UPS, the world’s largest package delivery company, has this week announced agreements for up to 46 million gallons of renewable fuels over the next three years, constituting a 15-fold increase over prior contracts and making UPS one of the largest users of renewable diesel in the world. The agreements with three leading suppliers secure access to an advanced renewable diesel fuel in order to meet the company’s goal of driving one billion miles with their alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles by the end of 2017. This plan will help UPS shift to move more than 12 percent of its purchased ground fuel to alternative fuels. UPS has been using renewable fuels for more than a year in trucks operating in Texas and Louisiana. The new agreements pave the way for expanded use across the US and potentially in parts of Europe. (3BLMedia)
Responsible Investment
Majority of banks fail to encourage sustainable forestry
The majority of financial institutions do not have policies requiring clients to comply with forestry regulations, according to a study by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Of the 30 major financial institutions assessed by UNEP, most had had no mechanisms to promote sustainable forest conservation and only 13 percent had developed financial products specifically aimed at promoting the production of sustainable commodities. The findings revealed that nearly all the financial institutions disclosed general sustainability policies, but a large number did not display evidence of specific activities to ensure companies’ compliance with their own sustainability policies. The study highlights policies banks and investors can adopt to reduce deforestation risks across supply chains at local, national and international levels. (Edie)
Technology & Innovation
Google Street View cars starting to map air pollution
A small number of Google Street View cars are taking snapshots of the air quality around them. Aclima, a company that creates networks of environmental sensors, announced this week that it has been working with Google to put air quality detectors on some of its cars. “We hope this information will enable more people to be aware of how our cities live and breathe and join the dialogue on how to make improvements to air quality,” Karin Tuxen-Bettman, a Google Earth Outreach program manager, says in a statement. An initial trial was run in Denver, as part of a study being conducted by NASA and the US Environmental Protection Agency focused on improving the collection of air quality data. Further trials are planned for the San Francisco Bay Area, with Aclima hoping that its sensors will one day be used “anywhere Google Street View vehicles drive”. (The Verge)
Turning coffee, mango and cashew waste into valuable resources
UK Fair Trade food manufacturer Fullwell Mill is creating new technologies to deal with byproducts from fruit drying, cashew milling and coffee production. Waste such as mango peel and cashew shells can contaminate the local environment and pose a fire hazard at processing facilities in developing countries. With support from the Fairtrade Foundation and other UK funders, Fullwell Mill is investigating solutions which will turn these headaches into valuable local resources such as heat, gas, electricity and a liquid effluent that can be used to make compost. This helps to save money, preserve the environment and can benefit workers and farmers in the supply chain at the same time. (The Guardian)
Health
Wendy’s removing chicken antibiotics in new test
Fast food restaurant chain Wendy’s is testing antibiotic-free chicken items in a handful of markets as it evaluates a broader move away from antibiotics within its meat. Four test markets will sell grilled chicken raised without any antibiotics to gauge consumer perception and supply availability. The test follows several other initiatives in the fast food space and the broader food industry to cut down on the use of antibiotics. Earlier this year, McDonald’s USA pledged to stop using antibiotics important to human medicine in chicken production by March 2017. Last year, chicken chain Chick-fil-A said it was working with suppliers to remove all antibiotics from its chicken supply within five years. Suppliers have also doubled down on efforts to cut back on antibiotic use. (CNBC)
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