Zurich Financial Services has contributed £85,000 to an Earthwatch project to restore mangrove stands along the coastline of Sri Lanka, protecting it from future storm surges and tsunamis. The funding will make available 18 fellowships for people from local communities and organisations to join the project for two-week periods. Efforts will also be made to make it possible for teams of Zurich employees from around the world and volunteers from the general public to join the Sri Lankan fellows in the field to help with the planting and monitoring of newly established mangroves. Contact Zurichwww.zurich.com
Supporting conservation
The Alcoa Foundation is contributing $8.6m to create the Alcoa Conservation and Sustainability programme. The programme will find the study of global conservation and sustainability research by 30 academic and 60 non-governmental organisation fellows from around the world over the next six years. The research will then be given away to all companies and NGOs worldwide in an effort to spur better sustainable development practices globally. NGO partners include WWF and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Alcoa says it is vital that the practices and learnings generated through this programme will help foster best practices globally. Contact Alcoa www.alcoa.com
Package deal
Businesses should make it easier for consumers to buy goods without using excessive packaging if the UK is to meet its 2008 packaging waste targets, Lord Bach, the minister for horticulture has said. Bach said that while consumers have a role to play – by choosing goods that are not heavily packaged, buying loose food rather than pre-packaged food, or using their own shopping bags or boxes – industry needs to make these choices available to the public in the first place. He also called for business to focus more on minimisation than recycling. Speaking at a conference to highlight revised UK regulations on packaging, launched last November, Bach also encouraged companies to show consumers where progress has been made in reducing the size and weight of packaging. Contact Defra www.defra.gov.uk
Recycling opinions
Four out of five US consumers are willing to pay more for books and magazines printed on recycled paper, a recent survey reveals. The survey found that over two-fifths (42%) would be prepared to pay as much as a dollar extra more for a book, and a quarter would pay 75 cents more per magazine.
Back in the UK the Defra backed Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has introduced a Recycled Paper Advocacy Team, which aims to boost the consumption of recycled content paper across the country.
Meanwhile, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and WWF are supporting Twig, a website for designers and print buyers that will provide clear information about paper and printing and their environmental impacts. Contact Book Business www.booktechmag.com; WRAP www.wrap.org.uk; Twig www.twig.uk.com
PVC out the Windows
Microsoft, Wal-Mart and Crabtree and Evelyn are among companies now phasing out the use of PVC in their products and packaging, following an ongoing campaign coordinated by the US-based Center for Health, Environment and Justice, BE SAFE PVC.
CHEJ’s Lois Gibbs applauded the move, saying: “We are seeing a new trend: major corporations are phasing out PVC and switching to safer and healthier consumer products…safeguarding our health is not only the right thing to do, but also makes good business sense. Consumers need to support companies that have demonstrated commitments to safer products”.
Microsoft says it has “plans to test biodegradable PET alternatives, such as packaging made of cornstarch, sugar and vegetable oils”. Contact Microsoft www.microsoft.com, CHEJ www.besafenet.com
Responsible care
Dow and BASF are among the first signatories to the recently launched Responsible Care Charter, which aims to minimise the environmental impact of chemicals developed by the health care industry. The nine principles in the charter, which was written by the global chemical association ICCA, include calls for the chemicals industry to commit to sustainable development and to address stakeholder expectations. Contact ICCA www.responsiblecare.org
Standby for take-off
The government is urging digital TV broadcasters, manufacturers and retailers not to sell or promote set top receivers that waste energy. Environment minister Elliott Morley has written to companies, encouraging them to sign up to the EU Code of Conduct that sets energy efficiency standards for digital TV equipment. BSkyB has already signed up to the code. According to Defra, appliances such as TVs and hi-fis left on standby waste more than £740m a year and cause over four million tonnes of carbon emissions. Contact Defra www.defra.gov.uk
Liveable city
J Sainsbury, Land Securities Trillium and Berkeley Homes were among the winners in the City of London’s annual Liveable City Awards, which were presented by the Lord Mayor on February 22. The RSA-supported awards recognise “outstanding achievement across the three pillars of sustainable development – the environment, social issues and the economy” among businesses and public sector and voluntary organisations. Berkeley Homes was praised for minimising carbon emissions in the construction and post-construction phases of housing developments. Sainsbury received recognition for cutting carbon emissions by a fifth since 2001, twice the amount it set as a target. Land Securities was singled out for its environmental management, which includes working with small suppliers to improve their practices. The Royal Mail won the award for traffic and transport management. The Carbon Disclosure Project won the overall award for “effecting a tangible impact on global efforts to combat climate change”. Contact Corporation of Londonwww.cityoflondon.gov.uk
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