2Sustain

NSK, a manufacturer of motion and control products, released its new corporate environmental policy last week. The policy outlines NSK’s pledge to conduct business in a manner that protects human health, prevents pollution and protects the environment, and it also outlines how employees and suppliers are encouraged to participate in the company’s efforts.

NSK, which is headquartered in Tokyo, has been recognized among the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations.

In the announcement last week, NSK said that in 2009 employees in the United States contributed to environmental savings of: Continue Reading »

Forming a partnership that illustrates the current trend towards non-profit/for-profit sustainability alliances, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has teamed up with The Coca-Cola Company to improve the water quality of the Yangtze River in China.

In many ways, the Yangtze has taken the brunt of China’s colossal economic growth, and even though the river provides China with 35 percent of its fresh water, it now ranks number one on WWF’s list of the ten most-threatened rivers in the world. For Coca-Cola, which operates 39 bottling plants in China, the partnership with WWF represents an opportunity to strengthen its commitment to water stewardship while mitigating its water risks.

A recent post at Knowledge@Wharton explains how non-profit/for-profit partnerships such as this one can be mutually beneficial: Continue Reading »

Back in January, 62 companies from multiple sectors and 17 countries started road testing two new GHG Protocol standards developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

In June, the companies submitted written feedback on their usability along with final GHG inventory reports, and a summary of the feedback is now posted on the GHG Protocol website.

The two new GHG Protocol standards –the Product Lifecycle Accounting and Reporting Standard and the Scope 3 (Corporate Value Chain) Accounting and Reporting Standard – provide methods to account for emissions associated with individual products across their life-cycles and of corporations across their value chains.

Overall, both new standards received high marks from the companies that road tested them. According to the WRI, most agree that the standards help with: Continue Reading »

Last week, the Sunny Delight Beverages Co. (SDBC) released its second sustainability report, which highlights the company’s 2009 sustainability achievements and establishes clear goals for the future.

For instance, with regard to environmental sustainability, SDBC says it wants to: Continue Reading »

Dole Food Company, Inc., the world’s largest producer and marketer of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables and the leading producer of organic bananas, announced that Bananito, a Dole farm located in Costa Rica, has received a ‘Plan A’ farming award from British retailer Marks & Spencer.

Earlier this year, Marks & Spencer announced plans to become the world’s most sustainable retailer by 2015, and the company uses its Plan A farming award to recognize and promote farmers and growers who are taking steps to improve the sustainability of their business. This year, the application process was open for the first time to non-UK farmers.

Bananito is an 850-hectare Company-owned farm that has produced bananas since 1989, and it supplies Marks & Spencer as well as other customers. According to the Dole website, all of the 589 workers at Bananito receive at least the minimum wage, with the average being 92 percent above the minimum. Dole also provides workers with affordable housing, medical programs, education opportunities, training programs and other “social wellbeing” services. Continue Reading »