In this issue: June 2011 - Latest sustainability & environmental management developments - Environment + Energy Leader
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Issue 4 • July 7, 2011 In this issue: June 2011 Latest sustainability & environmental management developments
EL Trends: June 2011
Contents:
TOP NEWS 3
ENERGY MANAGEMENT 6
COMPLIANCE & STANDARDS 7
ENVIRONMENTAL & ENERGY SOFTWARE 12
CORPORATE REPORTS 15
POLICY & LAW 19
FLEETS & TRANSPORTATION 26
REPORTING 28
GREEN BUILDING 29
SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING 31
EXECUTIVE MOVES 33
RENEWABLE ENERGY 35
CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY 41
CHEMICALS 42
RANKINGS 43
2
EL Trends | © 2011 Environmental Leader LLC. Single license EL PRO subscription can be used by one person. For multiple users, purchase
an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.Top News
The State of California can push ahead with plans to implement a carbon cap-and-trade system, a state
appellate court ruled. The decision puts regulators on course to launch the market on schedule in January
2012.
California state law requires that greenhouse gas producers reduce emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Point
Carbon called the decision by the California First District Court of Appeal ―the latest chapter in a months-long
legal battle‖ by the state Air Resources Board to meet the requirement
(http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/27/calif-cap-and-trade-work-gets-go-ahead/).
Google announced it would retire Google PowerMeter, a product that the company said ―didn’t catch on the
way we would have hoped.‖ The search giant said on its blog that the tool for monitoring energy usage did
serve as an ―influential model‖ for consumer access to electricity data. PowerMeter will be retired September
16.
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously against the states in AEP v. Connecticut, ruling that they can’t
invoke federal law to force utilities to cut greenhouse-gas emissions. The six states – California,
Connecticut, Iowa, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont – along with New York City and three
environmental groups, had sued five major utilities, arguing that the carbon dioxide emitted by power plants
is a public nuisance. http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/21/utilities-epa-both-winners-in-supreme-
court-ghg-ruling/).
The latest round of U.N. talks on global warming ended in uncertainty: not only over the future of the Kyoto
Protocol, but even over when the negotiators will next meet. UN Framework Convention (UNFCCC)
executive secretary Christiana Figueres warned of a possible gap between commitment periods for the Kyoto
Protocol. The first phase of the protocol, the world’s only international agreement with binding targets for
3
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an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.greenhouse gas reduction, ends in 2012 (http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/17/bonn-wrap-up-
kyoto-faces-gap-figueres-urges-action/).
The McGraw-Hill Companies and NJR Clean Energy Ventures, a subsidiary of New Jersey Resources,
plan to build the nation’s largest privately-owned, net-metered solar project on the publisher’s East Windsor,
N.J. campus. The energy produced by the 14.1 megawatt solar system is expected to reduce the equivalent
of about 10 percent of McGraw-Hill’s annual global carbon emissions and significantly lower the company’s
long-term electricity costs. The solar array is expected to produce 18 million kWh annually.
Stop & Shop owner Ahold USA is deploying EnerNOC’s EfficiencySMART Insight platform to reduce
energy usage and spending across 630 stores. The system will use real-time data from Ahold’s
supermarkets throughout New England and the mid-Atlantic, which include not just Stop & Shop but also
Giant Food of Maryland and Giant/Martin’s grocery stores. Dutch-based Ahold also owns Peapod, an online
grocer http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/15/ahold-to-use-enernoc-efficiency-it-at-630-stores/).
The International Organization for Standardization has released ISO 50001, a standard for energy
management systems. The standard aims to help organizations establish the systems and processes to
improve their energy performance, including efficiency and consumption. The ISO says the standard is
applicable to all types and sizes of organizations.
ISO 50001 is designed to help companies make better use of their energy-consuming assets, evaluate and
prioritize the implementation of energy-efficient technology, and promote efficiency throughout the supply
chain. It is designed to integrate with other management standards, especially ISO 14001 on environmental
management and ISO 9001 on quality management (http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/15/iso-
50001-energy-management-standard-published/).
Mattel has pledged to create a sustainable procurement policy and directed suppliers to put a freeze on
purchases from Asia Pulp & Paper, following Greenpeace protests over the origin of its packaging
(http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/13/mattel-bows-to-greenpeace-pressure-on-app-packaging/).
The Council of the European Union has broadened the application of RoHS, the Restriction of the Use of
Certain Hazardous Substances Directive, as we previewed last month. The council revised the directive to
4
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an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.apply to all electrical and electronic equipment as well as cables and spare parts. The rule provides for
several transitional periods: monitoring and control devices and medical devices will be covered in three
years, in vitro medical devices in five years and industrial control appliances in six years.
The ruling also obliges the European Commission to regularly review and adapt the list of restricted
substances according to a number of criteria, meaning that further substances may be banned in the future.
Currently the law bans six hazardous substances, including lead, mercury and cadmium. For more
information on the RoHS revision, see the EU’s RoHS Recast Corrigendum and the RoHS Recast
Addendum.
Supervalu Inc. and its Albertsons brand of supermarkets have announced that they will move 40 stores to be
zero waste by the end of next February, Waste & Recycling News reports. The announcement was made as
part of Supervalu’s 2011 corporate social responsibility report. The report shows that the retailer was the first
in the U.S. to achieve zero waste classification, for two Albertsons stores in Santa Barbara, Calif., the
website reports.
Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Prologis and NRG have unveiled a ground-breaking partnership designed to
finance up to $2.6 billion of commercial and industrial rooftop solar arrays, giving a huge boost to the
amount of grid-connect solar online in the U.S. today. Once finalized the agreement will be the largest
distributed solar deal in history, the partners said. They said they have been offered a conditional
commitment for $1.4 billion of debt facilities from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office for
the project, which aims to install 733 MW of power and create the equivalent of more than 10,000 full-year
jobs across 28 states (http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/23/huge-bofa-project-to-install-2-6bn-of-
solar-on-company-roofs-across-u-s/).
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has started development of a taxonomy for the eXtensible Business
Reporting Language, which holds the promise of automating the disclosure of sustainability data.
GRI and Deloitte have signed an agreement outlining the project, which would include publication of an
XBRL taxonomy covering the GRI’s G3 and G3.1 reporting guidelines.
5
EL Trends | © 2011 Environmental Leader LLC. Single license EL PRO subscription can be used by one person. For multiple users, purchase
an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.Energy Management
Hewlett Packard has unveiled a modular system that it calls the world’s most efficient data center. HP
says the HP POD 240a, also called the EcoPOD, packs the equivalent of a 10,000 square foot data center
into a compact, serviceable package in one-tenth the space. It can reduce annual facilities energy spend by
up to 95 percent with a power usage effectiveness as low as 1.05, HP says.
Lenovo is rolling out a suite of laptops that will be the first PCs to support the Cisco EnergyWise energy
management service. The companies say that a company using EnergyWise to shift unused phones to
―sleep‖ mode, laptops to battery mode and other wireless access points to low-power mode during peak-
demand electricity pricing can realize up to 35 percent savings on its energy bill.
Coca-Cola has installed two UTC Power fuel cells at one of its refreshment plants in East Hartford, Conn.
They will provide 100 percent of the electricity and 50 percent of the heat required to operate the East
Hartford facility and will enable Coca-Cola to reduce its energy use by 30 percent at the plant.
(http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/28/coke-plant-to-be-powered-by-utc-fuel-cell/).
Eaton Corporation has opened two new data centers projected to deliver $23 million in energy savings. The
data centers in Louisville, Ky., and Simpsonville, Ky., will replace two data centers located near Cleveland,
Ohio, one of which is 43 years old. Both of the old centers are beginning to run short of space and power and
do not meet the company’s sustainability standards, Eaton says.
Eaton has installed its 9395 Uninterruptible Power Systems (UPS) at the new facilities, along with its 400V
ePDU product to extend the capabilities of its UPS technology line, allowing users to run servers at 230V.
Although 84 percent of federal agencies have data center consolidation as a priority, only 23 percent of
federal IT decision-makers say that their IT departments can fully track consolidation savings, according to a
report by MeriTalk and NetApp. The study of 157 federal IT decision-makers also found that 67 percent of
respondents do not know average kilowatts per rack electricity usage across their data centers and 77
percent do not know the power usage effectiveness (PUE) of their data centers, compared to just 18 percent
6
EL Trends | © 2011 Environmental Leader LLC. Single license EL PRO subscription can be used by one person. For multiple users, purchase
an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.in the private sector. Federal CIO Vivek Kundra has announced that 137 data centers will be closed this year
with the goal of closing another 600-plus by 2015.
Hara and Viridity are among the ten energy tech companies to win $63 million of investments from GE and
its venture capital partners in the second round of the $200 million Ecomagination Challenge.
The winners include: Ember, GMZ Energy, Hara, Nuventix, On-Ramp Wireless, Project Frog, SunRun,
Viridity Energy, VPhase, WiTricity.
Verizon has significantly reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions at 24 of its U.S. data
centers through its installation of an energy management system from Vigilent. The software targets cooling
efficiency and instantly cut energy use by turning off about 40 percent of the computer room air conditioners
in these data centers within two days of system implementation, Verizon said. The platform helped Verizon
decrease average temperatures by two degrees Fahrenheit throughout the data centers, with significantly
reduced temperature fluctuations and extremes.
Compliance & Standards
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and energy efficiency software provider Scientific Conservation,
Inc. (SCI) are working to allow building owners to use SCIwatch technology in combination with the LEED
Online platform. The SCI technology allows automated fault detection for predictive maintenance.
The EPA is proposing to approve California’s air quality plans, called the State Implementation Plans, for
fine particles (PM2.5) in the South Coast and San Joaquin Valley. But the EPA is proposing to disapprove the
plans’ contingency measures, arguing that they do not provide sufficient emissions reductions.
The National Association of Home Builders is suing the federal government over the ―pollution diet‖, or
total maximum daily load (TMDL), set with states for rivers that drain into the Chesapeake Bay. The group
alleges that the Environmental Protection Agency’s computer modeling was faulty, that it didn’t allow for
7
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an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.sufficient public review and that the federal government doesn’t have the authority to define specific pollution
limits.
AU Optronics Corp. has announced that its G8.5 facility in Central Taiwan Science Park has passed the ISO
50001 standard for energy management, which AUO says makes it the first manufacturer in the world to
obtain the certification. The same plant won LEED Platinum status last month. Meanwhile, AUO’s TV module
plant in Suzhou, China has also passed the evaluation. AUO says its next step is to apply this energy
management system to all its global production sites.
Irish software company Enerit has released a product designed to help large energy users achieve the
new ISO 50001 energy management standard. Studies using Enerit software have already shown major
energy savings, the company said. A regional development organization that owns 300 buildings ran a pilot
for 15 of its offices and industrial buildings, reducing electricity consumption by 18 percent through no-cost
and low-cost actions.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Electric Vehicles Standards Panel (EVSP) has begun to
lay the groundwork for a strategic roadmap that aims to define the standards and conformance programs
needed to enable widespread acceptance and deployment of electric vehicles and associated
infrastructure in the U.S.
