2Sustain

Here’s some welcome news: A new coalition promises to develop an independent, non-commercial framework for rating sustainability performance. If successful, this new Global Initiative for Sustainability Ratings (GISR) could

• eliminate market confusion,

• reduce conflicts of interest between rating agencies and the companies they survey and

• increase market and consumer confidence in how companies are rated in their environmental and social performance.

Launched last month, GISR is a joint initiative between Ceres, a national coalition of investors and public interest organizations, and Tellus Institute, one of the world’s leading sustainability research and policy organizations.

A more uniform framework is important because sustainability ratings have the ability to push capital and consumer markets towards companies that have embedded sustainability within their operations and supply chains. But, the proliferation of sustainability ratings over the past decade means that in some cases, companies can manipulate the results from various ratings systems and promote only the scores that put their company in a favorable light. Of course, those same companies also can “cherry pick” among results, avoiding the mention of other surveys that are less flattering.

Confusing matters further, some ratings offer little or no transparency about the methodologies used to determine their ratings, which blurs the line between the raters and the companies they rate.

Will this new, additional sustainability standard muddy the waters even more? (more…)

Despite  the growing adoption of sustainability programs in certain sectors, many industries lack comprehensive metrics and established best practices to effectively guide these green initiatives.

In the printing industry, for instance, consistency remains a significant problem. Some printing companies have responded aggressively to environmental challenges (more eco-friendly inks, process efficiencies, recycling, etc.). But, others have failed to show a clear commitment to sustainability matters. That’s a problem. First Research estimates that the US commercial printing industry includes some 35,000 companies with more than $100 billion in annual revenue. Obviously, printing has an enormous environmental impact –and sustainability is going to become an increasingly important driver of both competitiveness and profitability.

A new study from the Printing Industry Center at RIT deep dives into these issues with the intention of establishing a baseline for the current state of adoption and implementation of sustainability practices within the printing industry. The research found 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…)

Back in January, 62 companies from multiple sectors and 17 countries started road testing two new GHG Protocol standards developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

In June, the companies submitted written feedback on their usability along with final GHG inventory reports, and a summary of the feedback is now posted on the GHG Protocol website.

The two new GHG Protocol standards –the Product Lifecycle Accounting and Reporting Standard and the Scope 3 (Corporate Value Chain) Accounting and Reporting Standard – provide methods to account for emissions associated with individual products across their life-cycles and of corporations across their value chains.

Overall, both new standards received high marks from the companies that road tested them. According to the WRI, most agree that the standards help with: (more…)

Most companies are tracking some data on their operational environmental performance, but most of that is limited to tracking electricity, according to new survey results from iReuse.

The nationwide Facility and Sustainability Data Management Survey found that: (more…)