Business
Looking for positive and inspiring business stories? From green operations to employee rights, from innovative corporate structures to diversity and inclusion, the Business section at The Optimist Daily has got the latest innovative solutions from the corporate sector.
Ikea is hopping on the plant-based meat bandwagon with new vegan ‘meatballs’
Ikea is known around the world for two things: its furniture and its meatballs. Indeed, along with the BILLY bookcase and the POÄNG chair, meatballs are one of the company’s bestselling products, with roughly a billion meatballs sold per year. Now that a number of restaurants and fast-food Read More...
Another major retailer is removing harmful plastics from shelves
One of America’s largest dollar store chains, Dollar Tree, has signed onto a program that would help the company phase out heavy metals such as lead and harmful chemicals including the plastic additives bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates. For a discount store that serves millions of Americans with Read More...
One of the world’s biggest manufacturers is set to go carbon neutral by 2020
If we want to have any chance at successfully mitigating the worst effects of the climate crisis, we’re going to need companies to recognize the realities of climate change and readjust their business strategies accordingly. Recently, German automotive supplier Bosch did just that, announcing Read More...
Why having neurodiverse employees can give a company a competitive advantage
Yesterday we ran a story about how Goldman Sachs’ plans to hire job candidates on the autism spectrum as a way to boost diversity. As it turns out, doing so could also boost productivity within the company. Because neurodiverse people are wired differently from “neurotypical” people, they may Read More...
Whole Foods to become first national grocery chain to say bye to plastic straws
The movement to ban straws and other single-use plastics to protect our environment is growing bigger by the day. So far, 127 countries and counting are working to enact bans on single-use plastics, including straw bans. Cities like Seattle jumped on the plastic-free bandwagon last year, and Los Read More...
More companies across the US are hiring neurodiverse employees
At the Optimist Daily, we are proud to celebrate neurodiversity— the idea that neurological differences are to be recognized and respected as any other human variation. That’s why we are pleased to see that Goldman Sachs has become the latest company to target job candidates on the autism Read More...
Cow-free leather typically relies on plastics. This company could change that
A brand by the name of Natural Fiber Welding has come up with technology that can make plant-based leather without the use of any plastics. That's a big deal. You see, plant-based leather typically uses plastic resin or glue to hold the material together. And while some companies work on Read More...
Toms made the buy-one, give-one business model famous. Now it’s reinventing it
When Toms launched in 2006, it popularized the one-for-one business model by giving away a free pair of shoes for every pair sold. The model has been popular with consumers and inspired many other brands to adopt it, but critics have questioned how well it works, asking whether it could disrupt Read More...
Airbnb launches new initiative to help displaced people find temporary housing
Airbnb wants to help people find places to live, whether it’s someone on vacation or someone who needs refuge. That’s why the home sharing company announced a new initiative designed to help displaced people find housing solutions. The company launched a new Donations tool that will let Read More...
This startup creates new affordable housing—without constructing new buildings
Affordable housing is expensive to build–and that means construction is happening far too slowly to meet demand. In Atlanta, a startup called PadSplit is adding new affordable units more quickly by reusing rooms in single-family homes instead. Rather than building new buildings, PadSplit works Read More...