The panel is co-chaired by Jim Matthews, director, technical standards and standards policy, Corning
Incorporated, and Jim Pauley, senior vice president, external affairs and government relations of Schneider
Electric. The EVSP aims to produce a standardization roadmap by year’s end.
The U.S. and the EU are close to establishing joint standards for plug-in vehicles. EU trade commissioner
Karel De Gucht said, ―The EU and the U.S. are about to agree to an ambitious work plan aiming at aligning
regulatory issues, standards and research.‖
Neptune Technology Group have released a white paper explaining how standards for lead performance
in water meters and other plumbing fixtures are getting stricter, and how state and federal regulations
will reflect the changes. NSF/ANSI is changing the requirements for lead leaching (Standard 61 Annex F) in
8
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an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.drinking water system components. And the new Safe Drinking Water Act will mandate lead content when it
goes into effect in January 2014, Neptune said. The white paper is available here.
Concentrated solar power (CSP) experts say that standards are lacking for a number of components that
go into CSP systems. These include mirror paint, parabolic troughs, and transparent conductive oxide films.
The experts were speaking at a solar symposium held jointly by ASTM International and the Glass
Association of North America.
A Brazilian Coca-Cola bottler has become the first customer to buy sugar cane product certified under a
new sustainability standard launched by the World Wildlife Fund
Testing, certification and compliance company TUV Rheinland will get access to a multi-million-part
database for its RoHS and REACH services under an agreement with content management provider
GreenSoft Technology, Inc. The two companies said that their agreement will lower costs and speed the
certification process for electronics manufacturers seeking to be in compliance with constantly evolving
worldwide environmental regulations and directives.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has unveiled a new strategy to meet challenges posed by rapidly
rising imports of FDA-regulated products, in a report called the ―Pathway to Global Product Safety and
Quality.‖ The report says the FDA should partner with counterparts worldwide to create global coalitions of
regulators focused on ensuring and improving global product safety and quality.
Changes to the WEEE directive propose to reduce the regulations’ ten categories to five, according to Gary
Nevison of Farnell, writing for Electronics Weekly. But some details are still to be agreed, such as whether
household equipment is to be differentiated by both weight and size. Second reading negotiations are due to
start later this year, and the changes will come into force no earlier than January 2014.
The decision not to restrict the use of beryllium and beryllium oxide under the newly revised European
Union RoHS (Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic
Equipment) list of restricted substances will help ensure that the next generation of electronic products is
affordable and offers high-quality performance, according to W. Glenn Maxwell, president of Materion Brush
Performance Alloys.
9
EL Trends | © 2011 Environmental Leader LLC. Single license EL PRO subscription can be used by one person. For multiple users, purchase
an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.UTZ Certified, the organization behind the Good Inside sustainable coffee seal, has joined industry
sustainability group the 4C Association, which aims to align sustainability standards to reach more farmers.
The organizations say that collaboration within the coffee sector is necessary to getting a significantly larger
part of coffee production on the road towards sustainability.
Schneider Electric’s head office is the first building in the world to earn the new ISO 50001 certification for
energy management systems, the company has announced. Schneider began adapting the energy
management system at the Rueil-Malmaison, France HQ to meet the standard in late 2010.
In more firsts, the Climate Registry has awarded its first Climate Registered Platinum status to Eastman
Kodak Company and Bentley Prince Street, and its first Climate Registered Gold status to the U.S. Postal
Service. The platinum status recognizes GHG reductions of more than 20 percent, and the gold status
recognize emissions reductions of more than five percent.
A new report by Zurich Insurance says that manufacturers are opening themselves up to the risk of
financial penalties because they are failing to plan properly for new environmental legislation, the Financial
Times reports. The report says that only one in three manufacturers feel they are ―highly exposed‖ to these
risks, and many of these companies are prevented from taking action by the difficult economy.
The EPA had identified several parts of the country that do not meet tighter airborne lead standards, which
states are required to implement. The areas identified include parts of Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Illinois and
Puerto Rico.
The European Commission has given ten member states two months to comply with a directive that requires
governments to use their purchasing power to support the adoption of alternative-fuel and energy-
efficient vehicles. If the states do not comply, they risk legal action and multimillion pound finds, the EC
said. The countries are Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Slovakia, Sweden
and the U.K.
The first plenary meeting of the ANSI Electric Vehicles Standards Panel (EVSP) took place in Detroit. The
panel aims to create a strategic roadmap identifying the standards and assessment programs needed for
widespread deployment of electric vehicles in the United States.
10
EL Trends | © 2011 Environmental Leader LLC. Single license EL PRO subscription can be used by one person. For multiple users, purchase
an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.The world’s first ISO-accredited certification for carbon management professionals has been launched by
the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute (GHGMI) and Eco-Canada. The Environmental Professional
Certification on Greenhouse Gases, or ISO 17024, will be available both to quantifiers (those who measure
emissions for an inventory or emissions reduction project) and to verifiers (those who confirm whether a
given GHG inventory has met established criteria).
Draft sustainability standards for cell phones have been released by UL Environment, a unit of Underwriters
Laboratories. UL is developing the UL ISR 110 standard for ―environmentally preferable‖ phones together
with representatives from industry and non-profits.
