Top Stories
Sixty Corporations Begin Measuring Emissions
from Products and Supply Chains.—reliability high.
"Sixty corporations today begin measuring the greenhouse gas emissions
of their products and supply chains by road testing a new global
framework that is part of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Initiative.
Developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business
Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the two new GHG Protocol
standards – the Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard
and the Scope 3 (Corporate Value Chain) Accounting and Reporting
Standard – provide methods to account for emissions associated with
individual products across their life-cycles and of corporations across
their value chains." Quotes from Levi's and Airbus, and list of
companies participating in the "road test". See
World Resources Institute site, which also has links to pdfs of
standards.
Amazon adds greener electronics ranking.—reliability
high.
"Amazon has added a green category to its electronics page, using both
EnergyStar and the broader EPEAT certification to rank products, the
Green Electronics Council said on Wednesday. There are now more than
800 electronics products listed on Amazon that meet the EPEAT
certification, which ranks computing equipment on 51 environmental
factors. Products get a bronze, silver, or gold label based on how many
of the performance criteria they meet." From
CNET News.
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Toyota locks down lithium for hybrid
batteries with new mining deal.—reliability high.
In a strategic move to secure its supply chain to a crucial industrial
raw material, Toyota Group member Toyota Tsusho has agreed to invest in
Australian mining company Orocobre, a supplier of lithium which
operates in Argentina, to lock in the Li it needs for battery
production. It will own 25% of Orocobre. From
GreenBeat.
Energy Intelligence Results in 15%
Efficiency Boost for Manufacturers.—reliability high.
A study "based on data from more than 200 manufacturers, finds that
those that deployed this [use of real-time energy data] approach
achieved a 15 percent reduction in their energy use, more than double
the industry average, while achieving substantially higher operating
margins." "The report also shows how best-in-class companies have
leveraged this information to implement energy and carbon reduction
actions, while optimizing their operations and reducing costs." See
Environmental Leader. Access the report here (registration
required).
How to Find the Greenest E-Waste Recycler.—reliability
medium.
"A recent seminar from the EPA offered a primer for small business and
local governments on how to avoid the pitfalls of e-waste recycling,
but the lessons offered apply to any organization that's sitting on old
electronics." Highlights of recommendations. See
GreenBiz blog. PDF of whole seminar presentation here.
Arad Technologies and Actaris to install up
to 1.2 million smart water meters in Mumbai.—reliability
high.
"The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai has ordered 150,000 smart
water meters from Israeli water meter developer Arad Technologies and
French water meter makers Actaris Metering Systems, which it intends to
install in the city of Mumbai according to reports. Reports suggest
that the order is part of a larger smart water meter contract for the
purchase of up to 1.2 million meters for up to $128m, and that the
order of 150,000 meters is half of a $32m order split between the two
companies." From
NewNet. [Meter
water use in Mumbai? What a concept. Expect riots.]
Dow Building Insulation Products Achieve
Cradle To Cradle® Certification.—reliability high.
"Dow Building Solutions has completed a rigorous, external assessment
of its building insulation products conducted by MBDC (McDonough
Braungart Design Chemistry, LLC), a global sustainability consulting
and product certification firm. STYROFOAM™ Brand Extruded Polystyrene
(XPS) Foam Insulation, STYROFOAM SIS™ Brand Structural Insulated
Sheathing, THERMAX™ (ci) Exterior Insulation, STYROFOAM™ Brand Spray
Polyurethane Foam (SPF) Insulation, and SAFETOUCH™ Fiberglass-Free
Insulation have all achieved Cradle to Cradle® Certification, a process
that assesses products for their ingredients' human health,
environmental health and recyclability profiles." From
CSRwire.
Government and
Regulation
Roadshow: Tears from hybrid owners with
carpool stickers.—reliability high.
California's HOV-Lane access perk for owners of three hybrids: the
Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, and Honda Insight . . . [is] set to
expire on December 31 of this year. Originally passed in 2005, the law
opened California's high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, restricted to
carpools, to a limited number of very low-emission vehicles even if
there was just a single person in the car. Sticker owners are whining. From
San José Mercury News. [The flip side of
incentives: how do you ever take them away? Germany is going through
this as they try to rein in lush solar feed-in incentives.]
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]
