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Nike joined the group of 50 plus companies that endorse the CERES Principles – the ten commandments of environmental conduct. Endorsers commit to continually improving their beyond-compliance environmental performance in accordance with the principles. They submit annual reports and regularly engage in dialogue with special interest groups and individuals to improve performance. The endorsement process, led by CERES, comes after almost two years of intensive dialogue between Nike’s top management and members of the CERES Coalition, such as World Wildlife Fund, Fair Trade Foundation, New York City Comptroller’s Office, and the AFL-CIO. “We believe that Nike is making a conscientious attempt to improve its environmental and social performance, and we hope this commitment represents a trend toward improved environmental and labor conditions in the apparel industry,” states CERES Executive Director Robert Massie. “This announcement signifies a tremendous opportunity for environmental and social advocacy organizations to positively engage with one of the highest profile companies in the world on the issue of global responsibility.”
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The Council on Economic Priorities’s (CEP) Campaign for Cleaner Corporations ranks 200 U.S. companies in 14 industries on their environmental performance. CEP compares companies based on: environmental impact (46% of overall score); environmental management systems (34%); corporate environmental reports (10%); and compliance records (10%). Over a third of a company’s total score is based on toxic releases generated per dollar sales over three years. They also look at whether the trend in those releases is up or down during that time. Revlon, Westvaco, Archer Daniels Midland, Maytag, Ralston Purina, and Nabisco are among the worst-ranked companies. Top-Rated Companies are: Airlines: Delta Air Lines, American, United Beverages: PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch Chemicals: DuPont, Dow Chemical, Occidental Petroleum Computers: Compaq, IBM, Sun Microsystems Electronics: Rockwell International, Micron Technology, AMP Food Retailers: Great Atlantic & Pacific, Albertson’s, Giant Food Food Processors: Dole Food, Kellogg, H.J. Heinz Forest Products: Kimberly-Clark, Louisiana-Pacific, International Paper Petroleum: Sunoco, Chevron, Texaco Pharmaceutical: Allergan, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson Scientific, Photo, Control Equipment: Baxter International, Honeywell, Perkin-Elmer Semiconductors: Intel, Advanced Micro Devices, Applied Materials Personal Care: Avon Products, Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive Telecommunications: AT&T, Bell Atlantic, SBC Communications CEP: http://www.cepnyc.org
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SONY Electronics is launching the first plan in the U.S. to take-back its electronics equipment from individuals for recycling. During a successful pilot program they collected almost 600 tons of used equipment in Minnesota. The plan allows Minnesota state residents to recycle all their discarded Sony products at no cost for the next five years. Individuals will be able to drop off old Sony products at Waste Management Inc. sites around the state at least one designated day each month. Sony will cover the costs of recovering the equipment. The program may be expanded if other manufacturers participate and if retailers agree to act as drop-off sites. IBM Corp. has made electronics take-back available to large corporations since 1985. Now, for $29.99 (including shipping), individuals and small businesses can recycle any manufacturer’s computer equipment. The equipment will be sent to Envirocycle, a designated recycling center, where it will either be refurbished and donated to Gifts in Kind International – which donates to schools, libraries, charities – or it will be recycled. Customers will be given recycling information when they purchase an IBM computer. For now, information is also on IBM’s website Leading electronics manufacturers have been fighting the impending WEEE […]
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The general tone was deep disappointment as the COP-6 climate change negotiations closed unresolved. Unfortunately, 183 governments need more than two weeks to settle how the world will contend with such a complex issue. The next round of negotiations will continue in spring 2001 – in the meantime, the world keeps heating up. Much of the criticism focuses on U.S. intransigence – its insistence on using carbon sinks as a primary method to reduce emissions, rather than direct reductions. It has been shown over and over again that emission reductions are well within our means through simple measures such as energy efficiency standards. But, as Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change points out, it took about 10 years to pass today’s international trade rules and the U.S. Clean Air Act. Many observers indicate that much of the groundwork as been laid to settle the outstanding issues – sinks, supplementarity, compliance, and funding – in the next round of talks. Before the talks began, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change distributed a draft of the first full-scale update of the state of climate change since 1995. The report takes a stronger stand now on the cause […]
