Every year, thousands of people flock to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show, or CES. Held annually since 1967, CES is the preeminent forum for consumer electronics companies to debut their latest and greatest innovations. Over the years, the show has witnessed several world-altering inventions: the VCR in 1970, HDTV in 1998, tablets and netbooks in 2010 and 3D printers in 2014. The innovations and inventions presented at CES each year indicate what the future has in store – and we’re excited to see that sustainability was on the list at last week’s event.

For 2019, the show committed to “Making CES Green” via recycling thousands of square feet of banners and reusing millions of square feet of carpeting. And sustainability featured prominently in two main areas of the show floor: 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT) and Automotive. Subcategories included: Resilience, Smart Cities, Sustainability, Smart Homes and Vehicle Technology.

Sustainable products launched at CES in 2019 included North Face’s proprietary fabric, Futurelight, created through nanotechnology. North Face touts that it is “the most waterproof and breathable fabric ever created” and “the most eco-friendly, too” because it contains none of the harmful water repellent chemicals used in most other waterproof fabrics. There are probably several chemical company representatives reading this that would refute that claim … but the claim will play well with Americans as we continue to see health be the major driver for buying greener products – especially “in me” and “on me” products.

Audio brand House of Marley also debuted a line of environmentally friendly headphone and speaker hardware products featuring bamboo and recycled aluminum. And in the Smart Home and IoT category, Philips Hue introduced new smart outdoor lighting and sensors that give consumers more control over electricity usage. Finally, Continental, a maker and proponent of self-driving cars, shared an autonomous solution for “last-mile” logistics that combines driverless vehicles and delivery robots. The self-driving vehicles could even pull double duty as taxis to further reduce roadway congestion and carbon emissions.

That’s just a taste. The bottom line is that product manufacturers are aligning with the market’s desire for products to be greener with no tradeoffs. And some are going the next step and creating greener products that actually offer superior performance or better benefits than the conventional version. That’s a winning approach, and it’s a key piece of the puzzle to creating a sustainable world.

From blockchain to microgrids: technologies that will revolutionise energy – Forbes

Speaking of technological innovation, this article highlights advancements in the renewable energy sphere. Microgrids, energy storage and fuel cells are changing the way renewable energy is generated, distributed and stored. Here’s what you need to know about the future of renewable energy and how your company can harness it.

The Alliance launches today – Alliance to End Plastic Waste

The Alliance to End Plastic Waste has finally launched! We’ve been monitoring plastic waste for a while ­– and this is the biggest commitment to ending plastic waste we’ve ever seen. The alliance of 25+ global companies, including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Procter & Gamble, SUEZ, and Henkel, has committed over $1 billion toward a number of projects over the next five years. The Alliance to End Plastic Waste is a not-for-profit organization made up of companies in which plastics play a major part of the value chain; it officially launched yesterday.