Laundry industry joins forces to urge lower wash temperatures
A European wide campaign has been launched by the Association for Soaps, Detergents and Maintenance products (AISE) in partnership with the European Commission to encourage consumers to wash their clothes at lower temperatures. The consumer engagement initiative, ‘I prefer 30°’ aims to lower the average washing temperature in Europe by more than ten degrees Celsius, to reduce energy usage and costs as well as conserve water. More than 900 companies, ranging from small enterprises to multinationals, are members of AISE, the representative body for the industry in Europe. The campaign is supported by corporations which include US multinational Proctor and Gamble. (Edie News)
Asda teams up with researchers for green products push
The UK supermarket chain Asda, owned by the US multinational Walmart, has today announced a partnership with researchers at the University of Leeds. The project has been designed to optimise the development of green products that can also help consumers save money by helping them reduce food waste. Dr William Young, Director of the Business and Organisations for Sustainable Societies research group at the University of Leeds, said that one of the key aims of the project was to identify products and approaches that would engage the mainstream consumer. The new two and a half year research programme aims to work closely with a 7,500 customer panel under the banner Everyday Experts to identify how to best promote sustainable products and behaviours. (Business Green)
Environment
World Bank to limit financing of coal-fired plants
Yesterday, the World Bank’s board agreed to a new energy strategy that will limit the financing of coal-fired power plants to “rare circumstances”, as the US based global development organisation seeks to address the impact of climate change. The World Bank will amend its lending policies for new coal-fired projects, restricting financial support to countries that have no feasible alternatives to coal, as it seeks to balance environmental efforts with the energy needs of developing countries. In its Energy Sector Directions Paper, which is updated every ten years, the Bank also increased its support for hydro electric power. US President Barack Obama said in June 2013 that the US would stop investing in coal projects overseas as part of a package of climate measures, and called on mulitalteral banks to do the same. (Reuters)
Recycling saves General Motors $1 billion
In its latest sustainability report, the US car manufacturer General Motors (GM) states that it has saved one billion dollars from recycling and reuse initiatives over the last year. The company said that it recycles 90 percent of its worldwide manufacturing waste and has 105 landfill free facilities across the globe, a figure GM aims to increase to 125 by 2020. As part of the waste reduction initiative, plants in India, Thailand and Russia have replaced wooden pallets with reusable plastic, saving 566 tonnes of waste. New auto paint robots and processes to reduce the use of paint thinner have saved an estimated 200 tonnes of waste across two plants alone. Additionally, energy conservation initiatives are reported to have saved GM $66 million in energy costs. (Eco Business)
Employees
Drive to get more disabled people into mainstream jobs
Disabled people in the UK will be given more support to gain the skills and experience they need to get a job. Under changes made to the UK Government’s disability employment scheme announced yesterday, disabled people on traineeships, supported internships, work academies and work trials will for the first time be given additional help through the Access to Work scheme. The scheme currently provides funding towards the extra costs disabled people face, such as travel, especially adapted equipment and support workers. Recent changes to the scheme mean that businesses with up to 49 employees will save up to £2,300 per employee who uses Access to Work, as they will no longer have to contribute towards the extra employment costs. (Government UK)
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