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A new Sierra Club report profiles an example of a smart growth development project in every state in the U.S. Although sprawl remains a difficult problem, “Innovative developers and forward thinking communities across the country are using smart growth techniques to build neighborhoods that are walkable, accessible to public transportation, and that strike a balance between access to jobs, shops and open space,” notes Sierra Club president Robert Cox. Developers are using these strategies to revitalize neglected neighborhoods, create affordable housing, and rejuvenate downtowns. The projects cited in the report were selected based on their score in a 42 question survey. It was developed by the Sierra Club’s Challenge to Sprawl Campaign Committee, which includes experts on transportation, land use planning and smart growth. Download the report: [sorry this link is no longer available]
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The latest and greatest in greenhouse gas reduction technologies will be displayed at the ClimateTech 2000 Pavilion, alongside the upcoming COP 6 meeting (the Hague, the Netherlands, November 13 – 24). The Climate Technology Initiative and SUSTAIN are the organizers. There will be opportunities to present and participate in workshops on renewable energy, transport, energy efficiency emissions trading, and CO2 sequestration. Contact Adam Smith, Climate Technology Initiative [sorry this link is no longer available]
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Fuel cell companies have recently experienced the kind of meteoric rise in share price previously reserved for biotech and Internet stocks. But most fuel cell companies do not yet have a commercial product to offer and have never turned a profit. One company’s stock increased by 648% this year but another company’s stock dropped 22% in one day. How do you make informed investment decisions? Tom Koppel, author of Ballard Power Systems, Powering the Future (which SB.com recently featured), and Jay Reynolds have produced an inexpensive report which briefly explains the fuel cell landscape. You’ll learn how they work, their various applications, and be introduced to the leading companies. You’ll learn about the uncertainties and issues facing this new industry. You can order and download the 30-page report at: Tom Koppel’s website. The $25 includes frequent future updates, by email, as the fuel cell industry evolves. You can preview the first few pages at the website.
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Do environmental management systems (EMS) improve environmental performance? Because widespread adoption of EMSs by industrial and governmental facilities has the potential to change the nature of environmental regulation, the Environmental Law Institute and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are examining this question. They are constructing a National Database on Environmental Management Systems which currently profiles 50 pilot facilities that are implementing EMSs. The project is supported by the U.S. EPA and a consortium of states known as the Multi-State Working Group. They have produced a companion report based on their initial analysis of baseline data from the 50 facilities, “The Effects of Environmental Management Systems on the Environmental and Economic Performance of Facilities.” [sorry this link is no longer available]
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According to the ECS Land Reuse Report, “brownfields redevelopment is now a mainstream real estate trend.” The report looks at national and regional trends in the reuse of contaminated land, which currently amounts to 47,600 acres across the U.S. Although Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan and Massachusetts have the most progressive approaches to land reuse, brownfields are being re-developed across the midwest, northeast and mid-atlantic states. Over half the sites are being constructed for mixed uses – commercial, cultural and residential. The authors conclude that communities and developers now feel more comfortable with these development opportunities, and states are increasingly encouraging them. http://www.ecsinc.com/landreuse
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One of the worlds leading automotive interior suppliers, Lear Corporation, will use kenaf, hemp, and jute to manufacture acrylic and polypropylene for interior applications including door panel trim, pillars, and trunk trim. The natural fiber acrylic is 70 percent plant matter, is 40 percent lighter than conventional substrates, and is recyclable. It’s enhanced elasticity means greater impact resistance and passenger safety. The use of natural fibers in plastic composites is on the rise, mostly in the auto industry. Kline & Company, a market research firm, forecasts an annual 15 – 25 percent increase in demand for agricultural fibers and wood used in automotive applications, and an annual increase of 60 percent in selected building products through 2004. They note that the market expansion is mostly driven by the fact that natural fibers cost 25 – 50 percent less than fiberglass. FROM The Carbohydrate Economy
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