Top Stories
India leads, USA lags in eco-friendly
behavior, according to 2010 Greendex.—reliability high.
Results of latest Greendex analysis by National Geographic. "American
consumer behavior continues since 2008 to rank as the least sustainable
of all countries surveyed - due partially to a car-dependent lifestyle
and high energy use in the home - followed by Canada and France, while
top-scoring consumers continue to be in India, Brazil, China, and
Mexico. The biggest 2010 improvements were seen India, Russia, and the
US, while Germany, Spain, Sweden, and France showed slight decreases."
Story at The
Independent. Access report here.
Global consumer attitudes toward green
brands.—reliability high.
"A global study on consumer perceptions of green brands and corporate
environmental behavior reveals global differences about their top
environmental concerns. A key finding shows that while climate change
is important across most countries, 30 percent of Brazilians and 26
percent of Indians cite deforestation as the top issue, and in
Australia, 68 percent of consumers say it’s important that companies
manage water efficiently." More highlights of survey results. Top
"green" brands listed. See Environmental
Leader. Access survey results here.
Companies,
Industries, Markets and Supply Chains
Investors step up climate change demands.—reliability
high.
"The proportion of institutional investors who consider firms' climate
change policies when making investment decisions has more than doubled
in the past two years, according to a new survey from the Institutional
Investors Group in Climate Change (IIGCC). The IIGCC polled senior
executives at the 26 leading financial firms within the group and found
that 60 per cent of asset owners asked climate change-related questions
when meeting potential investment managers in 2009, compared to just 30
per cent in 2007. ... Significantly, the survey found that interest in
climate change policies is having a tangible impact on firms seeking to
attract institutional investors, with 80 per cent of respondents
claiming they had actively engaged with companies on issues related to
climate change, including improvements in disclosure and integrating
climate change into business operations and strategies." See BusinessGreen
story. PDF of press release here.
[Institutional
investors care about firms' environmental actions and exposure. Just
think of all the fund managers anxiously awaiting BP's decision on
whether to pay its normal dividend given the impact of the Deepwater
Horizon oil spill. There is outcry that pensioners (whose plans invest
in BP) will suffer if the dividend isn't paid. They should have thought
of that before they put their money in an oil company.]
Cereplast Expects 400% Growth for
Bioplastics in 2010.—reliability high.
"Cereplast, a manufacturer of proprietary bio-based, sustainable
plastics, expects to ship approximately 16 million pounds of
bio-plastic resins to customers in 2010, increasing shipments by 400
percent and revenue by 190 percent compared to 2009. Cereplast recently
entered into new global distribution agreements with several companies,
including Ashland Distribution and Bunge Alimentaris, which has
contributed to the company’s rise in shipment estimates. 'Distributors
are increasingly utilizing bio-plastics as an alternative to
petroleum-sourced materials in order to meet growing consumer and
industrial demand for economically and ecologically sound, "green"
products,' said Frederic Scheer, Chairman and CEO of Cereplast, Inc."
See Environmental
Leader.
Poll: Voters Want Energy Reform, More
Regulation In Wake Of Gulf Coast Spill.—reliability high.
"The Gulf Coast oil disaster is intensifying the public's desire for
clean energy investments and increased regulation of corporate
polluters, according to a new poll commissioned by the League of
Conservation Voters. ... 'This poll makes crystal clear that the Gulf
Coast disaster is the final straw for voters when it comes to allowing
corporate polluters to dictate our energy policies,' said LCV President
Gene Karpinski in a statement." From Huffington
Post. PDF of poll results here.
Government and
Regulation
Top scientist says politicians have 'heads
in the sand' over oil.—reliability high.
"Britain's former chief scientist has attacked politicians and
industry experts who have their 'heads in the sand' over dwindling oil
supplies. Sir David King said governments, including the UK's, were too
eager to believe the optimistic predictions of economists who tell them
that 'oil will be squeezed out of the ground pretty much forever'. ...
'I can't overemphasise the importance of persuading governments to
focus attention on what's going to be a very significant issue as we
move into the next decade.'" See The
Guardian article. [Since when have
politicians cared about what will happen in the next decade? Nice try,
Sir David.]
[Crossposted from HaraBara.com courtesy of HaraBara, Inc. Copyright © 2010 HaraBara, Inc.]
