Sustainable Business Weekly

In creating his new apparel line Bruno Pieters asks whether transparency is the new luxury.  After leaving his position as Art Director of Hugo for Hugo Boss, Pieters traveled through India for two years, gaining inspiration for his new company Honest by. Honest by strives to be the first truly 100% transparent company, providing meticulously detailed supply chain information for every step of the production process, from stitching processes to the cost of thread and pins.  The company invites designers to contribute lines and forgoes ideas of fashion ‘seasons,’ instead focusing on timeless core pieces that prove more sustainable on the whole.  What’s more, 20% of profits from each line will be donated to the designer’s chosen charity.  Pieters has opted for Sebastian Indian Social Projects, a children’s charity organization based in southern India.  The company favors organic, vegan, skin-friendly fabrics and textiles, and use of these materials within each individual garment is translated to the consumer via a clear color-coded key. In today’s podcast Brittany Taylor, Supply Chain Program Associate, talks to Bruno Pieters about the inspiration behind Honest by as well as what he foresees as the future of a sustainable apparel industry. Today’s music is by White Denim

After the bankruptcy of Solyndra, many have wondered where renewable energy is headed in America. Brian Schmidly of Rio Grande Solar informs us of the US's current state in this arena and how the future may still be bright for renewable power in the US. Music by Gentleman Jesse.

You might have heard on the New York High Line, a public park built on a disused 1930s rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side. Well now there’s an even more ambitious project on the cards: the Low Line. Officially known as the Delancey Underground, the project aims to convert a former trolley terminal beneath Delancey Street on the Lower East Side into an extraordinary subterranean public park. On today's podcast  Stephen Kennett, 2degrees Cities and Built Environment Community Manager, speaks with James Ramsey the principal of, architecture firm RAAD Studio and the man behind this ambitious scheme. Find out where he got the idea and how he hopes to turn it into a reality. Music by Here We Go Majic

On today's podcast, Abbie Buckman, 2degrees Supply Chain Associate Community Manager, speaks with Nancy Goucher, Program Manager with Forum for Leadership on Water (FLOW), a project of Tides Canada Initiatives, and an independent group of water experts from across Canada that encourages government action to protect critical fresh water resources. Abbie and Nancy discuss water policy, the challenge of reducing water consumption, and the energy-water nexus, a hot topic with the ongoing debate over Canada's tar sands. Music today by Murder by Death

On today’s 2degrees podcast, 2degrees Community Manager Izabela Stacewicz talks to Caroline Drummond, Chief Executive of LEAF - Linking Environment And Farming, an organization that promotes environmentally responsible farming. LEAF helps farmers produce good food, with care and to high environmental standards, identified in-store by the LEAF Marque logo. They talk about LEAF’s current work, specifically their new Water Management Tool. Izabela finds out how the Water Management Tool offers farmers a complete health check for water use on their farms. It helps them map water use, assess risks, improve efficiency and find new ways of saving money and protecting this valuable resource.  Caroline also shares her vision for the future of sustainable agriculture. For more information, visit www.2degreesnetwork.com Music today by Yellow Ostrich

On today’s podcast, we talk to Gert van der Bijl, Programme Officer Sustainable Agri-commodities at Solidaridad, an international network organization dedicated to creating fair and sustainable supply chains from producer to consumer. Gert specializes on Solidaridad's soy program, which contributes to soy initiatives by sharing knowledge on certification processes and producer support. 2degrees Community Manager Izabela Stacewicz finds out what sustainability issues are associated with soy production and how Solidaridad is working to address these issues.  Gert van der Bijl discusses the role businesses must take to ensure the sustainability of soy, challenges faced by companies, as well as the role of certification in achieving a sustainable soy supply chain.  Should we feel positive about the future of soy sustainability

On today’s podcast, we talk to Martin Townsend director of BRE Global, the organization responsible for the BREEAM family of systems for rating the environmental performance of buildings. 2degrees Community Manager Stephen Kennett finds out what challenges the built environment sector faces in the coming months, including whether 2012 will be the year we see a step change in the uptake of low energy building retrofits, the positive impacts of the economic downturn and what lessons this year’s Olympics have for the larger industry. Also find out what progress is being made on a global rating system for buildings. For more information, visit www.2degreesnetwork.co

On today's podcast, we're doing something a little different. Stephen Nemeth, Community Director, hosts a roundtable discussion with the 2degrees Community Managers--Izabela Stacewicz, Bose Falk, Abbie Buckman, and Stephen Kennett--to take a look back at the trends that shaped sustainable business in 2011, and what's ahead for the coming year. Music today by Real Estate. For more information, visit www.2degreesnetwork.co

On today’s podcast, we talk with one of the UK’s largest retailers, Asda about their 2011 consumer research report, Green is Normal. 2degrees Director Conrad Young spoke with Paul Kelly, Asda's Director of External Affairs, about the findings from this report and what it says about how consumers approach sustainability. Music today by Whalers

Warrick Jordan, Campaigns Manager at the Wilderness Society speaks with Izabela Stacewicz, 2degrees Supply Chain Communities Manager, about sustainable timber and forest protection campaigns. Note: please forgive the audio quality of this podcast, we had to use some scratchy phone lines and were unable to remove the noise completely. Click here to learn more at 2degrees, the world's largest community for sustainable business.