(Photo Credit: Frederik Falinski on Unsplash)Although any number of trends surface in every industry every year, we've seen some obvious winners in 2017 that are driving environmental improvements across industries. Here are our top five:
As various industries face increasing environmental challenges such as sustainable sourcing and transparency, organizations have made headlines in 2017 for joining together in initiatives, using their scale to increase their reach beyond what a single company could accomplish. Food and bev giants formed coalitions to tackle supply chain issues, particularly regarding palm oil and deforestation, for example, and automotive companies and suppliers are working together to ensure sustainability of the rubber supply chain.
As water challenges — availability, increasing cost, risk of water scarcity — bubble to the forefront of the global environmental consciousness, companies are implementing (and touting) water management initiatives.
Technology in environmental management is thriving, and expected to continue to thrive, according to a variety of reports this year. To name a few areas of strong growth: Smart water management, industrial water treatment, industrial IoT, EHS tech, and 3D printing.
Investors continue to add portfolios of companies based on their environmental impacts and initiatives. Additionally, investors are urging the companies they're interested in bankrolling to report not just on their sustainability initiatives but also to share potential risks they face from climate change.
And speaking of risk, more and more organizations are willing to publicly address the risk they face in terms of climate change, particularly following severe weather events like this year's major hurricanes. Companies sharing how their long-term business goals may be affected and the steps they are taking to address those risks. Take ExxonMobile, for example...
We look forward to watching these trends continue to evolve in 2018.
