2Sustain

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…)

Anheuser-Busch InBev and GE have formed a strategic alliance to drive energy efficiency and water savings in existing and greenfield AB InBev facilities across China.

In 2010, AB InBev announced a set of aggressive three-year global environmental goals as part of its Better World commitment. According to a press release, the new partnership with GE will initially focus on designing and implementing several key solutions. For example, the companies will collaborate regarding: (more…)

For the first time ever, Google has released information about its carbon footprint.

Last week, the company revealed that in 2010 it generated a total of 1.46 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. As The Guardian points out, those emissions are slightly higher than the country of Laos in south-east Asia and about equivalent to the UN’s operational footprint.

However, Google says its ultimate carbon impact is zero –because the company: (more…)

Last month, Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc., the parent company of Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, released Serving Responsibly, the company’s first CSR report. It offers a detailed overview of Dunkin’ Brands’ current CSR initiatives as well as key areas of focus for the future, such as nutrition, sourcing and packaging.

Serving Responsibly outlines Dunkin’ Brands’ ongoing commitment to grow its business in a sustainable manner, while taking into consideration the needs of guests, employees, franchisees, local communities and the environment.

Among the highlights, the report states that Dunkin’ Donuts was the first national brand to sell espresso beverages made exclusively with 100 percent Fair Trade Certified™ coffee, helping farmers and their families earn a better income and invest in the quality of their harvest. By the end of 2010, Dunkin Brands purchased nearly 26 million pounds of Fair Trade Certified^TM coffee and delivered approximately $1.9 million in premiums back to farming communities.

In addition, back in 2008, Dunkin’ Brands opened its first “green” restaurant, in St. Petersburg, Florida, which achieved the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification in 2010. This restaurant also boasts the following eco-friendly features: (more…)

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…)