Earth Profit
News
November 09, 2008
- Wal-Mart Unveils Styrofoam Recycling Plan
Wal-Mart Canada has launched a recycling program that sees used Styrofoam packaging from eight Wal-Mart locations going to Grace Canada for reuse in the production of commercial insulation.
“As we work with our merchandise suppliers long-term to eliminate the polystyrene used in products and packaging, we’re also looking at interim solutions to divert this waste from [...]- 12 days
source: (Environmental Leader)
November 07, 2008
- Mitsubishi Targets Sales Of $13.3 B From Cleantech Products
Mitsubishi Electric Group recently announced plans (PDF) to accelerate its push into the cleantech market. The company plans to achieve sales of about $13.3 billion in 2016 from clean technologies such as solar systems, heat pumps and other energy efficient power devices.
The company aims to expand its photovoltaic business to achieve global sales of about [...]- 13 days
source: (Environmental Leader) - Jeffrey Immelt Discusses GE’s CSR Efforts
Jeffrey Immelt, Chairman and CEO of General Electric, speaks at the BSR Conference in 2008.- 13 days
source: (Environmental Leader) - Moving Beyond ‘Carbon Neutral’ to ‘Carbon Healthy’
While many companies today attract attention and acclaim when they announce they have achieved carbon neutrality, I’d argue that we are misleading ourselves when we define this as success. The question we need to ask ourselves is this: is carbon neutrality really the ultimate goal?
On the road to environmental sustainability, we need to rethink the [...]- 13 days
source: (Environmental Leader) - Cadbury Releases CSR Report on New Website ‘DearCadbury.com’
Cadbury launched a corporate social responsibility Web site called DearCadbury.com, which provides consumers information on ethical sourcing, responsible consumption and the environment.
The site features Cadbury’s 2007/08 Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability report, which revealed that the company has reduced carbon emissions almost 4 percent to date; Cadbury is aiming for a 10 percent reduction by 2010. [...]- 13 days
source: (Environmental Leader) - Few Willing To Pay For Green Supply Chains
Capgemini in cooperation with the Georgia Institute of Technology, Oracle and DHL, released a study last month looking at the current state of logistics outsourcing.
Base on a survey of about 1,600 logistics executives from around the world, the study found that 98 percent of respondents said green supply chain initiatives are essential for future business [...]- 13 days
source: (Environmental Leader) - ISO Updates Guide For Addressing Environmental Issues In Product Standards
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has updated its guide for addressing environmental issues in product standards.
The new guide, ISO Guide 64:2008 offers product standards writers a step-by-step approach to identify and understand basic environmental aspects, as well as impacts related to the product’s entire life-cycle.
The guide recommends standard writers to conduct life-cycle evaluations of [...]- 13 days
source: (Environmental Leader) - FAO Schwarz Earns Revenue For Reducing Energy Use
FAO Schwarz announced it has enrolled in PowerPay! New York, a demand response program offered by Energy Curtailment Specialists Inc.
The toy store will earn extra revenue for reducing their energy use during peak electricity demand; this helps ECS keep demand and energy prices low.
The toy store plans to shut down lighting and computers in the [...]- 13 days
source: (Environmental Leader) - Sharing Utility Bills With Employees Encourages Waste Reduction
U.K. sustainable business experts Envirowise are urging bosses to disclose utility and recycling bills to employees. Envirowise says this will encourage them to take more responsibility for minimizing the company’s waste.
According to Envirowise research, individuals committed to cutting waste at home are lapsing into bad habits as soon as they get to work. The survey [...]- 13 days
source: (Environmental Leader) - ViewSonic Touts Green Efforts On New Website
ViewSonic Corp. has launched a new Web site focused on educating customers on the environmental features of its products.
The site offers information about the company’s effort to save energy in its products, its use of recycled material and efforts to reduce the waste associated with its products. The company is also offering a Recycle+ Trade-In [...]- 13 days
source: (Environmental Leader) - Dallas Area Gets Economic, Environmental Benefits from Green Cement
City governments around Dallas have passed resolutions to buy cement only from the least-polluting plants in the area; as a result, green cement is on the rise and air pollution is dropping.
- 14 days
source: (GreenBiz.com Green Business News) - American Electric's New Coal Plant Boasts Efficient Technologies
![Coal - CC license by Flickr user [sic]](http://www.greenbiz.com/files/imagecache/original/content/1108Coal.jpg)
A coal plant approved in Arkansas will utilize ultra-supercritical technologies, causing it to emit less carbon dioxide per kilowatt of energy produced, compared to other coal plants.
