2Sustain

Both large emission sources and certain suppliers are now required to report their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  –and the deadline to submit this data is just around the corner.

Fortunately, the agency has released a new electronic GHG Reporting Tool (e-GGRT) to simplify the process.

EPA’s GHG Reporting Program (GHGRP), launched a year ago (in October 2009), requires the annual reporting of GHG data from large emission sources across a range of 28 industrial industry sectors. Likewise, suppliers of products that would emit GHGs if released, combusted or oxidized are also required to report GHG data.

Under this program, the deadline to submit 2010 reports is September 30, 2011.

The EPA says it expects to receive 2010 GHG data from approximately 7,000 large industrial GHG emitters and suppliers, including power plants, petroleum refineries and landfills. The agency plans to publish non-confidential GHG data collected through the GHGRP by the end of 2011. (more…)

Earlier this month, Consolidated (Con) Edison issued its 2010 Sustainability Report, detailing its long-term business strategy, an approach that relies on energy efficiency, renewable energy and recycling.

Con Edison is a New York-based utility that employs 15,000 employees, has $13 billion in revenues and holds $36 billion in assets. The company provides nine million people with electricity while balancing sustainability principles based on six fundamental points:

• Insist on green behavior from employees.
• Encourage green behavior to external stakeholders.
• Meet customers’ demands for a greener lifestyle through innovation.
• Partner with governments to create policies that match Con Edison’s sustainability vision.
• Develop an infrastructure for renewable energy.
• Include environmental and social values within its decision making process.

What are the results so far?

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Several recent studies have shown that corporate sustainability programs are now commonplace at most large, publicly-listed corporations.

However, don’t you sometimes wonder about the credibility of the environmental claims these companies make in their sustainability reports? Are their assertions verifiable?

Unfortunately, new research from Carbon Smart suggests that the answer to that last question is, in most cases, a resounding “no.”

Carbon Smart analyzed the carbon and environmental claims made by the UK’s FTSE350 companies and discovered that: (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…)

Today we offer another post from our distinguished co-sponsor, WSP, written by Josh Whitney:

On the heels of numerous recent conferences and wide-spread media attention on the energy impact and carbon footprint of consumer products, WSP recently hosted a breakfast seminar in Santa Clara. The workshop explored various methods and standards used to analyze products and sought to emphasize the value that product and supply chain carbon footprinting can provide to a company. Clearly the carbon market has arrived and it’s certainly here to stay. There’s money to be made, the winners and losers have yet to be identified, and for those who understand the business implications of carbon, first movers will be rewarded with clear advantages.

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