2Sustain

New lifecycle assessment (LCA) data from the Dow Chemical Company’s Building Solutions Group shows that thermal insulation plays a key role in the building sector to reduce energy consumption and related green house gas (GHG) emissions.

This new LCA study examined each stage of Dow’s insulated sheathing product’s life cycle (raw material extraction, production, delivery, use and disposal) to determine the total amount of CO2 emissions that occur in order to use the insulation. The results showed that, over the life cycle of Dow’s insulation products, the GHG emissions saved are, on average, 48 times greater than the GHGs emitted to produce, use and dispose of the product itself.

In addition, Dow says the results validate that its insulated sheathing products –when properly installed –are estimated to provide energy-saving benefits that last for more than 50 years.

According to an earlier McKinsey & Company study, improving building insulation is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce GHG emissions and lower energy costs. (more…)

Best Buy has released its sixth corporate responsibility report, which not only reveals the company’s performance highlights for fiscal year 2011, but also outlines several ambitious goals for the future.

For example, going forward, Best Buy is committed to:

• recycling one billion pounds of consumer goods and

• reducing its carbon footprint by 20 percent by 2020, regardless of how much the company grows.

In addition to these goals, Best Buy’s new CSR report discloses that, specifically with regard to environmental stewardship, the company already has: (more…)

GE Appliances & Lighting is now the first full-line appliance manufacturer in the US to adopt the foam-blowing agent cyclopentane in the manufacturing of its top-freezer refrigerators in Decatur, Ala.

This is a noteworthy development because cyclopentane – which GE uses to propel insulation into the doors and cases of refrigerators – significantly reduces the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the insulating process.  In fact, GE says that using cyclopentane will reduce the facility’s GHG emissions from the foam-blowing process by 99 percent compared to the foam-blowing agent it replaces.

By transitioning to cyclopentane as the foam-insulating agent for GE’s 16-, 17- and 18-cubic-foot top-freezer refrigerators, GE’s Decatur, Ala., plant will reduce GHG emissions from the foam-insulating process by more than 400,000 metric tons of CO2-equivalent annually. This is equal to: (more…)

The US Postal Service is on track to meet two long-term sustainability goals.

For years now, USPS has been committed to:

• reducing energy use in its facilities 30 percent by 2015

• reducing greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent by fiscal year 2020.

New last week, the agency reported significant progress on both fronts.

USPS says it has achieved:

• an 8 percent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its fiscal year (FY) 2008 baseline –that’s a reduction of 1,067,834 metric tons of CO2 and an amount equivalent to the annual emissions of approximately 204,000 passenger vehicles

• a 12 percent reduction in facility energy-related emissions from its fiscal year (FY) 2008 baseline –enough to power approximately 39,000 average American households for a year.

What’s contributing to these positive results? According to USPS, the reductions are coming from a variety of sources, including: (more…)

What’s the carbon footprint of a gallon of milk?

New guidelines, published last week by the Carbon Trust, in partnership with major dairy processors and the trade associations Dairy UK and DairyCo, will help us learn the answer to that question –and many others from the dairy sector, too.

According to the Carbon Trust, Guidelines for the Carbon Footprinting of Dairy Products in the UK applies the methodology of PAS 2050 to ensure that the dairy sector has a common approach and can focus on reducing emissions rather than discussing the methodology.

“Dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt are found in the homes and shopping baskets of most UK consumers, so by working to reduce their carbon impact we can make a real difference,” says Euan Murray, Head of Footprinting at the Carbon Trust. “Building a consistent and accurate footprint is a key step towards managing and reducing carbon emissions and we are pleased to have helped Dairy UK and DairyCo develop sector specific guidance on carbon footprinting.”

Using these guidelines, the dairy sector can calculate a carbon footprint based on these key phases of the dairy product life cycle: (more…)