Top Stories
Few firms disclose environmental practices.—reliability
high.
"Major pension funds are demanding more environmental data about
the businesses they've invested in, but most companies are still not
giving them key information about things such as energy and water
consumption, according to a new review of corporate social
responsibility in Canada. ... The review assessed environmental, social
and governance (ESG) practices of companies in Canada’s S&P/TSX 60
index. The review found only 10 of 60 corporations in the index (17 per
cent) disclosed detailed data on four environmental factors assessed in
the ranking. Only 25 per cent of those companies provided data on their
water use and waste production." More results of review, ranking of
companies. Loblaw's comes first. Feature in The
Globe and Mail.
Poll Finds Deep Concern About Energy and
Economy.—reliability high.
"Overwhelmingly, Americans think the nation needs a fundamental
overhaul of its energy policies, and most expect alternative forms to
replace oil as a major source within 25 years. Yet a majority are
unwilling to pay higher gasoline prices to help develop new fuel
sources. Those are among the findings of the latest nationwide New York
Times/CBS News poll." See The New York
Times.
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Cadbury shies away from Aussie cynics.—reliability
high.
"Cadbury is steering clear of prominent advertising of its Fairtrade
accreditation in this country because, it says, Australians know so
little about ethical and green brands. ... But its corporate affairs
chief, Daniel Ellis, says the company has not plans to trumpet its new
certification. Speaking at a forum on green branding in Melbourne
yesterday, he said the company believed Australian consumers were
poorly informed about ethical and environmental accreditation, and such
claims could leave the brand open to accusations of 'greenwashing'."
See Sydney
Morning Herald story.
Smart Move Trial shows majority of people
who drive EVs get hooked.—reliability high.
"The UK's Centre of Excellence for low carbon vehicle technologies
(CENEX) has finally announced the results of its much-anticipated
six-month trial of electric vehicles (EVs) and the news is good for
people who like plug-ins. CENEX's findings show that once drivers plant
their bottoms in the seat of an EV, the love affair with zero-emissions
motoring slowly begins to grow. In fact, 72 percent of the 264
participants who drove an electric vehicle stated that they'd happily
take an EV to replace their everyday car." More highlights and press
release. From Autoblog
Green.
Chief execs confirm commitment to low-carbon
revolution.—reliability high.
"Sustainability is now firmly entrenched as a high priority for many
of the world's top business leaders, according to a major global survey
of 750 chief executives that revealed 93 per cent believe
sustainability is critical to their company's future success. The
study, which was undertaken by consultancy giant Accenture in
partnership with the UN Global Compact initiative, revealed that far
from falling down the corporate agenda during the recession,
environmental issues are now more important than ever to business
leaders." From BusinessGreen.
Green spending by small businesses remains
low: RBC.—reliability medium.
"Canadian small businesses are not spending a lot to 'green'
operations, according to a survey by RBC. About 59% of businesses
surveyed said they spent less than $500 on green initiatives in the
past two years. But many focused on initiatives that ultimately cut
costs or reduce waste." More highlights. See bivinteractive.
Government and
Regulation
Australia probes U.S. biodiesel dumping.—reliability
high.
"Australia is investigating complaints of U.S. dumping of biodiesel on
the domestic market, the nation's customs agency said on Tuesday, a
move that could see Canberra follow Europe in imposing anti-dumping
duties. U.S. subsidies of biodiesel, commonly made from food crops and
sold as a green alternative to petroleum, have boosted cheap global
supplies of the fuel, leading the European Union last year to slap
importers with duties." Reuters
story.
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]
