2Sustain

Researchers at the Centre for Low Carbon Futures have concluded that cities could cut their energy bills by billions –if they exploited commercially attractive opportunities in energy and carbon management.

The study, which focused on cities in the UK, found that about 10 percent of city scale GDP leaves the local economy every year through payment of the energy bill . . . and, as you would expect,  that percentage is forecast to grow considerably over the next decade.

However, by investing 1 percent of GDP for 10 years, cities could see savings in their energy bills worth 1.6 percent of GDP every year. In addition, taking advantage of low carbon development would create jobs, mitigate energy risks and reduce environmental impacts. (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…)

A new report confirms what many businesses already know: corporate sustainability contributes directly to business value.

The study, titled Sustainability performance management: How CFOs can unlock value, was released by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), and it concludes that sustainability can drive value across several dimensions, including:

• Revenue generation
• Cost control
• Building trust
• Risk management

However, the research also found that for many organizations, current efforts to manage sustainability performance are more tactical than strategic. That means many companies are failing to realize the full business benefit of their sustainability efforts.

CFOs can help bridge this gap. Since the finance team has visibility into all aspects of the business, it can help determine the role sustainability initiatives play in efficiency, cost control, compliance, risk management and competitive advantage.

From the report: (more…)

According to a survey released last week by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), cloud computing can both save American businesses billions of dollars in energy costs by 2020 and help their information technology (IT) operations run more efficiently.

The study, Cloud Computing–The IT Solution for the 21st Century, polled 11 global firms that have used cloud computing services for at least the past two years. This new research, conducted by Verdantix and sponsored by AT&T, includes analyses that demonstrate how business can use cloud solutions to decrease carbon emissions while simultaneously improving the bottom line.

For example, the data shows that: (more…)

Last week, Supervalu announced that it will transition 40 more stores to zero waste operations during the company’s current fiscal year, which ends on February 29, 2012.

Supervalu, which is among the country’s largest grocery chains, operates about 4300 stores, with approximately 140,000 employees and annual sales of some $38 billion. The company gained recognition last November when it became the first retailer to achieve zero waste classification at two of its Albertsons grocery stores. The success of the pilot zero waste program at the two stores in Santa Barbara, CA, convinced management to expand the initiative this year.

To achieve zero waste recognition, stores must divert at least 90 percent of all waste from landfills — a feat accomplished through increased associate engagement, as well as through adoption of these specific initiatives: (more…)