The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Agriculture (Defra), a UK government body, is facing new budget cuts of £37m by 2015, while the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and a number of other departments with green responsibilities will see budgets trimmed for the next two years. UK chancellor George Osborne is reported to have ambushed ministers at a cabinet meeting yesterday with a decision to cut spending across many Whitehall Departments by an additional two percent. The cuts are designed to pay for new investment projects that are due to be announced in today's budget and are designed to kick-start growth in the economy. (Business Green)
Environment
Tech giants team up with EU to develop uniform CO2 reporting
The European Commission is drawing up plans for standardised tools to measure the carbon emissions of the ICT sector, which will allow consumers to compare the environmental impact of the products they buy. Nearly 30 technology firms, including Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Dell, Ericsson and Huawei, have been working with the EU over the last year, testing out international methodologies and standards for measuring the carbon footprints of their products. (Business Green)
Co-op Funeral Group brings sustainability to clothes range
The UK's first recyclable corporate clothing range, created entirely from biodegradable and sustainable sources, has been launched by the Co-operative Funeral Group. The interlining of the garments are either derived from viscose or made using 100 percent recycled PET plastic bottles and the buttons are made from the Corozo nut, which is found inside a large fruit that grows on the Tagua Palms of Ecuador. The move follows a number of initiatives by the group to make its business more sustainable such as the introduction of banana leaf and cardboard coffins. (Edie)
Dr Pepper donates $300,000 for recycling bins
Dr Pepper Snapple Group, the US drink manufacturer, has donated $300,000 to Keep America Beautiful to put recycling bins in public parks. The ‘Public Park Recycling Grant programme’ is part of a one-year collaboration between the two organisations intended to increase recycling in city, regional and state parks across the US. Dr Pepper Snapple Group says the partnership with the non-for-profit is part of its on-going commitment to environmental sustainability. (Environmental Leader)
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