Top Stories
S.E.C. Adds Climate Risk to Disclosure List.—reliability
high.
"The S.E.C., on a party-line 3-2 vote, issued 'interpretive guidance'
to help companies decide when and whether to disclose matters related
to climate change. The commission said that companies could be helped
or hurt by climate-related lawsuits, business opportunities or
legislation and should promptly disclose such potential impacts. Banks
or insurance companies that invest in coastal property that could be
affected by storms or rising seas, for example, should disclose such
risks, the agency said. . . . According to an S.E.C. staff paper, the
new guidance urges companies to consider, for example, whether any new
law or international treaty limiting carbon dioxide emissions might
increase operating costs and prompt a disclosure requirement. A company
might also be well positioned to take advantage of a new law mandating
increased production of renewable electricity, again requiring
disclosure." From
The New York Times.
Ranking The World's Most Sustainable
Companies.—reliability high.
Top 10 "most sustainable" companies, according to one new ranking:
General Electric, Pacific Gas and Electric, TNT NV, Hennes &
Mauritz, Nokia, Siemens, Unilever, Vodafone, Smiths Group and Geberit.
"A Toronto media company called Corporate Knights has tried to make the
idea clear and measurable by collecting data on 3,000 global public
companies and evaluating them according to 11 different metrics. Today,
as a result of that research, it published its first-ever ranking of
the world's 100 most sustainable companies. Corporate Knights'
editor-in-chief Toby Heaps says that to be considered sustainable,
companies must 'squeeze four times more wealth out of every resource
they use.'" See
Forbes (skip ad). Ranking report accessible here. [Ranking also
considered social factors, downgrading non-union companies for
instance. Wal-Mart and Whole Foods didn't make the list, while Royal
Dutch Shell and Duke Energy did.]
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Kraft Sheds 150 Million Pounds From
Products, Meets Packaging Goal 2 Years Early.—reliability
high.
"Kraft Foods has met its goal to reduce its packaging by 150 million
pounds two years ahead of schedule with a variety of lightweighting and
material replacement efforts." Gives examples of packaging changes. For
instance, "A redesign to the zipper on Kraft Natural Cheese bags has
eliminated more than 1 million pounds of material a year." From
GreenBiz. [Think
how much extra diesel would have been burned moving that surplus 1
million pounds of cheese-pack-zipper through the distribution chain.
One million pounds is about 25 semi trailers full.]
Interest in voluntary carbon credits picks
up.—reliability high.
"'Since this year started we have seen a huge amount interest --
mostly from the U.S. -- in carbon credits and it won't be long before
the voluntary market worldwide begins really to gain some momentum,'
said Matthew Sullivan, chief executive of carbon offset retailer the
Carbon Advice Group. The unregulated voluntary market operates outside
mandatory emissions cut schemes such as the United Nations' Clean
Development Mechanism or the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme.
It relies on businesses to self-regulate their carbon emissions in the
absence of a legally binding climate agreement and individuals' need to
offset their carbon footprint." More about voluntary carbon markets. See
Reuters story.
But
Copenhagen dampens banks' green commitment.—reliability
high.
"Banks and investors are pulling out of the carbon market after the
failure to make progress at Copenhagen on reaching new emissions
targets after 2012. . . . Anthony Hobley, partner and global head of
climate change and carbon finance at law firm Norton Rose, said:
'People will gradually start to leave carbon desks, we are beginning to
see that already. We are seeing a freeze in banks' recruitment plans
for the carbon market. It's not clear at what point this will turn into
a cull or a rout.'" See
The Guardian.
Stater Bros. Paid $250K For Reducing Peak
Energy Use.—reliability high.
"Stater Bros. Markets earns about $250,000 a year for reducing
non-essential electricity use during peak demand periods, reports
Supermarket News. Stater Bros. started earning the payments after
enrolling in a demand response system from EnerNOC in 2008. . . . The
store achieved its electricity cuts by making minor adjustments to
store lighting, air conditioning and other power draws during demand
response events, which are called for by regional electricity grid
operators, according to a press release." See
Environmental Leader. Press release here.
New Technology Saves Dow Plant One Billion
Gallons of Water – and $4 Million.—reliability high.
"The Dow Chemical Company and Nalco Company announced today their
cooperative efforts have resulted in annual water savings of one
billion gallons of fresh water at Dow's largest production site. . . .
At the Dow Freeport facility it all translates to a $4 million per year
reduction in maintenance costs, reduced energy cost, reduced water use
and reduced greenhouse gas emissions". From
CSRwire.
Government and
Regulation
High Speed Rail, Jobs, and the Recovery Act.—reliability
high.
"Development of America’s first nationwide program of high-speed
intercity passenger rail service is being spurred by $8 billion in
Recovery Act grants. The awards will go toward developing or
laying the groundwork for 13 new, large-scale high-speed rail corridors
across the country." See White House
site. Check here
for state and regional releases.
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]
