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.
Lego invests $155 million in developing bioplastics to make its toys sustainable
Lego has set the target to replace 20 types of conventional plastics used in making its bricks with sustainable materials by 2030 to help curb the company’s total carbon dioxide emissions. The Denmark-based toy maker has invested $155 million into a Sustainable Materials Center, where materials Read More...
Waste is money as this pickle company found out
Many companies produce a lot of waste creating their products and services. Very few realize that with a little creativity that waste could add additional value and income to their operations. This pickle company was able to turn a byproduct of the pickling process, cucumber-infused water, into a Read More...
This startup is quite literally Airbnb for pets
In the digital world, there is one certainty: if there’s a need, sooner or later (and probably sooner) there will be an app for it. Digital technology has revolutionized, streamlined and enhanced just about every area of our lives. And now it’s time to do the same for our pets’ lives. Now Read More...
The developing world is turning its poop problem into a resource
In developing countries, human waste is often left out in the open or funneled into the ocean, where it contaminates the water supply—leading to thousands of deaths each year due to gastrointestinal diseases. That’s beginning to change after an alliance of companies like Unilever and nonprofits Read More...
Refugees find temporary havens on Airbnb
Sefani Tadesse got the heads-up at dinnertime. Five Airbnb guests would arrive at midnight. Tadesse and her daughter Bella, 13, rushed to clean their Oakland condo, washing towels, making the beds, buying flowers — and packing their own bags, because they vacate their one-bedroom place and stay Read More...
Calm under pressure? Run your business the mindful way
If recent events in politics have confirmed anything, it is that we live in unpredictable times where old assumptions no longer hold true. Creative thinking is crucial for business success through a period of uncertainty. Upheaval presents a chance to embrace uncertainty and remain level-headed, Read More...
Insurance giant shifts entire $130 billion portfolio to ethical investments
Reinsurance companies maintain very large investment portfolios and therefore have a major influence on many stock-listed multinational corporations. That’s why it is important that Swiss Re, the world's second-largest reinsurer, has announced that they are 90 percent of the way through shifting Read More...
Lyft is now completing one million rides a day
Lyft just announced it’s hit one million rides a day, a milestone Uber announced in December 2014. As of July 2016, Uber was completing an average of 5.5 million rides a day. Last week, Uber hit 5 billion total completed trips. So, one million rides a day is cool for Lyft, but it’s still Read More...
These 38 amazing immigrants are a reminder of what makes America great
Despite the anti-immigrant rhetoric that often fills the airwaves of the media, there’s a growing mound of evidence that shows just how important immigrants are to America and its economy. In fact, immigrants are twice as likely to start businesses as native-born Americans, and they or their Read More...
This startup helps Uber drivers make extra cash by selling stuff in their cars
Anyone who's been stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic in an Uber probably could have used a pair of headphones or an Altoid at some point. Cargo is a new startup that promises to provide those random items you'd be happy to have mid-ride — and, more importantly, offer another source of income for Read More...