Wal-Mart and J.C. Penney join Bangladesh safety talks
Wal-Mart and J.C. Penney Co. were among retailers who sent representatives to a meeting near Frankfurt this week, to discuss allying to improve worker safety in Bangladesh following the nation’s biggest industrial disaster. The talks, organised by the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), were aimed at winning support from the companies, labour unions and non-governmental groups for Bangladesh’s national action plan and for supplier assessments of fire and building risk. The discussions were also aimed at winning backing for remediation programmes to make existing buildings safe. The European Union, the country’s largest trading partner, has said it may apply sanctions in the wake of the disaster. (Bloomberg)
Environment
Korea, China, Japan to hold environmental talks
Korea, China and Japan will pledge joint efforts at an annual trilateral meeting to reduce the environmental impact of air pollution and tackle climate change issues in the Northeast Asia region. The Ministry of Environment, South Korea, said yesterday that their Environment Minister Yoon Seong-kyu would suggest holding regular three-way talks for tackling air pollution, and setting up a network to share information on environmental policies attended by the three nations. Additionally, Yoon will offer his Chinese counterpart a proposal to develop and operate an air quality monitoring system to share real-time data on pollutants. (Korea Herald)
Green building materials ‘$254bn annual market by 2020′
The worldwide market for green construction materials will grow from $116bn in 2013 to greater than $254bn in 2020, according to a report from Navigant Research. These green building materials will range from traditional materials that are being revalued for their minimal impacts to new technologies that enable better passive and active building performance. Europe, accounting for about half of the market, will be the largest regional market in 2020, Navigant Research forecasts. Materials in Green Buildings says demand for green buildings, and the materials that go into them, has remained relatively buoyant during the global recession. (Environmental Leader)
Policy & Research
Most firms don’t report on GHG emissions
Only 37 percent of the world’s largest companies report their greenhouse gas emissions fully and correctly, according to research from the Environmental Investment Organisation. The Environmental Tracking Carbon Rankings, which examines the GHG emissions and transparency of the 800 largest companies globally, shows only 21 percent had their data externally verified. Additionally, only one firm, German chemical company BASF, reported emissions across its entire value chain, earning it the number one spot in the 2013 rankings. Other companies to make the top ten list included Swisscom, Singapore Telecom, Telefonica, BT and Vodafone Group. US-based First Energy and Edison International rank at the bottom of the list with no publicly reported emissions data. (Environmental Leader)
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