Top Stories
An environmental quandary percolates at Green
Mountain Coffee Roasters.—reliability high.
Discusses the potential image problem faced by Green Mountain Coffee
Roasters, which owns the Keurig by-the-cup coffee machine business, and
expects to sell 3 billion non-recyclable single-serve packages
this year. What happens when a company that prides itself on "green"
becomes a driver of throw-away, packaging-intensive consumerism?
"Keurig concluded the first phase of a 'life-cycle analysis' of the
K-Cups this summer, looking at the energy and environmental issues
surrounding each stage of their production." Results of that study are
not given. From
The Boston Globe. [An interesting
puzzle: Company's image built on green sensitivity, but now it makes
most of its money and future growth from selling disposable refills for
its machines. Will there be soul searching, or will purely financial
considerations dominate? It will probably be acquired before too long
anyway, and the plot will thicken.]
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Suzlon bags 27 MW wind power order from ITC.—reliability
high.
Suzlon Energy has received an order from conglomerate ITC to supply 27
MW of wind power turbines to projects in Karnataka and Maharashtra for
an undisclosed amount. "'The agreement with Suzlon for the
establishment of two new wind power projects is a part of ITC's
commitment to pursue a low-carbon high-growth strategy and
progressively increase its use of renewable energy sources,' ITC
Divisional Chief Executive Tobacco Division Sanjiv Puri said." From
Business Standard.
Greening Wal-Mart's Supply Chains.—reliability
medium.
Review of Wal-Mart's environmental goals and actions it has undertaken
to meet them. "Regardless of Wal-Mart’s motives, because of its scale,
the positive implications of its Sustainability Index could be a sea
change for its $400 billion business, over 100,000 global suppliers,
millions of customers around the world and the environment." "Wal-Mart
knows sustainability makes both good business sense and good public
relations sense, but it’s also responding to customer interest in
sustainable products." Gives examples of other companies' efforts and
other indexes. See
SolveClimate blog.
Outsourcing the Carbon Accounting Chore.—reliability
high.
"Carbon accounting outsourcing (CAO) could be the next big thing in the
US$80 billion business process outsourcing (BPO) industry. Early out of
the gate is FirstCarbon, a carbon data management Click to learn how
AT&T Application Management can help you focus on the growth and
profitability of your business. subsidiary of global outsourcing
services provider ADEC Solutions. Launched in June 2009, FirstCarbon is
touted as the first outsourcing firm to allow companies to hand over
their carbon measurement and reporting activities to a third party."
Other outsourcing service providers and software are discussed. See
e-Commerce Times.
A Once-Dark Polaroid Factory Goes Green.—reliability
high.
Feature about re-opening an old Polaroid film factory in Bedford,
Mass., to make Konarka's thin-film PV panels. Discusses "green" jobs in
general, pros and cons, and their potential impact. From
KOSU.
Government and
Regulation
Boiler scrappage scheme launched.—reliability
high.
UK households "with working boilers with the lowest "G" rating can
apply for [£400] vouchers from the Energy Saving Trust, which they must
put towards buying an A-rated boiler or installing a renewable heating
system such as a biomass boiler or heat pump. The government said the
£50m scheme would save as much carbon as taking 45,000 cars off the
roads, and cut a household's energy bills by up to £235 a year." "
British Gas said it would offer £400 to customers who qualified for the
government payout, allowing its customers to save £800 on the cost of a
new boiler. Npower launched its own energy scrappage scheme last year
and will continue with this offer. Again, householders could save up to
£800 by going through this scheme." From
The Guardian.
Benn unveils 20-year plan to boost food
production.—reliability high.
UK Environment Secretary Hilary Benn unveiled the government's 20-year
food strategy which hopes to get Britons to eat more healthily and
throw less food away. "The document includes proposals for a "healthy
food code of conduct" to help people choose what food to buy - ideas
include clearer labelling, smaller portions for 'energy dense' or high
salt foods, reducing fat and sugar in foods and nutrition information
on restaurant menus." Also mentions Conservatives' response. See
BBC News. [Some
stories on this announcement say food labels will bear "carbon
footprint" information under the proposed plan.]
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]
