Employee innovations help ConAgra save $70 million
This week, the consumer products giant ConAgra Foods announced the winners of its 2015 Sustainable Development Awards, an internal awards programme that drives and rewards imaginative approaches to sustainability producing bottom-line business results. The 82 entries received this year collectively eliminated 58,700 tons of waste; optimized packaging, using 15 million pounds less material; conserved more than 97 million gallons of water; and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 11,500 tonnes. These efforts delivered more than $70 million in savings. ConAgra says this year’s applications, many of which were driven by the imagination and engagement of employees, amounted to the largest single-year savings the company has seen to date. The winning teams are each awarded a $5,000 grant from the ConAgra Foods Foundation to apply toward a sustainability-focused community service project in their area. (Sustainable Brands)
Policy & Research
Diesel ‘demonisation’ condemned by car industry group
A campaign to combat the “demonisation” of diesel fuel has been launched by the UK’s leading motor industry association, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), along with BMW, Ford, and Jaguar Land Rover. The campaign comes in response to several efforts to curb diesel cars due to the nitrogen oxides (NOx) they emit. In December, the mayor of Paris called for diesel cars to be banned from the French capital by 2020. The SMMT says that the latest European engine emission standards, affecting all new cars sold from 1 September 2015, will drastically reduce NOx pollutants. However, pollution campaigners have accused the industry of “greenwash”, with Client Earth lawyer Alan Andrew this week accusing the SMMT of trying to hide evidence which shows a typical Euro 6 diesel car still emits seven times more NOx than a petrol-powered equivalent. (BBC News; BusinessGreen)
Experts call for smoking to be eliminated by 2040
A group of academics have called for a “turbocharged” global campaign that could lead to a tobacco-free world by 2040. They warn that despite the decline of smoking in the developed world, tobacco use is expected to increase in low- and middle-income countries over the next decade, where the tobacco industry has increasingly turned its attention. Professor Robert Beaglehole, from the University of Auckland, who co-led the international group of public health and policy experts, said: “The time has come for the world to acknowledge the unacceptability of the damage being done by the tobacco industry… A world where tobacco is out of sight, out of mind, and out of fashion – yet not prohibited – is achievable in less than three decades from now, but only with full commitment from governments, international agencies, such as UN and WHO, and civil society.” (Huffington Post)
International Development
Opening up airspace could make sky the limit for African trade and tourism
Growing affluence across Africa has created greater demand for air travel. By 2034, eight of the 10 fastest growing aviation markets will be in Africa, while nearly 300 million passengers will travel to and from African destinations, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) has forecast. Much of this growth is expected on routes within the continent. Experts say improved regional and internal air networks could drive economic growth and encourage trade, but airlines need to enact a longstanding agreement between 44 African governments, known as the Yamoussoukro Decision, that would enable airspace to be shared without the imposition of fees. Iata estimates that liberalising African airspace in 12 countries could create more than 150,000 jobs and add $1.3 billion to the continent’s gross domestic product by encouraging tourism. (The Guardian)
Circular Economy
Momentum builds for Office for Resource Management creation
The UK is in desperate need of a dedicated office to drive a transition to the circular economy and extract valuable resources from waste, concludes a paper launched in Parliament with the support of the All Party Sustainable Resource Group. The UK – which relies heavily on imports – is facing increasing restrictions on raw materials essential for economic prosperity. Unlike other manufacturing nations such as the USA, Germany and Japan, the UK does not have a resource-focused strategy. The proposed Office for Resource Management (ORM) would tackle this by setting policy direction on resource security and efficiency as well as providing the relevant data and support required by industry. The paper, which was developed by EEF (The Manufacturers Organisation), Institution of Civil Engineers and Friends of the Earth, argues that an ORM would allow for greater policy coherence, ensuring a more co-ordinated response to risks to material supply. (Edie)
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