Standard-setter NSF International has developed an official national standard for sustainable commercial
furnishing fabrics. NSF/ANSI 336 will be available for a variety of materials: woven, non-woven, bonded
and knitted fabrics used for upholstery (e.g. office and hotel furniture), as well as vertical fabrics (e.g.
drapery, panel system fabrics) and decorative top of bed applications (e.g. bedspreads) that are commonly
used in institutional, hospitality and office settings.
Fraud to avoid compliance with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive on e-waste
is happening in Spain on a massive scale, according to the country’s environmental prosecutor, ENDS
Europe reports. The prosecutor’s report on investigations in 2010 says that non-compliance is ―systematic‖,
and fraud is taking place at all levels of the WEEE collection and treatment chain. In Madrid last year, 60
people including scrap merchants and waste treatment managers were charged for breaches of WEEE,
according to the report.
U.K. recycler Environmental Waste Controls’ says that e-waste left in its care ended up being dumped in
west Africa, in violation of WEEE regulations.
11
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an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.Environmental & Energy Software
3E Company, a provider of environmental health and safety (EH&S) compliance and information
management services, has launched MSDgen 6.05, an enhanced version of its Material Safety Data Sheet
(MSDS) authoring system.
London business education and training campus, the Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing
Excellence (CEME), will install FirstCarbon Solution ghgTrack software to manage its carbon footprint. The
entire business park will be able to reduce its environmental risk, provide stakeholders with centralized
access to all carbon management tasks, and collect data on scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions sources,
FirstCarbon says.
Duke’s installation of IHS Essential Suite has created an integrated platform that helps it perform 250 hourly
checks for potential compliance deviations, each with automatic notifications. Using the suite, the company
has processed over 35,000 tasks for 32 task groups at over 800 production units
(http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/08/duke-replaces-60-systems-with-integrated-ehs-suite/).
IBM launched its Intelligent Building Management software, which the IT company estimates can reduce
maintenance costs by 10 to 30 percent, and cut energy usage by up to 40 percent. The company has also
announced that the platform, which it beta-released earlier this year, is already in use at Tulane University,
the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and IBM’s own campus in Rochester, Minn.
Smart grid technology supplier GridPoint Inc. has announced the release of utility management
software GridPoint Energy Manager. The software complements existing hardware and service offerings to
manage the deployment and operation of energy endpoints, such as building management systems, solar
arrays, electric vehicle and home energy management technologies.
Eniram Limited, provider of dynamic decision support systems for the shipping industry, today announced
that it has signed a five-year agreement to provide FLEET, its web-based reporting solution for fleet level
performance, to Norwegian Cruise Line. Norwegian will deploy FLEET for nine of its cruise ships.
12
EL Trends | © 2011 Environmental Leader LLC. Single license EL PRO subscription can be used by one person. For multiple users, purchase
an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.Midas Medici Group Holdings Inc., a green IT company, has launched UtiliPoint Analytics. The product
aims to provide methodology and tools to advance smart grid applications, smart meter data management,
and data center efficiency tools.
Scientific Conservation Inc. (SCI), a provider of energy efficiency solutions, has signed a definitive
agreement to acquire Servidyne Inc., an energy management and demand-response company, for a price of
$3.50 per share in an all-cash transaction.
Fleet efficiency firm GreenRoad has added increased functionality to GreenRoad 360, its fleet driver
performance and safety management tool. The enhancements include functions that keep the vehicle under
the posted speed limit and recognize ―idling hot-spots‖ among a fleet within a geographic area or on routes.
Efficiency software provide 1E has announced that IT firms MCPc Inc. and TriCon Technical Services Inc.
have joined its North American channel partner program. The 1E channel program is designed to provide its
partners with highly customized tools and resources to help them gain market traction, 1E says.
Schneider Electric has launched a new software suite designed to help data center managers address all
aspects of monitoring and operations. The company says that previously, data center management tools
were fragmented into specialized domains, but that StruxureWare for Data Centers unifies these into a single
toolset to manage power, cooling, physical security and remote access.
Enablon, a provider of sustainability management software, has received a $15 million investment from the
Environmental Technologies Fund. The financing will support the company’s further expansion in Europe,
North America and Asia along with increased product research and development.
Viridity has updated its data center infrastructure management (DCIM) software to let businesses keep track
of how much electrical power is being consumed by individual applications and lines of business, reports
CIO News. Viridity’s EnergyCenter Version 2.0, set for release on July 1, is based on a database of
information about ―tens of thousands‖ of server configurations, including how much electrical power each
configuration uses at small incremental levels of utilization.
13
EL Trends | © 2011 Environmental Leader LLC. Single license EL PRO subscription can be used by one person. For multiple users, purchase
an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.Domtar Corporation has launched a new online environmental tool called ―Paper Trail,‖ which allows its
customers to review the environmental impact of its paper products. The database allows users to filter by
product name, paper weight, size and quantity.
OPW Fuel Management Systems, a designer and manufacturer of tank gauges and automated fuel
control systems, has launched Phoenix SQL Fuel Management Software. The browser-based program
features a new interface that allows users to easily navigate more than 60 different types of reports and
consolidate data collected from multiple sites with customizable report parameters. Phoenix SQL software
offers on-demand transaction polling for fuel control systems and tank gauges. In addition, Phoenix SQL is
designed to poll multiple TCP/IP-based fuel control systems and tank gauges simultaneously, reducing data
collection times for multiple fuel sites.
Airclic has released a new software product, Transport Perform, that aims to help third-party logistics (3PL)
providers with automating the ―last mile‖ delivery process. The software is a full-service logistics
management tool with features including dispatch control of routes, GPS tracking, geo-fencing and route
reconciliation. Airlic said the software will assist 3PL providers with the management of fuel costs and
efficiency. The platform can be deployed on any mobile device.
