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.
Interface launches campaign to eliminate any negative impact of carpet manufacturing
Led by its visionary founder, Ray Anderson, carpet manufacturer Interface has been an early leader of sustainable business. The company is now launching a new bold campaign to “eliminate any negative impact Interface has on the environment by 2020”. That means: zero waste, zero greenhouse gas Read More...
From beer to bananas: 8 lessons for business and government partnerships
In a recent online chat, experts joined us to discuss how businesses can work together with government to make progress on sustainability. This is what we learned: 1. There are lots of examples of business and government collaborating for development. Construction companies worked with the Read More...
Follow the sun for clean water
If you’re a girl, you’ve definitely followed the sun while tanning. Always making sure your towel faced the sun in a straight angle, guaranteeing optimal sun exposure and minimal shade lines. It’s quite possible Eden Full and her girlfriends used to do this as well, and maybe this is even Read More...
Elon Musk has his desk in the Tesla factory, plans to revolutionize car production
Tesla founder, Elon Musk, wants to completely rethink how cars are made, he said in a freewheeling talk before shareholders. Musk hopes to make “the machines that build the machine” 10 or even 100 times more efficient. That’s why he no longer uses an office at Tesla but spends all of his time Read More...
How General Mills and Kellogg are tackling greenhouse gas emissions
In the global effort to limit climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), the energy and transportation sectors are the most obvious targets, but perhaps not be the biggest. Consider the food business. Agriculture alone – not including the sizable food processing industry Read More...
6 questions to ask before you start a social enterprise
Treating diseases, addressing climate change, expanding access to healthy food or creating new methods of learning. These are just a few of the major social challenges that companies—yes, companies—are working to solve. Of course, the public and nonprofit sectors continue to play a Read More...
Biodegradable plastic that solves the methane problem
While we’re exceptionally thorough in making sure our plastic waste fills every corner of the earth, we’re simultaneously shockingly effective in allowing methane gas to burn away the ozone layer. It’s impressive really. But perhaps more impressive is how Mango Materials is tackling both our Read More...
Ikea vows to be net exporter of renewable energy by 2020
As December’s landmark climate change summit in Paris (COP21) approached, Ikea made a number of major announcements. It pledged to invest €600m (£471m) in renewable energy projects – in addition to an earlier €1.5bn (£1.2bn) cash injection – and a further Read More...
A Kenyan startup is showing global businesses how to talk to their customers
A florist chain in Argentina, a food delivery service in Hong Kong, and a Singaporean travel agency—these are a few of the companies relying on a Kenyan startup to help them talk to their customers on WhatsApp, WeChat, and other messaging apps. Ongair, a Nairobi-based startup, says instant Read More...
A running shoe inspired by, made in, and to support Kenya
Kenya’s has the best runners of the world and a lot of research has been conducted into the secret of their success. Nike sells a shoe that’s inspired by the efficient barefoot style of the Kenyan runners that sells for $100. However, the runners and the broader economy of Kenya don’t benefit Read More...