Orange Orchard, an environmental public relations agency, is interested in supporting companies that are committed to sustainability. Here are some interesting news stories about sustainable and environmentally friendly topics we’d like to share.

Sustainability is in the Eye of the Beholder

Cosmetic and beauty brands continue to become more environmentally friend and aware. Writing for Well and Good, Arden Fanning Andrews spotlights some of the ways that companies in the beauty industry are building sustainable supply chains:

For example, brands practicing responsible “procurement” might harvest chemical-free ingredients locally. Why? “By sourcing a large percentage of our organic ingredients within a 100-mile radius of our headquarters, we are meaningfully contributing to our local economy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by not shipping ingredients over long distances,” says Greg Starkman, co-founder of Innersense Organic Beauty. “According to a McKinsey report on Sustainability in Supply Chains, the typical consumer company’s supply chain accounts for more than 80 percent of their greenhouse-gas emissions and more than 90 percent of the impact on air, land, water, biodiversity, and geological resources,” he says.

Crisis Accelerating Shift to Plant-Based Meat

A little encouraging news in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic: analysts predict that plant-based meat alternative brands, such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, will continue gaining market share as consumers become aware of the drawbacks of industrial farming:

The size of the global plant-based meat industry is predicted to grow from $3.6 billion in 2020 to $4.2 billion by 2021 according to a new report by market research firm MarketsandMarkets. The report points out that lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic will prove beneficial for the plant-based meat industry as a whole, which it predicts will register a compounded annual growth rate of 17 percent during the forecast period. “The fear of an increasing number of animal-borne illnesses such as COVID-19 among consumers, rising vegan population, and consumer awareness regarding nutritional benefits offered by plant-based sources of meat are the factors that are projected to drive the growth of the plant-based meat industry,” the report states.

COVID-19 Response a Chance to Promote Sustainability

It’s good to look forward to the idea of a more positive future coming out of these challenging times. In an essay published by SDG Knowledge Hub, Christiana Hageneder sees the governmental response to the COVID-19 pandemic as a chance to invest in green construction:

The building sector holds the potential for a double win: providing a powerful tool to stimulate the economy, while moving the whole sector to a new and greener state. For small extra investments, green buildings can achieve massive long-term savings of cost and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that realizing the potential of sustainable buildings will save USD 1.1 trillion by 2050.

… Therefore, we have at this moment of global crisis a unique opportunity to shift the course of the building sector and earmark investments for green construction.

The experts at Orange Orchard can help promote your environmentally friend brand. Ready to talk? Contact Orange Orchard online or give us a call at (865) 977-1973!