2Sustain

The University of Victoria has released a new report ranking the eco-labels used to distinguish seafood produced with less damage to the environment. This is the first study of its kind evaluating how eco-labels for farmed marine fish compare to unlabeled options in the marketplace.

How Green is Your Eco-label? will help seafood buyers sort through competing sustainability claims and better identify which labels result in farming methods that are less damaging to the ocean.

Here are a few key findings of the report: (more…)

The EPA estimates that Americans generate almost 2.5 million tons of used electronics each year. But, are we throwing away equipment that’s in perfect working order?

New research from the UK suggests that in many cases, we are.

A recent study conducted by the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) revealed that nearly one-quarter of the electrical and electronic equipment routinely thrown away by consumers could be reused. What’s more, the researchers found that there is the potential to generate significant resale value from the repair, refurbishment and open market resale of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).

WRAP estimates that each year consumers in the UK take 348,000 tonnes of WEEE to recycling sites, while another 149,000 tonnes gather in bulky waste collections. WRAP’s research found that: (more…)

It’s a familiar debate in the month of December. Eco-minded consumers want to know which is more sustainable: a fresh cut Christmas tree or an artificial one?

This year, an ISO-compliant third-party peer reviewed Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) gives us some insight and helps clear up common misperceptions about the environmental impacts of Christmas trees.

The study, conducted by the international research firm PE International, found that ultimately, consumers need to consider a number of different factors before deciding which type of tree is more environmentally friendly. For instance, the findings show that length of ownership, disposal method and “tree miles” can make a difference regarding which tree is more “green.”

The ISO-compliant third-party peer reviewed LCA was sponsored by the American Christmas Tree Association (ACTA), a non-profit organization representing artificial Christmas tree retailers and real Christmas tree retailers.  Based on the results of the study, the ACTA recommends that consumers demonstrate responsible consumerism by following these steps: (more…)

Asda, which operates more than 500 retail stores across the UK, announced earlier this month that it is on track to deliver customer savings adding up to £800 million (about $ 1.2 billion) by 2020, thanks to its commitment to sustainability initiatives.

The company has been working towards a variety of sustainability targets since 2005, when global parent Walmart announced its commitments to sustainable sourcing and reductions in energy use and waste.

Asda has already made considerable progress. The company has:

• saved more than £70m in 2010 alone by reducing waste and energy usage in its operations.
• reduced absolute carbon emissions by an industry leading 11.9 percent  –exceeding its target to achieve a 10 percent reduction by 2015.
• eliminated 149,000 tonnes of carbon from operations since 2007. (That’s the equivalent of taking 60,000 cars off the road for a year.)
• eliminated 900 jumbo jets worth of packaging from its products.
• reduced energy use in stores equivalent to that used by over 55,000 homes every year.
• eliminated 17 million miles from its supply chain. (The company says that’s the same as going to the moon and back 38 times.)
• redirected all food waste and 96 percent operational waste from landfill through recycling programs, including diverting waste for energy.

In addition, over the past nine months, Asda has asked customers about their views on sustainability issues and what matters to them. Based on this research, the company concluded that: (more…)

Earlier this month, I wrote about recent research from Nielsen which showed that today’s consumers are more concerned about environmental issues such as pollution, water shortages, packaging waste and the use of pesticides than they are about climate change.

Now, a new report adds even more perspective, concluding that Americans now place a higher value on their own financial stability than on environmental responsibility.

For example, the 2011 Green Gauge US Report from GfK Roper Consulting found that: (more…)