Environment and sustainability news and comment CCB 117
May 31, 2011
The increase in use of plant-based solutions to packaging is an interesting development. Not only is this reducing the likes of Coca-Cola and Dells carbon footprint it also demonstrates the business creativity and capacity to innovate. Who would have thought ten years ago that bamboo and mushrooms could and would be used by large-scale manufacturers in their operations? Not me.
What interests me though is the desire for companies to differentiate themselves through these initiatives in such a competitive way. Leveraging innovations is by no means a bad thing and it would be churlish to suggest otherwise. However, what strikes me is how much is being done in silos, individual companies working away in their bubbles to beat the competitor in order to “own” an issue. Surely, more can be achieved if the walls came down and the brightest of the best get together to create, innovate and work collaboratively? This doesn’t seem like rocket science yet we repeatedly hear of duplication of activity and resource when it comes to supplier relations, or issues of water scarcity across the globe. Calls for collaboration and the sharing of ideas are now so frequently touted at conferences, round tables and events that it’d be good to see examples of where it’s actually happening.
If the environmental challenges that we face are to be dealt with effectively then it’s through the innovation that companies like Coca-Cola and Dell are demonstrating. The issues are too big for one company to take ownership in resolving them. In order for economies of scale and substantial progress to be made creative collaboration has to be the next step. I’d like to read about Coca-cola giving Pepsi Co. a call (or vice versa) to say, “we’ve got an idea, fancy having a chat?” Now, who’d have seen that coming?
Deepa Mirchandani is a Consultant at Corporate Citizenship. Contact her at deepa.mirchandani@corporate-citizenship to discuss community investment, LBG and impacts measurement.
Coca-Cola pips PepsiCo to ‘plant’ bottle launch
Odwalla Inc., a juice, protein drinks and food bar producing arm of the Coca-Cola parent company, announced that it has fulfilled its commitment to deliver a more sustainable bottle in April, when the product debuted in stores. The product is made of up to 100 % plant-based materials (minimum of 96 %) while still maintaining its 100 % recyclability in current recycling infrastructures. The PlantBottle(tm) consists of HDPE plastic made of up to 100 percent plant-based materials that are derived from sugarcane. Additionally, Odwalla has reduced the single-serve bottle’s size from 15.2 fluid ounces to 12 fluid ounces. Last month PepsiCo announced that it will pilot it’s own 100% recyclable bottle in 2012.
Dell Plans Pilot to Ship Products in Mushroom Packaging
In April, Dell announced the beginning of its pilot for mushroom based packaging. The biotechnology used in the pilot, was sponcered by the National Science Foundation, the US EPA and the USDA among others as a way of using agricultural waste products such as cotton, rice, and wheat chaff to replace the traditonal cushoning for packaging of styrofoam and polyethylene. The mushroom cushioning is unique because it is grown, not manufactured, from waste product intoxicated with mushroom spawn. The cushions then take about 5 – 10 days to grow in a mould and the cushions are compostable after use. The initial pilot shipments will be used for the PowerEdge R710 server.
New WBCSD Guide Supports Business Valuation of Nature.
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), a CEO-led, global coalition of companies, has released the Guide to Corporate Ecosystem Valuation (CEV). The agenda is designed to improve business understanding of the benefits and value of ecosystem services, for example food, natural hazard protection and fresh water. The framework will enable companies to see the financial benefits or impacts of ecosystems, giving them tools to improve their financial analysis and business planning. The CEV was developed through a collaboration with four partner organizations – Environmental Resources Management (ERM), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and World Resources Institute (WRI) – and businesses themselves: AkzoNobel, EDP, Eni, Eskom, GHD, Hitachi (Chemical), Holcim, Lafarge, Mondi, Rio Tinto, Syngenta, Veolia Environnement, Weyerhaeuser, and U.S. BCSD have all piloted the CEV Guide.