A broad new range of software is emerging in response to companies’ need for operational and process-level
sustainability management, according to a report by AltaTerra. The report, ―Enterprise Sustainability
Management Solutions: Reference Architecture and Buyers Guide‖, says that IT for sustainability, energy,
and environmental resource management is developing rapidly. The market is complex, with software on
several different levels, and a mix of established players and new entrants are offering both broad and
specialized platforms.
Serious Materials has changed its name to Serious Energy, reflecting the company’s growing suite of energy
software services and energy-efficiency building products. The company launched SeriousEnergy Manager
last autumn. At the time, the firm said that SeriousEnergy was the name of its new business unit, anchored
by the software offering.
Sustainability consulting firms PE International and Five Winds International, which share clients including
Kraft and Carnival Cruise Lines, have announced a merger aimed at enabling market penetration in North
14
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an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.America. The new combined company will provide the North American market with strategic management
advisory services as well as software from PE International’s portfolio, which includes the GaBi platform for
product sustainability (life cycle assessment and product footprints), and SoFi software for managing
corporate sustainability.
The global market for carbon management grew 84 percent from 2009 to 2010, and will grow at a rapid
compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of almost 35 percent through 2017, according to a report by cleantech
analysts Pike Research.
That means that the market is now set to expand by over 700 percent from 2010 to 2017, to $5.7 billion
(http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/13/carbon-management-market-to-grow-700-in-7-years/).
Corporate Reports
IBM saved $29.7 million in energy expenses and conserved 272,000 MWh of electricity in 2010, according to
the company’s 2010 Corporate Responsibility Report. The report says that in 2010, IBM’s energy
conservation projects saved an amount equal to 5.7 percent of its total energy use, beating a corporate goal
of 3.5 percent. Besides saving electricity costs and consumption, these projects avoided 352,000 million
BTUs of fuel oil and natural gas and more than 139,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions. Since 2008 IBM has
saved over $50 million on electricity and conserved 523,000 MWh of electricity
(http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/27/ibm-saves-30m-in-energy-costs-in-one-year/).
Constellation Energy’s proportion of electricity from combustion sources has risen because of the company’s
selling equity in its nuclear power plants, according to the company’s 2010 corporate social responsibility
report (http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/30/constellations-proportion-of-coal-up-after-nuclear-
sales/).
Consumer chemical firm SC Johnson has announced that it has achieved its greenhouse gas reduction goal
set through the now defunct U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leaders program
(http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/29/sc-johnson-cuts-ghgs-27-meets-climate-leaders-goal/).
15
EL Trends | © 2011 Environmental Leader LLC. Single license EL PRO subscription can be used by one person. For multiple users, purchase
an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.The company achieved a 27.4 percent absolute reduction, exceeding its goal to reduce total emissions by
eight percent from 2005. This is the second time that SC Johnson has surpassed its greenhouse gas
reduction goal, the company says.
Coca-Cola’s European arm cut its carbon emissions by four percent in 2010 while its business volume grew
by four percent, according to its 2010/2011 Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report. In 2010,
Coca-Cola Enterprises calculated its operational carbon footprint at 795,181 metric tons, 35,600 tonnes
below 2009 levels. The company says it has invested $8.1 million in making cold drinks equipment more
efficient, installed 2,800 doors on open-fronted coolers and improved efficiencies in manufacturing and
distribution.
In 2010 CCE also exceeded its water use ratio reduction target one year ahead of schedule, using 1.42 liters
of water to make one liter of product. That was down six percent from 1.51 liters in 2009
(http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/29/coca-cola-european-co2-down-4-sales-up-4/).
Honda has announced a target to reduce CO2 emissions from its products by 30 percent by the end of 2020,
compared to 2000 levels. The car maker announced the goal as part of its Environmental Annual Report
2011. It said that in addition to reducing CO2 emissions during production and in its supply chain, it will
strengthen efforts to realize CO2 emissions reductions throughout all corporate activities. The company said
it will also seek to advance energy management technologies.
Kroger manufacturing plants cut their waste to landfill by 30 percent between 2009 and 2010, and the
company’s fleet increased its cases shipped per gallon by eight percent, according to the supermarket’s
2011 sustainability report. The report says that Kroger plants reduced their waste to landfill by 22 million
pounds in 2010. The company has a goal of a further 30 percent reduction, against the 2009 baseline, in
2011. This year it expects at least seven of its manufacturing plants to become zero waste-to-landfill, and
aims to achieve that goal for all its plants by 2014 (http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/23/kroger-
cuts-waste-30-fleet-efficiency-up-8/).
GE spent about $1.8 billion on research and development of clean technologies and developed 22 new
products as part of its Ecomagination initiative in 2010, the company has announced. According to its annual
Ecomagination report, GE is on course to meet its goal of $10 billion cumulative investment between 2010
16
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an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.and 2015. Last year the company generated $18 billion in revenues from Ecomagination products, and has
surpassed $85 billion in sales since the program began in 2005
(http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/21/ges-ecomagination-spent-1-8bn-launched-22-products-in-
2010/).
Last year Ford beat nearly all its facilities-based environmental targets, with a 5.6 percent improvement in
global energy efficiency, and an eight percent reduction in water use, according to its 2010-11 sustainability
report. The report says that Ford improved U.S. facility energy efficiency by 4.6 percent in 2010, exceeding a
three percent target (http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/17/ford-beats-facilities-targets-on-water-
efficiency-waste/).