- 14 days
source: (GreenBiz.com Green Business News) - Building A Greenwash Crisis Plan
I started writing this post a few weeks ago, inspired by this article, PR Agency Warned Starbucks About Wasteful Water Policy. Like, what were they thinking?I know, I know, it’s hard to think of everything, but that they pay good money to a PR firm then ignore their advice? Hello? (Check out this post,Starbucks Coffee: How Green Is Their Java? on our sister blog, The Inspired Economist, for the whole story.)
Yes, well, they were busy. Guess they aren’t now…oh wait – free coffee on election day – business is back up!
But seriously, I talk to ecopreneurs everyday. People email me questions, catch me on Twitter or actually (gasp) pay me to give them advice (Yes, I am a marketing consultant and have been for ummm a whole bunch of years.)
Often what I hear from folks is…do you think I, as a green product manufacturer can do xyz (overpackage; make product in China; use plastic…ship my product over 2000 miles away to a customer)? My answer is
- Can a Green Business Manufacture in China?
Ecopreneurist recently received a question from a reader about whether manufacturing an eco-friendly product in China is a good idea. We thought his question would make a good topic for discussion and encourage other Ecopreneurist readers to give Chris your advice too by commenting below.
Chris wrote, “I have designed some great eco-friendly items [...that...] are not eco- or green-washed, but [are] designed from the start to be green and are made with fully sustainable and recycled materials… The problem I am having is, the only place I can find a supplier to make these green products is in China. I am afraid that there could be criticism, backlash or negative comments made about the brand because the products are not made in a more eco-friendly perceived Country. I have made a huge effort to have the items made elsewhere without any luck… Do I make the items in China if that is my only option and risk criticism?”
Chris, you are right to see this as an important branding question.
I assume that you have checked into the potential manufacturer and have confidence in that factory’s environmental record and labor practices. If you know that it is possible to manufacture a product in China in a sustainable way, then it is just a matter of either transportation or image. And, for products sold on the West Coast of the US, shipping from China can have less impact on the environment than other transportation means, such as trucking or air freight.
So, let’s assume that your product will be truly green in all ways (materials, manufacturing and shipping) and that your issue is only a matter of impression. What can you do?
November 06, 2008
- ConAgra Discusses Sustainable Packaging Initiatives
Gail Tavil, ConAgra’s VP of sustainable development research, quality and innovation, recently spoke with Packaging Digest about the company’s sustainability programs.
Tavil says that in recent years, the company has focused more on optimizing existing product designs to make sustainable changes and training new product development packaging engineers on sustainable packaging design guidelines.
Hunt’s Ketchup project was [...]- 14 days
source: (Environmental Leader) - New York Issues Wind Industry Ethics Code
New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo recently announced a new Wind Industry Ethics Code, which calls for new oversight through a Task Force and aims to establish transparency to deter improper relationships between wind companies and municipal employees. Noble Environmental Power LLC and First Wind are the first companies to sign the codes.
In an [...]- 14 days
source: (Environmental Leader) - GreenBacks #2
This is the second cartoon in a series about business and the environment! Click on the image to enlarge!
I also want to add that I make cartoons for the website worldchanging.com as well. Visit the site to see them.
- 14 days
source: (Ecopreneurist) - Homeowners Spending More For Energy Efficient Products
Forty-eight percent of homeowners would spend $2,500 or more on greening up a home for resale according to the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate “Living Green” Consumer Survey (PDF), conducted at home shows in 15 cities across the country.
Despite “cost” being singled out by 36 percent of respondents as the greatest impediment to going [...]- 14 days
source: (Environmental Leader) - Eco Friendly Bar?
This is a guest post by John Simonetta, owner of ProformaGreen, an eco-friendly promotional items consultancy. John’s blogs are designed to keep us up to date on the “greening” of his industry.
I wrote a little while ago about paper products with flower seeds in them and whether I thought they were green or not.
Well recently in doing some research for Intrepid Travel - a very cool, very green client - I located these eco-friendly bar coasters made of a paper from recycled linen and embedded with flower seeds.
So in this instance the coasters are green to start with and the added flower seeds are a selling point. Anyway, I think these things are genius, I mean really what a great idea.
I think I am so taken with them because trying to get a green theme into a bar setting is normally a challenge, but these coasters are green, practical and cheap. Just perfect.
- Small Music Labels Going Green, Are Major Labels Lagging Behind?
While major labels such as EMI, Sony BMG, Warner Music Group, and Universal Music Group have been slow to implement green initiatives, according to Plenty Magazine, some smaller labels have began to green up their acts.
Some of the initiatives these smaller labels are taking include packaging CDs in recycled material; powering their offices and studios [...]- 14 days
source: (Environmental Leader)
