Companies Spearheading Sustainability In 2021
Companies Spearheading Sustainability in 2021
As you settle into the new year and put your New Year’s resolutions into action, there are also companies out there that are doing the same.
It can be encouraging to know that your hope for a sustainable future is shared with people and brands alike.
And so, we highlight a few innovative - and sustainable - companies that are spearheading significant change in 2021.
Sheltersuit
It’s no easy feat to simultaneously combat the harsh experiences of homelessness, while creating jobs for those distanced from the job market, while using upcycling materials to reduce waste at the same time. And yet, Sheltersuit does just that.
This non-profit organization provides immediate shelter to the homeless. Consisting of a jacket, a sleeping bag, and a duffel bag, the Sheltersuit is made from upcycled materials. The jacket is made from high-quality, breathable, tent fabric while the inner lining is made from upcycled sleeping bags. This makes each Sheltersuit completely unique.
This non-profit organization provides immediate shelter to the homeless. Consisting of a jacket, a sleeping bag, and a duffel bag, the Sheltersuit is made from upcycled materials. The jacket is made from high-quality, breathable, tent fabric while the inner lining is made from upcycled sleeping bags. This makes each Sheltersuit completely unique.
The suits provide warmth and protection to the homeless, and shelters them from harsh conditions. Designed to be worn in cold climates, the suit is fitted with an integrated scarf, as well as a large hood that shields the face from rain and streetlights.
Image courtesy of Sheltersuit
The suits provide warmth and protection to the homeless, and shelters them from harsh conditions. Designed to be worn in cold climates, the suit is fitted with an integrated scarf, as well as a large hood that shields the face from rain and streetlights.
But the company’s mission extends further. Taking the initiative to impact people’s lives, Sheltersuit employs those distanced from the labor market - such as former refugees and formerly homeless individuals. These employees make Sheltersuits’s products while the company creates job opportunities for communities with the aim of overcoming poverty.
Sheltersuit’s efforts to continue providing lasting impact is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and they are actively seeking out companies who would like to be more circular to get involved with this initiative.
Apeel
While most produce companies destroy their fruits and vegetables with poisonous pesticides and toxic waxes, Apeel, is ahead of the game.
This California-based biotechnology company reduces food waste by mimicking nature’s own technology to create a coating that prolongs the shelf life of produce - a branch of biomimicry.
Image courtesy of Apeel
Apeel uses the naturally-occurring materials found in the peel or skin of produce to create their patented protective blend that is layered onto fruits and vegetables. The coating works to lock in moisture while simultaneously keeping out air.
Compared to untreated produce, Apeel produce lasts 2x longer, which means more food can end up on your plates as opposed to your garbage bins. Apeel’s innovative and sustainable technology could see longer-lasting produce for the individual and less food waste on a global level.
Land Life Company
Imagine you could use a drone, and an app, to survey a piece of land in order to make sure the trees you plant will thrive for years to come in a previously destroyed area. Well, that’s exactly what this innovative company does, and more!
The technology-driven reforestation company, Land Life Company, plants trees at scale to help restore the 2 billion hectares of degraded land in the world. The company offers corporations and organizations a sustainable and transparent way to tackle climate change and compensate their carbon emissions through a focus on the restoration of nature.
Land Life Company applies a high-tech approach to smart reforestation with every step of the process. This ranges from a detailed climate and terrain analysis, to using specialized machinery to speed up the planting of biodiverse species, and monitoring growth via drones. When starting a new project, the tech team creates a detailed planting blueprint after assessing the land and the ecological situation extensively. This optimizes their climate impact and ensures that the forest that is being created will be resilient to current and future stresses - like changing weather patterns, unstable conditions and rising temperatures.
Image courtesy of Land Life Company
Currently, their largest projects are in Spain, the USA, and Australia. By planting trees in areas where they are most needed and are unable to be replanted unaided, they seek to revitalize important ecosystems and improve biodiversity.
Géochanvre F
Image courtesy of Géochanvre F
You know those single-use face masks you see everyone wearing - and subsequently discarding? Well, there is an alternative. And no - we aren’t talking about those reusable, unbreathable, fabric masks...
You know those single-use face masks you see everyone wearing - and subsequently discarding? Well, there is an alternative. And no - we aren’t talking about those reusable, unbreathable, fabric masks...
Géochanvre F is an industrial startup with a focus on sustainable development. Their aim is to provide an alternative to plastic products within the fields of geotextiles and textiles.
Géochanvre F is an industrial startup with a focus on sustainable development. Their aim is to provide an alternative to plastic products within the fields of geotextiles and textiles.
Using a highly innovative process called hydrolysis, whereby plant fibers such as hemp or flax are bound by spraying water under high pressure, the company produces 100% biodegradable non-woven fabrics.
Recently, Géochanvre F has manufactured a hemp face mask - what they are calling Europe’s first compostable face mask - which is a fully natural product that can go back into the soil. Géochanvre F’s masks have been created with the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, as a way to reduce the plastic waste problem resulting from the masses of single-use protective gear currently being used and discarded.
In our collective endeavors as Guests to this Earth, proactivity, creativity and innovation are what will carry us, as humanity, forward. With sustainability as a given foundational pillar, there are many ways for us to move ahead into the realms of circularity and beyond. The celebration of companies who are guiding the way towards a better future for all - in whatever industry - is essential. Awareness of these concepts and ideas as a collective breeds collaboration - which, in a shared vision, can move humanity towards a brighter future in a swifter and better way than any one individual would be able to do alone.
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