Verizon increased its number of alternative fuel vehicles more than six-fold last year, according to the
company’s 2010-11 corporate responsibility report, and it’s looking to triple its inventory of such vehicles by
2015. The company adopted 1,642 alternative fuel vehicles last year, with the total number of such vehicles
now equalling five percent of the company’s total fleet. In 2010 Verizon bought 604 GM hybrid electric
pickups, converted 370 of its existing vehicles to use biofuel and acquired eight hybrid aerial splicers. All
three categories were firsts for the company (http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/15/verizon-aims-
to-triple-alt-fuel-fleet-by-2015/).
AT&T will ensure that a majority of its spend this year goes to suppliers that track their GHG emissions or
have plans to do so by 2012, in one of several new goals announced in the company’s 2010 Sustainability
Report. AT&T has also announced 2011 goals to add at least 5 MW of renewable energy and make sure 100
percent of its corporate real estate managers have energy targets in their annual performance review
scorecards, and will this year launch initiatives to reduce energy consumption equivalent to $40 million
(http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/14/att-sets-2011-goals-on-supplier-carbon-renewables/).
Marks & Spencer has achieved over half of the commitments outlined in its ecological and ethical corporate
program, Plan A, according to its How We Do Business Report for 2010/11. The report says that by the end
of 2010/11, M&S had achieved 95 commitments, with 77 on plan, seven behind and one on hold
(http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/10/marks-spencer-over-halfway-on-plan-a-sustainability-
goals/).
17
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an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.Kimberly-Clark, the company behind Kleenex, Scott and Huggies, has committed to a 25 percent cut in water
use and five percent absolute reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2015, from a 2010 baseline. Those
targets are just two of a suite of 2015 sustainability goals, which Kimberly-Clark unveiled at the annual
meeting of the Corporate Eco Forum (CEF), an invitation-only membership organization for Fortune 500
companies that demonstrate commitment to sustainability
(http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/08/kimberly-clark-to-cut-ghg-5-water-25-by-2015/).
Freight rail company CSX Corporation today announced that it has beaten a goal of reducing greenhouse
gas emissions by eight percent per revenue ton mile. CSX was targeting the end of 2011 but says it met the
goal in late 2010.
The U.S. Postal Service has reported an eight percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from a fiscal
year 2008 baseline. Reduced facility energy use represented almost half of the Postal Service’s GHG
emissions decrease. What’s not clear is whether much falling mail volumes have affected USPS emissions
figures as much as they have its finances.
American Airlines parent company AMR reduced its greenhouse gas intensity by five percent from 2009 to
2010, according to the company’s third annual corporate responsibility report. The airline did not state a
precise intensity figure, but a chart in the report showed the 2010 intensity to be between 1.5 and 2.0 metric
tons of CO2e per 1,000 Revenue Ton Miles, which is the weight of passengers and cargo the company was
paid to transport (http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/03/american-airlines-cuts-ghg-intensity-5/).
Boeing’s revenue-adjusted energy use, CO2 emissions and water intake all rose last year compared to 2009,
but were down significantly on 2002, according to the company’s 2011 Environment Report. Boeing’s
revenue last year fell six percent from $68 billion to $64 billion, while its CO2 fell three percent in absolute
terms from 1.29 to 1.25 million metric tons. As a result, revenue-adjusted CO2 emissions were up three
percent, from 18.91 to 19.5 metric tons per $1 million. Relative CO2 emissions have, however, seen the
greater long-term improvement: 28 percent since 2002, compared to 13 percent for absolute emissions
(http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/06/boeing-relative-emissions-up-on-2009-down-on-2002/).
REI increased its carbon emissions by 7.3 percent last year, less than the company’s 14 percent sales
growth, according to its fifth annual stewardship report. In 2010, the outdoor gear and apparel company’s
18
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an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.post-offset CO2e emissions were 75,072 tons, up from 69,982 in 2009. The most significant contributors to
this increase were corporate travel, employee commuting, and product transportation, which are all a direct
result of company growth (http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/06/rei-sales-growth-outpaces-
emissions/).
Policy & Regulatory
The House appropriations subcommittee on energy and water passed a bill that cuts renewable energy
funding by 27 percent to $1.3 billion, or $1.9 billion below what Obama sought in his budget, the Hill reports.
The panel’s bill cuts $97 million for solar power, $46 million for fuel-efficient vehicle technologies and $200
million for vehicle technology deployment. The bill also cut the Department of Energy’s science budget,
which funds research into early-stage technology, by $42 million from $4.8 billion. The budget now goes to
the full appropriations committee.
The House energy and commerce committee approved, 34 to 14, the Jobs and Energy Permitting Act (HR
2021). The legislation introduced by Reps. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Gene Green (D-TX) aims to remove
regulatory barriers to offshore oil and gas exploration.
The Brazilian government gave final approval for a huge hydroelectric power plant in the Amazon rain
forest, the New York Times reports. The 11,200 MW Belo Monte dam has been in the planning for three
decades, and would be the world’s third largest.
Some house Republicans urged the Obama administration to speed up permitting for renewable energy
projects. At a House natural resources committee hearing, chairman Doc Hastings (R-WA) said that
―bureaucratic delays, unnecessary lawsuits and burdensome environmental regulations‖ are slowing the
growth of renewables as well as oil and gas.
