuels costs more, it will accelerate the market-driven transition to renewable energy and other sources that produce low carbon emissions.

Nine of the world's biggest fishing companies have signed up to protect the world's oceans, pledging to help stamp out illegal activities, including the use of slave labour, and prevent overfishing.

BCG's seventh sustainability report in collaboration with MIT Sloan Management Review found that 75% of senior executives in investment firms see a company's sustainability performance as materially important to their investment decisions-and nearly half would not invest in a company with a poor sustainability track record. However, only 60% of managers in publicly traded companies believe that good sustainability practices influence investment decisions.

A zero waste program for the plastics industry is expected to result in about $200,000 in new revenue for its first participant. Following the launch of its zero waste program earlier this year, SPI: The Plastics Trade Association has recognized its first Zero Net Waste recognized company. Thermoplastic provider The Minco Group achieved the designation after diverting 88 percent of its total manufacturing waste from landfill. The company also projects a revenue increase of about $20,000 for 2017 from its recycling efforts.

Tourists are increasingly being guided by sustainability when making travel decisions, according to a recent report. "They want to go to a place where they think companies are taking care of their business and the environment," says Barbra Anderson, founding partner of consulting firm Destination Better.

NIKE, Inc. has announced a new strategic partnership with private equity firm Apollo Global Management, LLC, aimed at building a transparent and ethical apparel supply chain in the Americas.

But the fact is that the blockchain is building some serious credibility within the world's biggest banks and financial services firms - they helped fuel more than $1 billion in investments between 2014 and 2016. That visibility has given both established and emerging companies the confidence to experiment. In mid-October, for example, Walmart announced a collaboration with IBM and Tsinghua University in Beijing focused on using the blockchain as a mechanism for authenticating food sources and keeping tabs on all sorts of related data - including the originating farm, batch numbers, processing plant information, expiration dates and storage temperatures.

Agribusiness giant Olam International has for the first time published a list of the firms it buys palm oil from, part of the company's response to allegations that it is driving forest destruction in Southeast Asia and, more dangerously, perhaps, in West Africa. Almost all of the world's palm oil comes from Indonesia and Malaysia, but as those countries run out of available land, companies like Olam are turning to Africa to expand. In defending itself against the NGOs' allegations, Olam points to the "right to develop" of nations like Gabon, where a third of people live below the poverty line and a fifth are unemployed.

India-based Carbon Clean Solutions has developed a technique to turn harmful carbon dioxide emissions into sodium carbonate. Several other companies want to acquire the technology and use the soda ash that's produced to manufacture baking soda, glass, detergents and sweeteners.

Wind generation in the US has the potential to reach grid parity with natural gas and other energy sources by 2035 without any federal support, according to consulting firm Macquarie Research. "We believe the US is now the most attractive wind market in the world due to the increased visibility of demand in the long term," Macquarie said.

Sky promises to source 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2020 where available, while Bloomberg promises to purchase all green electricity by 2025 Two of the world's largest media firms have pledged to get all their electricity from renewable sources as part of the RE100 initiative, which encourages businesses to source 100 per cent renewable power.

A dozen major retailers have joined a push for tougher restrictions on trucking emissions and are asking regulators to push for swifter and steeper reductions in fuel use by the freight sector. The firms, which include General Mills, Ben & Jerry's, Stonyfield Farm, and Patagonia, say stronger standards would help reduce their operating costs and make it easier to pass savings along to consumers.

Offshore wind has the potential to become cost-competitive with coal and gas in Europe by 2025, according to a letter released by General Electric, E.ON, Siemens and eight other energy firms. "This commitment is only possible with a stable, long-term market for renewables in Europe. If the offshore industry is to realize its cost reduction goals, a strong pipeline of projects is needed," they wrote.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil has released its 2016 RSPO Impact Report, which highlights the following accomplishments for 2016: * Increased membership by 29% over the previous year. * Achieved 83 million hectares (10,900 square miles) of certified palm oil producing lands across 14 nations. * 40 RSPO growers have phased out the toxic herbicide paraquat, with another 33 firms saying they are on track to ban the use of this chemical. * Doubled the number of certified independent smallholders. * Closed two-thirds of the labor grievances filed since 2009.

Corporate spending on sustainability and circular economy initiatives is on the rise - and yielding increased sales and cost savings, according to consulting firm Pure Strategies, which says its latest survey found more than 80 percent of companies expect a sustainability budget increase from 2016 to 2017 with a third anticipating double-digit growth.

Family-owned firms are helping to drive sustainability forward in Asia, experts say, in part because family ownership allows younger generations to influence a company's values and to drive change. "In the face of mounting resource and climate-related business challenges, there is a real opportunity right now to groom a pool of environmentally aware next-generation leaders," says Jie Hui Kia, a Singapore futures adviser.

A group of 140 California firms have reiterated calls for legislators to deliver ambitious action on climate change with the release of a new declaration signaling their support for policies that serve to cut emissions and drive investment in clean tech.

Miniwiz Sustainable Development Ltd., a Taiwanese architectural firm, completed a building in Shanghai, China, at the end of July, built with 100% trash. The building, Nike's newest concept store, used 5,500 soda cans, 2,000 PET water bottles and 50,000 old CDs and DVDs, the company says.

Real estate firm Peabody Properties is saving $1 million and avoiding 5 million KW-h of electricity consumption annually by implementing web-based tools from utility analytics company WegoWise to track and benchmark consumption.