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The clean energy transition is acceleratingbut it’s running into a critical roadblock: the mineral supply chain. Lithium, cobalt, and other critical minerals power everything from electric vehicles to grid-scale batteries. But the world cannot mine these minerals fast enough to keep up. By 2040, global demand for lithium alone is expected to surge more than 700%. Yet traditional mining remains slow, polluting, and geopolitically risky. Industry leaders and policymakers agree: We cant build a sustainable tomorrow on an unsustainable supply chain. But theres a smarter solutionand its already flowing beneath us. The minerals hidden in our water Lithium and other critical minerals are already present in surprising abundancenot only in traditional hard rock or salar basins, but in often-overlooked water sources like geothermal brines, industrial effluents, and oilfield produced water. For years, these streams were dismissed as too complex or costly to process. But thats beginning to change. Advancements in direct lithium extraction (DLE) are now making it possible to recover lithium from these unconventional sourcescleanly, efficiently, and at scale. By isolating lithium directly from water without relying on evaporation ponds or invasive mining operations, DLE opens access to vast untapped U.S. domestic reserves. While the potential is immense, DLE remains an emerging technologyone that only a few companies globally are starting to prove at commercially viable levels of recovery, purity, and sustainability. DLE technologies that balance performance, sustainability, and cost are likely to define the next generation of critical mineral production. Among the most promising approaches are integrated, modular systems that combine extraction, concentration, and conversion processes into a single platform. Clayton Valley in Nevada and regions like the Smackover Formation in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, and the Marcellus Shale Formations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and New York, are emerging as the proving grounds for this next generation of lithium production. Here, innovative DLE platforms are being piloted in real-world conditions and tested for adaptability to diverse brines and scalability for industrial deployment. As regulatory support grows and urgency around domestic critical minerals intensifies, the outcomes from these early deployments are likely to shape the future blueprint for lithium extraction. Faster, cleaner, smarter Compared to conventional methods, DLE slashes production timelines from monthsor even yearsto just hours or days. It eliminates the need for expansive land use and significantly reduces the environmental footprint. As global demand for lithium surges, DLE represents more than a technical advancementits a radical shift toward cleaner, faster, and smarter mineral production. DLE also delivers powerful cost advantages over traditional hard rock mining and refining. Its modular, compact design requires far less capital investment, bypassing the need for open-pit mines and evaporation ponds. Operating costs are lower thanks to higher lithium recovery ratesoften 6090% versus 3050%and energy-efficient processes that use fewer chemicals. Faster deployment means quicker returns, and it’s a lighter environmental footprint that streamlines permitting and regulatory approval. Combined, these benefits make DLE a breakthrough solution for the next generation of lithium production. Resilient supply chains start at home As geopolitical tensions strain access to global mineral reserves, the urgency for domestic solutions has never been greater. DLE offers the U.S. and other hard-rock-constrained nations a pathway to build resilient, local supply chains. This approach opens the door to new jobs and economic activity in otherwise overlooked geographies. U.S. policy is beginning to catch up. The federal government has designated critical mineral security a national imperative. Programs like the Department of Energys MINER initiative are catalyzing research into greener, more efficient extraction methods. Still, government support alone isnt enough. Its time for the private sector to lead. The call to lead The minerals needed to power the future arent buried in far-off mines in South America and Australia. Theyre right here, already flowing beneath us. Utilities, oilfield operators, and technology innovators already manage the infrastructure, data, and water resources that can power this next frontier. By reimagining wastewater not as a burden but as a resource, we can unlock new revenue streams. In doing so, we also help build resilient domestic supply chains and strengthen national energy security, reducing dependence on foreign lithium sources and securing the materials critical for the clean energy transition. Its time to stop digging deeper and start thinking smarter. Water isnt just a resource. Its a solution. For those bold enough to lead, its the future. Prakash Govindan is COO of Gradiant. Anurag Bajpayee is CEO of Gradiant
Category:
E-Commerce
Retail is changing, but not because it wants to. From fashion to food, most C-suites are still running on 20th-century systems, designed for a world where raw materials were cheap, landfills were bottomless, and customers didnt ask hard questions. That world is gone. The most forward-thinking retailers and e-commerce companies are adapting. Theyre deploying next-generation climate solutions to address core business challenges. In the process, theyre transforming how products are valued. Two companiesTrove and Wastelessoffer a window into this new logic: climate tech that strengthens margins, deepens loyalty, and delivers a better retail experience for both fashion and food. Resale is the brand Resale and secondhand fashion arent new. But for years, they lived outside the fashion brands controlon platforms like eBay, ThredUp, and Depop. Consumers benefited. Brands lost visibility, margins, and ownership of the customer relationship. Trove changes that. It enables brands to run recommerce in-house, maintaining control over quality, pricing, and the end-to-end experience. Brands like Patagonia (Worn Wear), Canada Goose (Generations), and Michael Kors (Pre-Loved) already use Troves infrastructurea tech platform that handles intake, grading, pricing, and fulfillment alongside the new inventory these brands sell through their own websites. Trove integrates directly into backend operations, so resale doesnt feel like an add-on. It becomes part of the brand. And resale has already gone mainstream. In 2024, U.S. secondhand apparel sales approached $50 billion. Nearly 60% of consumers now shop secondhand, and many prefer to buy secondhand directly from brands they trust. The consumer would prefer to buy a resale item from the brand thats essentially certifying it and condition grading it, CEO Terry Boyle told me on the Supercool podcast. Theyll pay more for that. Brands are paying attention. Brand-owned resale delivers: Higher margins than traditional discounting and off-price channels Lower acquisition costs50% to 80% of resale buyers are new to the brand Higher lifetime value as resale becomes a reentry point into the brand ecosystem Were not the hard part of being environmentally