Public sector out performs private sector in sustainability rating
A report into the participants of the UK CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme has found that the Public Sector is outperforming the private sector in terms of sustainability. The report by Cambium found a wide variation across the 19 sub sectors within the public and private sectors. Researchers for the report scored companies on sustainability and energy reduction related indicators, using this to group companies into Leaders, Early Majority, Late Majority and Laggards across four different sectors; sustainability, carbon, social awareness and environmental ROI. Although there are three times as many Private Sector organisations taking part in the scheme than Public Sector organisations, the report found that the Public Sector has 2.5 times as many participants rated as ‘Leaders’ than the private sector regarding their attitudes towards sustainability.
New sustainbility index featuring transparent methodology
A new index methodology has been released to allow investors to undersand the factors that contribute to a company’s ESG rating and their relevant importance. The index has been developed by STOXX Limited, a provider of global index concepts and based on sustainability data provided by Sustainalytics, a provider of ESG research and analysis. The STOXX Global ESG Index model has been mapped to the “KPIs for ESG 3.0” standard defined by DVFA and The European Federation of Financial Analysts Societies (EFFAS). The index is based on fully transparent components and rule based methology. Companies that are involved in controversial weapons, tobacco products revenues or are operating in violation of the UN Global Compact Principles, according to Sustainalytics, are excluded from the index universe.
Consumer electronics industry launch initiative to enhance recycling collection
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), a trade association, has coordinated the first ever industry wide consumer electronics recycling initiative ,aiming to recycle one billion pounds annually by 2016. If this target were to be achieved it would mean a threefold increase in the recycling levels from the 2010 baselilne. The eCycling Leadership Initiative, aims to provide transparent metrics for eCycling, improve customer awareness of the collection sites sponcered by the industry , over 5,000 currently, and improve the collection opertunities available. Executives from Best Buy Co. Inc., Panasonic Corporation of North America, Sony Electronics Inc. and Toshiba America Information Systems Inc., among others, helped to launch the initiative in Washington D.C.
Contact: Consumer Electronics Association www.ce.org
Study reveals most companies now measure green savings
A study of American businesses, “Greening the American Workplace” carried out by Buck Consultants, found that 60% of organisations are now measuring their cost savings from green programmes, an increace of 54% on last years results. The survey analysed answers from over 100 orgainsations in industries ranging from financial services to non- profits. The top motivator for green programs was sited by organisations as cost savings, with 78% of organizations considering this as the leading motivator. The other top three motivators were given as the creation of community goodwill and employee engagement/morale. The survey also discovered that leadership is key to the success of green workforce initiatives , with 88% of employers with green programs including the CEO in development and communications.
Water shortage is now becoming a business risk according to new study
The shortage of freshwater is becoming a business risk according to a study by WWF and German development bank DEG, Assessing Water Risk: A Practical Approach for Financial Institutions. The study states that risks of fresh water shortage to businesses should be taken into account by investors.The business risk can be split into three catagories, according to Dr Peter Thimme, head of DEG’s department for Sustainable Development/Environment. These are physical, regulatory and repuatational, all of which can dirupt supply and terminate business operations. 191 out of over 300 companies studied as part of the report showed high potential business risks related to freshwater. The newly developed water risk filter system in the report is intended to identify water-related risks at an early point in time.
Greenpeace study looks at environmental footprint of the online world
A study carried out by Greenpeace has evaluated the energy choices regarding transparency, infrastructure siting decisions, and mitigation strategies of what they describe as the top ‘global cloud’ companies; Apple, Google, Facebook, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Twitter, Yahoo, Amazon.com and Akamai. The study, How Dirty is Your Data?, reveals the high amount of electricity used to power energy and recources used with online services. Accrding to the report the IT industry is largey ignoring the importance of using renewable power in determining the location of new infrastructure and is not transparent in disclosing energy use. The report awarded Facebook, Apple, Twitter, Amazon, and others failing marks in one or more catagories but applauded Yahoo! and Google for their situation near sources of renewable energy and direct purchasing of clean power respectively.
Monadnoch Paper Mills Inc, a manufacturere of environmentally responsible papers, has announced the launch of Monadoch Envi Card Stock, a card product created from a renewable wood fiber as an alternative to PVA card materials. The card can be embossed, foil stamped and laminated, and accepts magnetic stripes, signature panels, scratch-offs, bar codes and holograms and recycled. The innovation has unvailed a product that can act as an alternative to gift cards, hotel keys and other ubiquitous plastic cards.
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