President Obama announced his choice for commerce secretary: John Bryson, former chairman and CEO of
utility company Edison International – the parent company of Southern California Edison and Edison Mission
Group – and co-founder of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Republicans quickly attacked
19
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an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.the nomination, with House oversight and government reform committee chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) calling
Bryson a ―green evangelist‖ and describing Obama’s choice as ―deeply out-of-touch with our current energy
challenge.‖
Germany’s decision to shut all its nuclear plants by 2022 will add up to 40 million metric tons of carbon to
the atmosphere each year, or an amount equivalent to the annual emissions of Slovakia, analysts told
Reuters. These emissions will in turn raise the price of carbon permits, some of the analysts said.
Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin said that the U.S. should eliminate all energy subsidies, Politico
reported. In response to a question about ethanol subsidies, Palin told reporters, ―I think all our energy
subsidies need to be re-looked at and eliminated… And we need to make sure that we’re investing and
allowing our businesses to invest in reliable energy products right now that aren’t going to necessitate
subsidies because, bottom line, we can’t afford it.‖
The European Commission will move forward on its plan to include aviation in its emissions trading scheme,
WSJ reports. According to the plan, EU airlines will have specific CO2 allocations and will pay a penalty of
EUR100 for every additional ton of CO2 emitted. As reported earlier, the limits will apply not only to
European businesses but to others, such as AMR’s American Airlines, that operate flights in Europe
(http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/06/eu-reasserts-intention-to-include-airlines-in-ets-trade-war-
coming/).
The Department of the Interior on outlined a plan to streamline permitting for offshore drilling. The
proposals by the department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement
(BOEMRE) come as Republicans and some Democrats accuse the Obama administration of dragging its
feet on energy permits.
Three decades of rapid economic growth have left China with “very grave” environmental problems, the
country’s Ministry of Environmental Protection said in its 2010 annual report, according to the New York
Times. The ministry also said that China has made major improvements in air and water quality, with surface
water pollutants down 32 percent and sulfur dioxide emissions in cities down 19 percent. Officials said the
country has met goals it set for a five-year period ending this December.
20
EL Trends | © 2011 Environmental Leader LLC. Single license EL PRO subscription can be used by one person. For multiple users, purchase
an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.A Navy official told the House energy and commerce committee that a 2007 law seeking to block military
purchases of high-carbon alternative fuels has been a success, the Hill reports.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to suspend plans to
place Bisphenol A (BPA) on a list of substances that may harm the environment, the Detroit Free Press
reports. The EPA said last year that it would study the effects of BPA and consider putting it on a ―concern
list‖.
President Obama has nominated Rebecca Wodder, the long-time CEO of conservation group American
Rivers, to replace Tom Strickland as assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks. The selection could be
opposed by some in the Senate because of American Rivers’ positions on hydroelectric power and river
restoration.
The New Hampshire Senate sent governor John Lynch a bill that would withdraw the state from the
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The governor has said he will veto the bill, and the Senate does not
have the votes to override his veto.
Canada joined Japan and Russia in saying that it would not support proposals to extend the Kyoto
Protocol past 2012, Reuters reports. Developing countries and emerging economies want to extend the
protocol, creating a deadlock at the U.N.’s climate talks in Bonn.
EU member states will soon be allowed to charge trucking companies for air and noise pollution costs,
after the European Parliament approved a directive to ensure that revenue from these charges is used to
improve transportation systems and cut pollution.
Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are demanding answers from EPA
Administrator Lisa Jackson on programs that they say have sent nearly $100 million overseas in the past
decade. Committee investigators said that the EPA continues to hand out millions of dollars at ―an alarming
rate‖, to dozens of countries including China, Russia, and India as well as international organizations like the
United Nations. The Committee has compiled a report detailing 65 foreign grants (excluding Canada and
Mexico), totaling more than $27 million, since February 2009.
21
EL Trends | © 2011 Environmental Leader LLC. Single license EL PRO subscription can be used by one person. For multiple users, purchase
an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.The EPA has published fuel pump labeling and other requirements for gasoline blends containing more than
10 and up to 15 percent ethanol, known as E15. These requirements will help ensure that E15 is properly
labeled and used once it enters the market, the EPA says. The agency raised the amount of ethanol
permitted for use in cars and light trucks built in 2001 or later, from ten to 15 percent, in January.
California’s Air Resources Board has changed fuel regulations by widening a clean-fuel zone off the
state’s coast. The original 2008 rules required that ships within 24 nautical miles of California switch to less
polluting fuel. This caused ships to take a less direct route directly through a major Navy testing and training
area. The new rules extend the clean fuel zone by another 24 nautical miles.
The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., has ruled in favor of the EPA over regulations that set
performance standards for hospital, medical and infectious waste incinerators. The EPA originally
passed the rules in 1997.
The Environmental Protection Agency has further delayed issuing its final air toxics standards for boilers
and certain solid waste incinerators, until April of next year. The EPA released the final Clean Air Act
standards for boilers and certain incinerators in February. At the time, the agency said it would “reconsider”
certain aspects of the rules, and seek further public comment on those portions. In May, the EPA said it would
solicit additional comments and information on the standards until July 15, and would then propose an
updated rule. But the EPA announced that it will propose standards to be reconsidered by the end of October
2011, and will issue final standards by the end of April 2012.
The Obama administration is considering proposals that would require cars and light trucks to average 56.2
miles per gallon by 2025, the Detroit News reports. The plans, which would require an average of five
percent a year increases in efficiency over eight years, took the big three automakers by surprise, the paper
said. The change could raise the cost of vehicles by $2,100 or more.
Several countries including Canada and Ukraine have blocked Chrysotile asbestos from being listed as a
hazardous industrial chemical that can be banned from import. The scientific review body of the Rotterdam
Convention had recommended including the substance on the “watch list” of the 2004 treaty, on health
grounds, and the European Union, Australia and Chile had agreed. Substances added to the list at the meeting
included the pesticides endosulfan, alachlor and aldicarb, bringing the list to a total of 43 substances.
