Green Mindset

Why Tony’s Chocolonely has uneven pieces. (And Lidl is copying them but failing) This post has 3 sections: 1. Cocoa supply chains 2. Tony’s Chocolonely 3. Lidl and the difference between Fairtrade and Living Wages. 1. SUPPLY CHAINS You need to know Cocoa supply chains are a disaster. One in every second child is engaged in child labor. That’s 1.56 M children*. Have systemic underpayment leading to: → Child labor → Deforestation → Not earning a Living Income 2. TONY CHOCOLONELY Tony’s Chocolonely bars are unequally divided to highlight the inequality within the sourcing of cocoa. Their mission is to make 100% slave-free the norm in chocolate. To do this, they are leading by example and has: → 100% traceable beans → Paid €10.5M in Living Wage premiums. → Started Tony’s Open Chain, enabling other brands to source cocoa beans that align with Tony’s 5 principles. No wonder Lidl is copying the uneven design. But is Lidl doing the same? 3. LIDL (Is not a part of Tony’s Open Chain) This is what you need to know (very highlevel) about wages in cocoa: → Minimum Wages: A wage that’s often too low to meet basic needs. → Fairtrade premium: An extra amount, but often not enough to support a Living income. → Living Wages: A wage that can support a decent living standard. It’s MORE than minimum wages (and often Fairtrade). INFO: If you like this post, you will love my newsletter. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/euknvASs While Tony’s are very transparent, (see their website of what they pay in Living wage premiums) it’s extremely difficult to find any specific information from Lidl. Lidl pay a premium besides fairtrade, that goes to training farmers and developing new farming techniques. Besides that, there is not really much info. (see their website) IF they are not paying a Living Wages they are not solving the root causes. That's Greenwashing. We need more transparency. 👋 I share info about sustainability beyond doing 'no harm'. Hope you would like to follow. *In Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire where more than 60% of the world’s cocoa is produced. (sources: Tony's annual fair report, Lidl and Tony's website)

I've advised 100s of companies on circular economy. This 9-step framework always works like a wonder: (the order is key, except step 9) 1) Measure your key material flows in the value chain - from mining to the trashbin 2) Find the biggest hotspots & leaks - where were we losing $ and resources? 3) Define an ideal vision for 2050 - what does circularity mean for us? 4) Select the best business strategies - what moves the needle and cuts CO2? 5) Shortlist feasible actions - what's doable, and has a good impact? 6) Define KPIs & governance - what are our targets, how do we measure progress? 7) Get a 2030 roadmap - Who does what when? 8) Align stakeholders - Make sure everyone is on board 9) Start implementing - Insert this before Step 1 Yeah, I have horrible handwriting. Could you read it all? 📌 PS: If you recognize these challenges, my Circular Economy Accelerator might be for you! Just send me a DM "ACCELERATE" and I will get back to you with the details. #circulareconomy #esg #sustainability

Welcome to Week/End, your quick-hit guide to this week’s sustainability news. 📰 Here’s what happened this week: 🔄 Resale Fashion Giants Are Pushing to End Double Taxation on Secondhand Clothing ThredUp, Vestiaire Collective, and FASHIONPHILE, together with the ACT (American Circular Textiles), are advocating for the elimination of sales tax on secondhand clothing in the U.S. Currently, some states impose sales tax on clothing at both the time of the original purchase and during resale, effectively double-taxing the same item. This initiative seeks to promote fairness in the taxation system and support the growing circular economy by reducing barriers to buying and selling pre-owned clothing 🌳 Ganni A/S Partnered with Canopy to Eliminate Endangered Forest Fibers from Packaging and Fabrics The Danish brand GANNI has joined Canopy’s Pack4Good and CanopyStyle initiatives, committing to eliminate the use of fibers sourced from ancient and endangered forests in its fabrics and paper packaging. By using sustainable materials like next-gen fibers made from recycled textiles and agricultural residues, GANNI aligns with over 550 fashion brands, including Stella McCartney and Everlane, who are also advancing low-carbon, circular solutions and committing to CanopyStyle and Pack4Good initiatives, collectively representing a market value of over 1 trillion USD. 🌱🔬 Haelixa Ltd and regenagri Partner to Enhance Traceability in Regenerative Agriculture Haelixa and regenagri have teamed up to advance regenerative agriculture through DNA marking and testing technology. Haelixa, now the first approved traceability provider for the newly launched regenagri Traceability Program, uses unique DNA sequences to mark textile fibers and raw materials. 🛑 SHEIN Found Two Cases of Child Labor in Its Supply Chain Last Year Shein identified two instances of child labor in its supply chain during the first three quarters of 2023. In response, the company has updated its policy to immediately terminate contracts with suppliers involved in such violations, replacing the previous 30-day remediation period. This change, detailed in Shein’s 2023 Sustainability and Social Impact Report, aims to address severe violations more decisively while maintaining a shorter remediation period for less critical issues.. 🔍 Goodwill Industries International a $2 Million Textile Traceability Study At its inaugural Sustainability Summit, Goodwill Industries International revealed the results of a $1.28 million textile circularity pilot and announced a new $2 million traceability study funded by the Walmart Foundation. The study will track the global journey of secondhand textiles to enhance recycling strategies and establish industry standards for traceability. What industry news have you been following? Join the conversation in the comments below! 💬

