Green businesses unite to pressure PM into supporting renewable energy
Over 170 green businesses have signed a letter to the UK prime minister David Cameron. The letter was drafted by the Renewable Energy Association (REA) and calls for a public declaration of support for green energy and a resolution of the uncertainty that surrounds government plans for renewable power subsidies. The signatories include Penny Shepherd, chief executive of the Sustainable Investment and Finance Association, as well as veteran green campaigners Jonathon Porritt and Tony Juniper, adviser to Prince Charles. They are worried that recent government U-turns on support for renewables are putting off much-needed investment in the sector. Martin Wright, chairman of the REA, said: "Renewables must not be treated like a political football, kicked between the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Treasury. Government shouldn't squander this once in a generation opportunity to transform our energy system into one fit for the future, with all the jobs and inward investment this will bring." (Guardian)
Environment
WRAP to scrutinise case for extending life of electrical goods
UK-based WRAP (Waste Resources Action Programme) is to convene an industry working group to encourage designers and manufacturers to improve the resource efficiency of electrical appliances. The ‘electrical products working group’ will look to gather a clear evidence base for reducing the embodied carbon impact of certain items, and develop a business case for action. Outputs from the electrical products working group are likely to feed into the wider work of WRAP's product sustainability forum set up in June which will attempt to develop a more holistic approach to addressing product lifecycle assessment. (edie)
Unilever and DHL partner to deliver supply chain efficiency
Consumer goods company Unilever and logistics company DHL Supply Chain have partnered on a series of initiatives that the companies say will increase sustainable practices and the speed of bringing products to market. According to Unilever and DHL, these new initiatives include developing technology to improve carbon efficiency and reduce waste within global logistics operations. It supports both companies’ carbon-reduction initiatives: Unilever’s ‘Sustainable Living Plan’, which include more than 50 social, economic and environmental targets such as its goal to reduce by 50% the company’s greenhouse gas emissions, water and waste used by the company in its direct operations; and DHL’s ‘GoGreen’ initiative, a carbon-neutral shipping option for DHL and Deutsche Post customers. (Environmental Leader)
Frontier Markets
Bringing Pepsi back to Myanmar
PepsiCo Inc. has said it reached a deal to distribute its products in Myanmar through a local partner, in the latest sign of rising investor interest in the once-reclusive Southeast Asian nation. PepsiCo's Chief Executive called Myanmar “a market with great potential”. PepsiCo exited Myanmar in 1997, at a time when many US companies were abandoning the country as Western leaders imposed sanctions on its military regime, which took over in 1962. Other big US companies have now also expressed interest in going into Myanmar, too, but most so far have stopped short of signing deals with local partners as they try to better understand the market, which for years was largely off-limits to Western investors because of economic sanctions and Myanmar government restrictions. PepsiCo said it also plans to explore opportunities to invest in agricultural development projects in Myanmar and assess the potential for local manufacturing operations. Although Myanmar is currently one of the least-developed nations in Asia, incomes are rising and its economy is expected to expand rapidly if reforms continue. (Wall Street Journal)
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