22
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an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.China is holding up Hong Kong Airlines’ multi-billion euro aircraft order from Airbus in protest at EU
plans to expand the continent’s cap-and-trade system to include non-European airlines, German newspaper
Handelsblatt reports.
Obama administration officials tapped into the country’s strategic oil reserve to replace losses from the
conflict in Libya and ensure the country has enough supplies to get through the summer. An Obama
administration official says the release of 60 million barrels represents less than five percent of the reserve.
The House passed H.R. 2021, The Jobs and Energy Permitting Act, 253-166, with 23 Democrats and all
but two Republicans in support. The bill would require the EPA to make drilling permit decisions within six
months, and it would also ease some environmental standards.
A bipartisan group of congressmen on the house energy and commerce committee introduced HR 2250, the
EPA Regulatory Relief Act. Business Roundtable said the legislation ―is the right approach to forestall
excessive, economy-damaging regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency of industrial boilers and
incinerators… The bill provides a reasonable, balanced and cost-effective strategy to give the EPA time to
set workable rules on the boilers.‖
A bill that would restrict the export of certain e-waste to developing nations was reintroduced in the
House of Representatives by Rep. Gene Green (D-TX) and Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) Similar measures
were introduced in 2009 and 2010 but neither advanced past the committee stage.
The European Commission proposed a law that would push private companies and public bodies to
increase energy efficiency, with an aim of reducing the EU’s energy use by 20 percent by 2020. Germany’s
finance minister immediately took a stand against the proposal, even though his government has said that
energy efficiency is key to reducing consumption and helping the country to shut down its nuclear power
plants.
Alberta has announced that it is spending $15 million from its clean technology fund to support three
renewable energy projects that aim to cut a total of 2.3 million tonnes of CO2 in 10 years, Point Carbon
reported.
23
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an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.The Hill reports that New Jersey Sens. Robert Menendez (D) and Frank Lautenberg (D) wrote to the
Government Accountability Office (GAO) calling for an investigation into the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, after an AP article alleged that the NRC had repeatedly weakened safety
standards.http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jnlxtxW2oDWrH5uizepE8mYnk3XA?docId=
18e04eb81cd043508b5cf59d14a4ed41
In Texas, governor Rick Perry signed a bill that will require television manufacturers to take back and
recycle old TVs. A similar bill was vetoed in 2009.
The New York state legislature has approved rules that for the first time would require more than 400
industrial, commercial and agricultural users to obtain state permits for major water withdrawals. The bill
is awaiting governor Andrew Cuomo’s signature. Presidential candidate and member of congress Michele
Bachmann (R-MN) hit out at a federal law that requires light bulbs to be 30 percent more energy efficient
starting next year.
The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Friday ruled against a Natural Resources
Defense Council petition, seeking to force the Food and Drug Administration to prohibit the use of BPA as
a food additive.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) recommended approval for a project that would be the
first grid-connected tidal energy plant in the U.S. The Verdant Power project in New York’s East River
would site 30 underwater turbines between Roosevelt Island and the borough of Queens.
A new law signed by Colorado governor John Hickenlooper will lower permit fees for solar installations,
and is expected to save businesses and homeowners hundreds of dollars.
The Senate Thursday made an abrupt reversal on ethanol subsidies, voting 73-27 to remove a major tax
break for the industry. The measure by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) ends a 45 cent per gallon credit for
ethanol that fuel blenders mix into gasoline, the Hill says. The amendment also ends a 54-cent per gallon
import tariff.
24
EL Trends | © 2011 Environmental Leader LLC. Single license EL PRO subscription can be used by one person. For multiple users, purchase
an enterprise license by emailing subscriptions@environmentalleader.com for information.The EPA’s first round of greenhouse-gas rules will not significantly cut carbon emissions or burden
companies with substantial costs, according to a Bloomberg Government study. The study notes that most
companies are already employing conservation measures in their construction and expansion projects.
European Parliament’s all-party environment committee voted to enact a maximum of 0.5 grams of
phosphorus compounds per standard washing machine load of laundry detergent. The regulation still
must be approved by the plenary before it is enacted.
Coca-Cola, Ikea, M&S, Unilever and Google are among the more than 70 companies with European bases
that have signed a declaration calling on the EU to set a new target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions 30
per cent by 2020, from 1990 levels.
The companies have a combined annual turnover of €1tr and employ more than 3.4 million staff between
them. Signatories also include BT, BSkyB, Carrefour, Philips, Sony Europe and Vodafone, as well as energy
companies and clean tech firms that include Better Place, Centrica, Dong Energy, First Solar, National Grid,
Scottish and Southern Energy and Vestas.
California’s Air Resources Board revealed a draft analysis drawn up in response to Superior Court judge’s
order, which required the board to show that it had adequately considered alternatives to the state’s proposed
cap-and-trade system. A 45-day comment period is now underway, the New York Times reports.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo has signed a law that, according to the Alliance for Clean Energy New
York (ACE NY), will make it easier for companies in the state to install on-site renewable power. Farms and
other non-residential utility customers will now be able to receive billing credits for the energy they produce,
without having their systems physically connected to the sites using the energy, Sustainable Business
reports.
Proposed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations would cost AEP $6 billion to $8 billion by the
end of the decade and raise electricity prices for its business customers by 10 to 35 percent or more, the
utility said (http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/09/aep-says-epa-rules-will-raise-businesses-rates-
10-35/).
25
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