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.
A Swiss startup claims to have made a battery with more than 600 miles of range
City dwellers tend to make up the great proportion of electric car buyers, but if the range of EVs were to improve, those of us living in more rural areas would be more tempted to buy one. The good news is a Swiss startup by the name of Innolith says it has developed new high-density lithium-ion Read More...
Toyota is offering royalty-free access to 24,000 patents related to EVs
In a move rarely seen by major corporations, Toyota has announced it will allow royalty-free access to its nearly 24,000 patents for hybrid and other vehicles using electrification technology in a bid to expand competition in the market as the industry adopts stricter emissions regulations. Read More...
Volkswagen’s electric self-driving cars are hitting the streets of Hamburg
Anyone who truly cares about the environment probably shudders a little at the mention of Volkswagen. Nonetheless, Volkswagen has a goal of making automated driving a practical reality by 2025, and is hustling to make that happen. The German Automaker is now testing self-driving versions of its Read More...
Patagonia is showing the beer industry how to brew a sustainable beer
Patagonia is not your typical outdoor gear retailer. This privately-owned company does not shy away from opportunities to take a political stance, to mount counterintuitive advertising campaigns, and to seek more sustainable ways of doing business. So, really, we shouldn't be all that surprised Read More...
A battery-swapping scheme is electrifying rickshaws in India
In India, where fewer than four million cars are sold annually, auto rickshaws (called tuk-tuks in other Asian countries) are one of the dominant modes of transportation. As India attempts to clean up the country’s troublesome air pollution, some manufacturers are now, for the first time, Read More...
70% of IKEA’s products in 2018 were either renewable or recycled
IKEA, the world’s largest furniture retailer, has revealed that 70 percent of its production materials in 2018 were either repurposed or recycled. The progress was posted in the retailer’s latest sustainability report, which also documents the actions the furniture giant has taken to date to Read More...
A couple finally came up with a sustainable solution to elastic hair ties
People around the world lose hair ties on a daily basis. It happens to the best of us, but the problem is most of these end up in the trash or litter the environment which is why a couple from Canada founded a company by the name of Kooshoo that makes hair ties that are completely biodegradable. Read More...
This company wants to clean up the household cleaner industry
The household cleaning aisle at the store features dozens of spray cleaners for different surfaces, and the ingredient lists are a mile long with chemical names that are impossible to pronounce. While many of those cleaners are effective for getting rid of dirt and germs, some of the chemicals Read More...
Carbon capture firm receives $68 million funding to commercialize its tech
Carbon capture technology is poised to be a vital tool in the global fight against climate change. The only problem is high costs and a limited commercial market makes scaling it up a rather slow process. Recently, however, that trend seems to be changing. Take, for example, a Canadian company Read More...
For every product sold, P&G donates one liter of clean water to areas in need
Clean water is a pressing need in many areas of the world and delivering services that can mitigate the issue is a big challenge. That’s why, in collaboration with Walmart International, P&G has set out a project that allows consumers to help bring clean drinking water to children, families, Read More...