Here you can join for free 1000+ angels, VCs, founders, & family offices to attract investors. Virtual on Zoom: 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥 & 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟. You can buy recordings & 3,000+ networking list: inniches.com/angel 1. Best Practices for Angels: Martin Tobias (GP @ Incisive Ventures, angel 250+, 3x CEO: $500M raised, 2 IPOs), Scott Hartley (co-founder @ Everywhere Ventures; 350+ deals), Karla Berman (Private Investor), Barak Kaufman (angel 50+, 2000+ Post Exit Founder community, Partner @ Vine Ventures, L.P., $240M+ AUM). 2. Family Offices: Investing in Funds as LPs vs Direct Startup Investments: Ken Goldman (Former President @ Hillspire, Family Office, $5B AUM), August Fern (Partner @ Baruch Future Ventures, FO with MOIC 5x, 10 IPO’s and 8 M&A, 57 portcos), moderator: Natasha Mascarenhas @ The Information. 3. How We Raised in 2024: Yurii Rebryk @ Fluently (YC W24, $2M raised), Garrett McCurrach @ Pipedream (Techstars’21, $13M raised). 4. Where Should Startup Founders Start? Accelerator, Pre-seed Fund, or Venture Studio? Amber Illig, (GP @ The Council), Anita Ly (MD @ gener8tor, 285 programs, helping to raise $2B+), Haley Bryant (angel 50+, Principal @ Hustle Fund, $90M+ AUM, 550+ deals), Geoff Entress (angel 250+, Co-founder @ Pioneer Square Labs, $220M+ AUM, 30+ companies built), moderator: Ben Bergman @ Business Insider. 5. Insider Tips on a Successful Accelerator Application. What are the key components in a successful Techstars application? – Anastasia Simon, MD @ Techstars, 4,400+ investments. 6. AngelList’s data regarding market valuations and fundraising via Roll Up Vehicles – Sumukh Sridhara, Founder Products Lead @ AngelList, facilitated 6,000+ startup investments, $120B+ in assets on the platform. 7. How to build a syndicate? Lessons from building a 1,300 angel network with $0 marketing – Jed N., Angel & Syndicate Lead with deals up to $1M, Founder @ Angel School, 2 seed deals > unicorns. 8. 8 fundraising lessons for 8 years as a founder, angel, and VC – Feliks Eyser, Founding Partner @ w3.fund, VC: 19 deals, angel: 23, co-founding investor: 11 (2 suc. exits), LP: 4. 9. Bootstrap, not fundraise – Jason Kirby, MD @ Thunder.vc, $135M+ in transactions, a 10x return to investors. 10. How to build a 20,000 VC community? – Andreas Munk Holm, Co-founder @ EUVC , 23K+ subs & network of 7K angels, VCs, and LPs; 50+ venture fund investments. 11. The Other Path: Bootstrapping by Gateway X – Jesse Pujji, Founder/CEO @ Gateway X, bootstrapped his 1st startup to a mid-8-figure exit, raised $15M for 2 acquisitions. 12. Early-Stage Founders: Challenges and Critical Success Factors – Igor Ryabenkiy, GP at AltaIR Capital, $600M+ AUM, 350+ deals, Pre-Seed To Succeed.

This inspiring gardener has started veggie patches all around South Central LA — in abandoned lots, traffic medians and other unlikely places. Watch Ron Finley's full TED Talk here: http://t.ted.com/88WhMw6

CAMM has been featured in the CHEManager Innovation Pitch! We are excited to announce that Camm Solutions has been selected for CHEManager’s Innovation Pitch section. CHEManager and CHEManager International are one of the most important information platforms for the chemical and life science industry. The Innovation Pitch offers a remarkable opportunity for start-ups and new businesses to present their ground-breaking business ideas to a wide audience. Our journey at Camm Solutions is driven by the mission to tackle the global challenge of plastic pollution with our fully sustainable and commercially viable CAMM material. Being recognized in CHEManager's Innovation Pitch alongside so many other impressive founders and pioneering companies not only highlights our innovative approach to sustainability but also emphasizes the potential of our CAMM material to revolutionize the packaging industry. The opportunity for Nanda Bergstein as one of our managing directors to showcase our business idea and our progress to CHEManager's broad readership is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team. It underscores the importance of innovative solutions in achieving a sustainable future and the role of collective effort in addressing global environmental challenges. We're very proud to be at the forefront of developing materials that promise not just to protect our planet but also to offer scalable, sustainable alternatives for industries worldwide. Let's continue to innovate and inspire change together. Stay tuned for more updates as we are accelerating our journey towards sustainability and innovation. #CammSolutions #Sustainability #InnovationPitch #PlasticPollution #PackagingInnovation Source: „Lösung für das Problem der Plastikverschmutzung“ – CHEManager 2/2024. You can find the link to the online article in the comments.

🎉 Happy Anniversary, Honest Greens! 🎉 It's been 7 incredible years of revolutionizing Real Food, making healthy living affordable, convenient and sexy, helping our communities live longer and better lives, and creating unforgettable moments with our amazing community. Thank you for being part of our journey and making Honest Greens a special place. We'd love to hear your favorite memories with us. Let's celebrate together! ✨ #HonestGreens #RealFoodRevolution