Here at Orange Orchard, we’re a sustainability public relations agency that believes in brands and people who strive to make the world a better place. We also know how hard that is, and that’s why we want to take a moment to celebrate a few incredible victories that we’ve seen over the past few weeks. From California going cruelty-free to the latest trends driving retail and construction, here’s this week’s Orange Orchard News Roundup!

California’s Cosmetics are Finally Cruelty-Free!

From the oasis of Palm Springs to the San Francisco bay, California’s consumers can now rest a little easier knowing that the cosmetics, skin care products, soaps and shampoos they buy were not developed through animal testing. Even Nevada and Illinois are following their lead, creating legislation of their own to limit animal testing for consumer products. This is one beauty trend that we hope can continue well into the future!

Thanks to Women’s Wear Daily for sharing this great news!

Consumers are Driving Sustainable Change in Fashion

If consumers don’t like a product or business, you can be sure they’ll vote with their wallets. For the fashion industry, all that voting is turning into incredible growth for sustainable, ethical brands. These brands aim to align their values with those of their customers, cutting out waste and being transparent about their commitments to the environment. With clothing being such a large part of our personal carbon footprint, buying sustainably is one way we can all reduce our impact.

We read about the sustainable fashion revolution on Forbes.

Microsoft Wants to be the First Carbon-Negative Company

For Microsoft, it’s clear that the best we can do today just isn’t good enough. They’ve decided to go a step further than just carbon neutrality, aiming to remove all the emissions they’ve created throughout their company’s lifespan instead. That’s ambitious, but they’ve got a plan: invest in research and development for carbon capture technology, and start to make that equipment accessible for other companies interested in doing the same thing.

Check out Microsoft’s in-depth sustainability plan over on their blog.

What Goes Around Really Does Come Back Around

Here’s an innovation: engineers have developed a new building material that’s completely sustainable, totally renewable, and easy for construction companies to use without extra training. It’s called wood, and it’s being used in planned structures almost as high as 80 stories! Cross-laminated timber is stronger and more fire-resistant than the traditional steel and concrete systems many buildings use, and it’s already shaping up to revolutionize the construction industry.

Read more about how this material really goes against the grain on Popular Mechanics.

Find Fresh-Squeezed Sustainability PR with Orange Orchard

If you’re doing amazing work in the sustainability space, but flying under the radar, we’d love to hear from you. Contact Orange Orchard online or give us a call at (865) 977-1973 to find out how sustainability PR can help your brand become a shining beacon for a better future.