Top Stories
US: Retailers to limit lead in handbags and
shoes.—reliability medium.
"More than 40 major apparel retailers and vendors, including Macy's,
Sears/Kmart, Target, Kohl's, JC Penney, Guess, Victoria's Secret and
Saks have agreed to set new industry-wide standards limiting lead in
handbags and other fashion products including footwear. The pledge
comes as part of a $1.7m legal settlement with the Oakland,
California-based Center for Environmental Health (CEH). ... while
federal law requires that materials in products for children contain no
more than 300 parts per million (ppm) of lead, there is no federal
standard for lead in purses. Under the agreement, ... the settling
companies have agreed to apply new standards for materials used in
handbags and accessories by 1 December 2010. And many have extended the
standards to belts and/or footwear too." Lists the 43 companies bound
by the agreement. Story in just-style.
[This is how
standards can be set in the U.S. Not by government regulation but by
agreement among industry participants and pressure groups, enforced by
court judgments.]
Companies Lack Green Metrics.—reliability
high.
"The survey found that, although C-level executives considered
environmental metrics to be important in the three regions they tested
(82 percent of participants in Scandinavia, 79 percent in Benelux, 83
percent in the U.S.), around three quarters of companies in Benelux and
Scandinavia (75 percent and 74 percent respectively) lack the
functionality to monitor the environmental impact in their current
systems. Meanwhile, in the U.S., almost half (47 percent) lacked
appropriate functionality." See Environmental
Leader. PDF of executive summary here.
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
BP disaster raises oil industry's insurance
costs.—reliability high.
"The insurance industry, reeling from losses estimated at between
$1.4bn and $3.5bn (£2.4bn) caused by the disaster, has been quick to
raise its prices. Deepwater Horizon is the largest single oil drilling
rig loss since the 1988 Piper Alpha platform explosion in the North
Sea, which triggered $3.6bn of insured losses (in 2009 dollars). ...
The agency said early reports indicated that insurance premiums for
deepwater rigs have jumped by up to 50% since the 22 April explosion,
while the cost of insuring rigs operating in shallow waters has climbed
by 15-25%." Story in The
Guardian. [The
insured loss for Deepwater Horizon would be higher but that BP
self-insured rather than buying commercial insurance. Oil will cost a
bit more.]
Enterprise's '20/20 Vision' Plan Aims to See
$50M in Energy Savings.—reliability high.
"Car rental giant Enterprise Holdings unveiled a new sustainability
initiative Thursday aimed at reducing energy costs by $50 million. The
initiative, called 20/20 Vision, seeks to reduce energy consumption and
costs by 20 percent over the next five years at the company's vast
network of neighborhood car rental branches and airport facilities."
From Greener
World Media.
Government and
Regulation
Environment Agency bans short-haul flights
for staff.—reliability high.
"The [UK] Environment Agency has become the first government-backed
body to effectively ban staff from taking domestic and short-haul
flights wherever there is a lower-carbon alternative. The agency said
it has already reduced business car mileage by 24 per cent over the
past four years, but has now moved to beef up its green travel policy
by barring staff from taking flights within England and Wales, or to
destinations in Northern Europe served by Eurostar. The policy, which
came into effect from the start of June, is expected to cut the
agency's annual carbon emissions by about 30 tonnes a year." From BusinessGreen.
BMC to Set up Two Water Recycle Plants
within an Year.—reliability medium.
"within a year, Mumbai will be having two recycling plants. It is
expected that the plants will help recycle 250 million litres of water
every day. ... if the plan works in accordance with the expectations,
and if the demand for recycled water is seen, the authorities will look
forward to set up 'separate pipeline for supplying water to the end
user'. It has been stated by the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory
Authority that if municipal bodies recycle sewage water and manage to
make it suitable for irrigation or gardening, the tariff rates will be
sliced 75% of the applicable tariffs." See Stock
Watch.
Taiwan outlying islands to lead emissions
cut effort.—reliability high.
Taiwan "will invest heavily in wind power on the Penghu islands in the
Taiwan Strait. The aim is to raise renewable energy production to half
total consumption of the 90,000 population, officials said. On the
Kinmen islets, also known as Quemoy, T$3 billion ($90 million) will be
spent to develop solar power, recycle water and push eco-friendly
architecture for the 70,000 people who live there, the Environmental
Protection Administration said." Reuters
story.
Science and
Economics
Air pollution may help trigger cardiac
arrest.—reliability high.
"The dirtier the air, the more likely people are to suffer sudden
cardiac arrest, new research from Australia shows. ... Airborne
particles are harmful to people with existing health problems, the
researchers add, but they could also trigger heart attack or even
sudden death in people with no apparent symptoms of cardiovascular
disease. ... 'the present study suggests an increase in the risk of
cardiac effects at concentrations below the current air quality
standards in Australia.'" See Reuters
story. Abstract of paper here.
Toxic cities mock 'healthy' cycle riding.—reliability
high.
"a study has shown that people riding in cities inhale tens of
millions of toxic nanoparticles with every breath, at least five times
more than drivers or pedestrians." From The
Sunday Times. Abstract of paper here.
["Define irony."]
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]
