B Lab's Jay Coen Gilbert on What It Takes to Be a "B Corporation"
B Lab, a nonprofit organization launched in July, certifies and promotes B Corporations (B for “beneficial”) - companies that meet exacting standards for environmental and social performance. The program has ballooned to include over 80 certified U.S. companies representing $650 million in revenues. In this SLM interview, B Lab co-founder Jay Coen Gilbert explains what’s in it for companies, employees, communities, and the environment. (And a recent study suggests the shareholders will benefit, too.) Read more...
In the News This Week...
Climate Concerns Credited with 30% Growth in High-Speed Rail
The number of travelers using the Eurostar high-speed rail service for travel between London and Paris has jumped by nearly a third over the past two years, and "a significant part of that growth comes from companies wishing to switch to greener modes of transport," according to Eurostar CEO Richard Brown. Read more...
GM Exec Unapologetic About Calling Climate Change a "Crock"
General Motors vice chairman Bob Lutz is doing damage control - sort of - after declaring his personal opinion that "global warming is a total crock of s--t." Lutz made the statement during a closed-door meeting with journalists in January, saying that "I'm a skeptic, not a denier. Having said that, my opinion doesn’t matter. I’m motivated [to develop fuel-efficient models like the Chevy Volt] more by the desire to replace imported oil than by the CO2.” Read more...
Virgin Atlantic 747 First Biofuel-Powered Commercial Plane
A Virgin Atlantic 747 flew from London to Amsterdam yesterday powered in part by fuel derived from renewable plant sources. One of the plane's four fuel tanks contained a blend of 80% conventional jet fuel and 20% biofuel composed of coconut and babassu nut oils from the Amazonian rainforest. Read more...
Renault Aims to Recycle 95% of Cars Sold in France
French automaker Renault and waste management firm Sita France have created a joint venture to develop end-of-life vehicle recycling in France. The new partners say they aim to recycle 95% of all French vehicles by 2015. Read more...
Southwest CEO Says Airlines Are Already Very Fuel-Efficient
A government-imposed cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gas emissions won't improve airline fuel efficiency - because economic pressures have already forced the aviation industry to take highly proactive efficiency measures, according to Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly. Writing in an editorial for CRO Magazine, Kelly outlines a string of fuel-saving initiatives already onboard at Southwest. Read more...
Coke Expands 100% Recycling Goal to Include Aluminum Cans
Coca-Cola plans to recycle or reuse all of the aluminum beverage soda cans it sells in the U.S. The new goal expands on the company’s previous pledge, announced in September, to recycle or reuse 100% of its PET plastic bottles sold in the U.S. Read more...
Top LCD Manufacturer Looks to Rewire "Green DNA"
AU Optronics, a major manufacturer of liquid crystal display (LCD) panels, is looking to weave green goals into its corporate DNA, targeting environmental improvements in procurement, processing, logistics, and product design. The company's sweeping new initiative, called "Green Solutions," aims for a 70% reduction in water use from 2004 levels, and a 70% cut in greenhouse gas emissions, also from 2004 levels - all within the next three years. Read more...
Intel Tops CRO's 100 Best Corporate Citizens List
Intel has nabbed the number-one spot on CRO Magazine's 100 Best Corporate Citizens list, an annual ranking of top corporate citizens among U.S.-headquartered public companies. Intel has made the top 20 each year since the list's inception nine years ago. Read more...
Climate Change Still Low on Boardroom Agenda
Eighty-five percent of senior executives in the U.K. think that climate change is a significant business issue and more than three-quarters think it will grow in importance, according to a new KPMG survey. Yet despite this, 82% admit they still don’t have a strategy in place to respond to climate change. Read more...
New Study Links Sustainability with Higher Share Prices
Global companies that have delivered strong share price growth over the past three years are more proactive on corporate sustainability issues than those that have seen their share price stagnate or decline, according to new research from the Economist Intelligence Unit. While the report stops short of making a causal connection between corporate sustainability and financial performance, the results belie to the assertion that social and environmental leadership inevitably cuts into profits. Read more...
Philips' Green Product Sales Spike 33% in 2007
Royal Philips Electronics is reporting a 33% increase in demand for its green products in 2007, totaling 5.3 billion Euro in sales. Philips' Green Products portfolio, which includes medical equipment, consumer electronics, and household and personal care goods, focuses on environmental performance Read more...
Michelin to Invest Millions in R&D for Fuel-Saving Tires
Michelin is investing $6.8 million in a research and development project focused on boosting vehicle fuel economy by reducing tire rolling resistance. The funds will support the company's own research efforts as well as a $1.9 million research contract with the International Center for Automotive Research at Clemson University. Read more...
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Starbucks Green Guru Ben Packard
Starbucks' Ben Packard leads the coffee giant's efforts to tread more lightly on the planet. Sound challenging? Packard considers it his "dream job." (Puget Sound Business Journal) Read more...
ING: The Quiet Bank, Serious About Sustainability
Unlike many big banks, ING is more focused on getting things done than seeking green publicity, according to this Ethical Corporation magazine article. Read more...
UNEP Year Book 2008: Breaking Down the Barriers to a Green Economy
The emerging green economy is driving invention, innovation, and the imagination of engineers "on a scale perhaps not witnessed since the industrial revolution of more than two centuries ago," according to this sweeping report from the United Nations Environment Program. Now in its fifth year, the report distills the latest research on environmental markets into a clear, concise, format. Download now (PDF)...
EcoImpact CO2 Calculator
EcoSynergy’s EcoImpact CO2 Calculator tabulates the carbon emissions associated with many common consumer packaged goods, offering eco-conscious manufacturers and retailers a quick snapshot of a given product category’s average carbon footprint and top emissions contributors. The free calculator can be emailed among web users or embedded in a user's website. For more about EcoSynergy and to use or share the EcoImpact CO2 Calculator, click here.
Top Headlines from Other SLM Channels
95% of Young Consumers "Concerned" About Global Warming
GM Hybrid SUVs Take on Prius in Battle to Green the Red Carpet
Sony Launches New Eco-Communications Push
Merck Ups Commitment to GHG Emissions Reduction
What Green Marketers Can Learn from Prius's Success
USPS-Approved Reusable Envelopes Cut Mailing Costs for Marketers
Honda Tests "Heat-Harnessing" Hybrid Engine
Office Depot Pilots LEED for High-Volume Retail Stores
Supercomputer Designers Forced to Pioneer Energy-Saving Solutions
SB'08 Plans Taking Shape!
A flurry of activity is taking place behind the scenes as plans take shape for SB'08, June 2-5 at the Hyatt Regency, Monterey. Check in for a sneak peek, and save money by registering today!
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