This week saw the roll-out of Unilever's latest film in its wider 'Bright Future' sustainability campaign, which highlights the 'social good' that its brands – including Dove, Persil and Domestos - are doing to help build a better future. 

The TV, online and in-store campaign, by Ogilvy, is running in the UK, Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia, putting the spotlight on sustainability initiatives carried out by its individual brands, rather than just the corporate entity.  

Guess which brand has just transformed one 208 square metre poster into over 300 quirky, reusable shopping bags? That would be Emirates…

Over the past few decades, the term ‘sustainability’  has developed into an increasingly holistic concept, as we come to realise that people, profit and the planet are intrinsically linked. The term ‘sustainability’ now incorporates buzzwords such as ‘ethical’, and ‘organic’ and connects to wider themes of responsibility and transparency within business. This is becoming an increasingly important strand for brand communications which are using a greater amount of content to visualise sustainability.

South African brand Wonderbag has teamed with marketing agency United to handle its UK marketing in 2012.

Wonderbag is a heat retention cooker which requires no energy and was invented to help poverty affected communities save on the cost of fuel. One Wonderbag saves up to 76% of cooking energy and has saved 50,000 carbon tonnes in the past five years.

Shell has signed up to sponsor CNBC’s newly-launched Energy Opportunities, a global collaborative sustainability initiative.

Sustainability seems to be the theme of the day given our two news stories in today's post.

Check out our blog post about a methane-powered car. Would you drive a poo-powered car? 

Part of humanity's reluctance to engage with environmental issues, despite some valiant efforts from the worlds most powerful brands, is due to the fact that people have cut nature out of their lives. A trip to Whole Foods and eating an apple does not count. Read full blog post here.

If you're struggling to beat the summer heat, (clearly you don't live in London!) Japan has developed a curious new product that apparently instantly drops body temperature. Taking it one step further from traditional existing cooling sprays, this fascinating innovation actually releases a chilling foam that hardens and can be wrapped around the user’s wrist.

Del Monte has announced plans to offer bananas in plastic wrappers to slow down the ripening process. To be frank, this is ludicrous, particularly when you look at where they plan to offer the newly packaged products. Consumers buying fruit from petrol stations, convenience stores, and, particularly, gyms are likely to do so because they want to consume the product there and then, not a couple of days later.

Excess packaging has been a huge issue for the industry and with items like this cropping up it seems it will be here to stay. However, there is another way.

By applying the principles of radicality (which ultimately entails us getting back to our roots) to buying and consumption habits, consumers can significantly decrease the amount of waste produced and brands can help this process. Indeed, if brands such as Del Monte acknowledge and act on the trends emerging around using fresh ingredients, recycling at home and re-using items, this return to our roots will be much more effective. Offering consumers longer-shelf life on a product is not, and should not be the focus for brands. Now is the time to be natural, now is the time to apply the notion of radicality. 

One of my new favourite blogs is Japan Trends, which has provided this blog with many fascinating products and curios from the Land of the Rising Sun. (check out Love & Horses in your lunch break)

Business cards are very important in Japan. Used by professionals and businessmen as status symbols, this is a country where you can order business cards covered in gold. Business cards (or meishi) are at the centre of a complete sub-culture that is a far cry from the UK, where you can get cards printed by a machine in a motorway service station. 

And it isn't all "Hello Kitty" cards either, although they do of course exist. This enterprising model firm, Tamiya - kind of like the Japanese version of Airfix - has developed a series of meishi model kits, where the letters and numbers on the card can be detached and and turned into miniature racing cars and things. 

My own business cards look particularly naff in comparison, especially when AR cards are starting to appear on the scene. 

See also: Grass seed business cards and Meaty business cards