friendly, Boyle told me during the podcast. Were the easy part. Because we actually make money. This model is especially effective for premium and luxury brands, where quality control is paramount. It protects brand equity while offering sub-luxury pricing, without channel conflict. Boyle added, Thats why I call resale off-price with a better brand halo. Sell it before it expires Grocery has a different challenge: perishables. If food waste were a country, it would rank third in global emissionsbehind only China and the U.S.responsible for 8 to 10 percent of the total. For supermarkets, thats not just an environmental issue; its margin and profits expiring in plain sight. Wasteless engineered a solution. Its platform applies AI-driven dynamic discounting to supermarket shelves, adjusting prices in real time based on expiration dates. Two identical tubs of yogurt with different sell-by dates? Troves solution reduces the price of the tub thats expiring sooner, encouraging the consumer to buy it. Everything is synced to inventory systems and displayed on digital shelf labels. As Wasteless CEO, Oded Omer, told me on the Supercool podcast, Our goal is not to discount. Our goal is to discount the right amount at the right time in order for the goods on the shelves to be sold. The results from three international grocery stores: DIA (Spain): 32.7% reduction in food waste Hoogvliet (Netherlands): 50% drop in markdown costs Carrefour (Argentina): Expanded to all 640 stores after successful pilots in France Omer doesnt talk ESG targets. He talks pricing. If food waste is just the sustainability departments job, it wont get solved, he added during the episode. This is pricing strategy. It protects margin. And thats the point; climate tech in retail works best when it solves for margin, not mission. Design for better outcomes The most powerful retail innovations dont ask consumers to change behaviors or make sacrifices. They redesign systems so that better outcomes emerge by default. Trove doesnt ask customers to rethink used clothing. It makes resale feel as seamless and trustworthy as buying new. Wasteless doesnt preach about food waste. It uses real-time pricing signals to move inventory and optimize supply chains. Neither company markets itself as a sustainability brand. Theyre retail tech providers focused on profitand performance. Both solve problems retailers already have. Both harness technology to make it easier to serve customers. And both reduce emissions in the process. Thats the new climate advantage: not just doing less harm but running a better business. Josh Dorfman is CEO of Supercool.
Category:
E-Commerce
In todays business landscape, the most successful brands arent just selling products, theyre building movements. They dont just fill shelves; they shape values. At Michael Graves Design, that shift didnt happen all at once. It emerged gradually, as our commitment to purposeful, human-centered product design attracted something deeper than customers. It built a community and created competition. And its no accident. Today, our strategic North Star focuses on activities of daily living (ADLs), the essential tasks that allow people to live with independence and dignity, from bathing and eating to grooming and cooking. By designing around these universal needs, but in ways that feel like consumer products and not adaptive equipment, weve created products that are intuitive, accessible, and emotionally resonant. This lens doesnt limit creativity, it sharpens it. And it has become our most powerful tool for building relevance, resilience, and community. Mission is more than a marketing tool Mission-driven has become a buzzword. Every brand wants to have a purpose. But for mission to matter strategically, it has to do more than decorate your packaging or animate your social feed. Our mission is to create everyday products that improve peoples lives. But that mission only became truly actionable when we tied it to something concrete: ADLs. This framework has become our internal compass, pushing us to prioritize utility, dignity, and accessibility in everything we make. It informs the briefs we make, the retail partners we pursue, and the price points we target. In some cases, it means passing on opportunities that dont align with our principles. That discipline doesnt restrict growth, it channels it. How a brand becomes a community When your team is aligned around a mission, and your products consistently express that mission, something remarkable happens: People start to organize around your values. They engage not just as consumers, but as participants. They tell their friends. They give feedback. They push you forward. In our case, this has meant a growing network of collaborators and advocates: occupational therapists who help us understand better ergonomics, consumers with mobility challenges who engage with us and our prototypes, and retail buyers actively seeking more inclusive products. Thats not just a customer base. Thats a strategic community. We call it Design With. The deeper our engagement with that community, the more insight we gain. What features actually matter? What are we overlooking? What trade-offs are worth making? These are questions focus groups cant answer on their ownbut a values-aligned community will. And now, with decades of experience, our team has a foundation on which every new product gets designed. The compounding value of purpose A few years ago, we launched a line of universally-designed home healthcare products. At the time, we knew they were good. What we didnt expect was the ripple effect. People started sharing our products not because they were beautiful (they are), but because they made life easier for parents, caregivers, and people recovering from injury. Our inbox filled with stories. We began hearing from health systems, aging-in-place experts, and advocacy groups. They didnt just want to buy the product, they were asking us to design new products. In other words, our design work sparked a flywheel of collaboration. And that, more than any campaign or launch strategy, became the engine of our brands long-term relevance. 4 lessons for consumer brand leaders Whether youre designing kitchen tools, personal care products, or tech accessories, the lessons are the same: Anchor in something real. Your mission isnt a slogan, its the answer to why this, and why now? For us, that answer is ADLs. Design for dignity. If your product doesnt work for someone with different abilities, perspectives, or needs, youre leaving value on the table. Engage beyond the buyer. The best ideas often come from users who are outside your traditional demographic. Invite them in. Let community shape the roadmap. When customers believe in your mission, they want to help build whats next. Treat that like a strategic asset. ADLs as a strategic lens Focusing on activities of daily living gives our team a practical framework to innovate where it matters most. It grounds us in empathy, keeps us close to real users, and unlocks whitespace where other brands might see routine. Its easy to get distracted by trends. But when you design around real, everyday human needs, you stay relevant, and build trust that lasts. Ben Wintner is CEO at Michael Graves Design.
Category:
E-Commerce
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