2Sustain

Although the news was completely overshadowed by non-stop updates about the Royal Wedding, London 2012 issued its first full sustainability report last week.

The report, A Blueprint for change, details how London 2012 plans to deliver a low-carbon Olympic Games by adopting what it calls a “groundbreaking” carbon footprint methodology. Already, the London 2012 Organizing Committee (LOCOG) says it has avoided more than 100,000 tonnes of carbon emissions, while making significant progress toward sustainable sourcing, as well.

As outlined in the report, London 2012 sustainability highlights include: (more…)

For years now, sustainability advocates have urged manufacturers to use carbon footprint labels on consumer products. These labels would show the volume of greenhouse gasses emitted during a product’s lifecycle, so that consumers could make more educated choices based on the environmental impact of the products they buy.

And, as a result of these efforts, carbon footprint labels are in use in a few limited areas. For instance, the Carbon Trust has established carbon footprint labels for some products in the UK. (See earlier posts about Walkers crisps and the UK dairy sector, e.g.) But, the idea has never really caught on in the US.

Michael Vandenbergh, environmental law professor at Vanderbilt Law School and director of the Climate Change Research Network, Thomas Dietz of Michigan State University and Paul Stern of the US National Research Council would like to see that change.

In their commentary, recently published in the premier issue of the journal Nature Climate Change, the three argue that adding carbon labels to products has benefits for both consumers and manufacturers alike. Carbon footprint product labels allow consumers to choose a product based on its lower carbon footprint. That, in turn, may influence how businesses produce, package and transport products, leading to even lower carbon emissions. Plus, as I have pointed before, greening the supply chain in these ways can lead to significant financial benefits to companies, as well. (more…)

Sprint Nextel is now the first wireless carrier to complete and publicly release a comprehensive Scope 3 supply-chain assessment.

As you may recall, emissions are defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Initiative as:

• Scope 1: All direct GHG emissions.

• Scope 2: Indirect GHG emissions from consumption of purchased electricity, heat or steam.

• Scope 3: Other indirect emissions, such as the extraction and production of purchased materials and fuels, transport-related activities in vehicles not owned or controlled by the reporting entity, electricity-related activities (e.g. T&D losses) not covered in Scope 2, outsourced activities, waste disposal, etc.

Sprint partnered with Trucost for the analysis, which examines Sprint’s total supply chain carbon emissions and then quantifies and identifies “hot spots” where the company can focus its efforts.

“Measuring and understanding carbon footprints is the first step toward managing and reducing them,” Cary Krosinsky, Trucost senior vice president, said. “Carbon emissions are increasingly resulting in financial costs for companies, and by undertaking such a thorough carbon assessment of its supply chain, Sprint Nextel is taking a major step toward effectively reducing its overall carbon footprint.”

Trucost’s analysis covered 98 percent of Sprint’s supply-chain expenditure, and the report includes these interesting findings: (more…)

McDonald’s Corporation is stepping up its commitment to a sustainable supply chain.

Last week, the company announced a new Sustainable Land Management Commitment (SLMC), which McDonald’s says will ensure the food served in its restaurants around the world is sourced from certified sustainable sources.

The SLMC requires that, over time, McDonald’s suppliers source agricultural raw materials for the company’s food and packaging only from sustainably-managed land.

Initially, McDonald’s will focus on the five raw materials that have the most potential sustainability impacts: beef, poultry, coffee, palm oil and packaging. As part of this commitment, McDonald’s is: (more…)

The real estate sector can play a significant role in a low-carbon economy. Not only do investments into more sustainable business practices and technologies benefit the environment and society, in general; they also create long-term value and competitiveness. In fact, a new report from RICS concluded that even in difficult economic times, green office buildings can offer investors considerable financial benefits, including higher rents and lower risk premiums.

The new report, titled Sustainability and the Dynamics of Green Building, summarizes data collected from North American buildings certified by the EOA’s Energy Star Program. The research shows that: (more…)