2Sustain

Ford of Europe is slashing the amount of waste it sends to landfills.

Ford announced a few weeks ago that by increasing the proportion of waste recycled and reused across European production lines, the company can cut landfill waste by a whopping 70 percent. That means a reduction in the average landfill waste generated per vehicle to 1.5kg by 2016 from 5kg in 2011.

In addition, Ford said it wants to reduce water use by 30 percent.

Based on annual production of 1.2 million vehicles, that translates to reducing water use by approximately 1.3 billion liters per year –or 1,100 less liters of water for each car or van produced.  Ford says this plan will also save €2.3 million (about $3 million) over the same time period. (more…)

Last month, Kraft Foods shared results of a pioneering survey that measured the company’s impact on climate change, land and water use.

The multi-year footprinting project—in partnership with Quantis Inc. and reviewed by World Wildlife Fund and academics at the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment—showed Kraft that its environmental impact goes far beyond the company’s walls.

For example, based on the results of the analysis, Kraft, learned that more than 90 percent of its carbon footprint is outside its plants and offices. Nearly 60 percent is from farm commodities.

The company doesn’t own farms, but the survey certainly supports the work of Kraft’s sustainable agriculture efforts on key commodities to improve crop yields, reduce environmental impacts and improve the lives of farm workers and their families.

In addition, the footprinting work revealed that: (more…)

Water is quickly becoming a significant business growth and development risk.

In fact, after polling 150 large corporations, CDP Water Disclosure found that nearly 40 percent of responding companies had already experienced disruptions in operations, increases in expenses and other detrimental impacts related to water. Of course, government entities are also increasingly concerned with water-related disruptions, and they’re seeking viable approaches for mitigating risks, as well.

Fortunately, a new group promises to offer the kind of information needed for public and private sector decision-making regarding water risks.

Launched just last week, the Aqueduct Alliance is a consortium of leading water experts from the private and public sectors, NGOs and academia. It was founded by the World Resources Institute (WRI), Goldman Sachs and General Electric, but already the alliance has added Bloomberg, The Dow Chemical Company, Talisman Energy, and United Technologies. The Coca-Cola Company is also engaged and will be providing an extensive global database of once proprietary water risk information to support Aqueduct’s work.

From the alliance’s website: (more…)

Last week, Molson Coors Brewing Company released its 2011 online corporate responsibility report, highlighting the company’s performance in five key areas: environmental stewardship, governance and ethics, employees and community, alcohol responsibility and responsible sourcing.

Specifically with regard to environmental stewardship, Molson Coors has shown progress in several major categories, including:  (more…)

Climate change threatens American cities with a variety of water-related risks, ranging from drought to sea level rise and increased rainfall, according to a new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

The report, Thirsty for Answers: Preparing for the Water-related Impacts of Climate Change in American Cities, found that climate change will impact water supplies and waterways in communities across the country, with geography often determining the specific effects.

The first of its kind, this peer-reviewed report compiles the results of more than 75 scientific studies, data generated by government agencies and information gathered by other nonprofit organizations. Specifically, it analyzes how climate change will impact water supplies and waterways in 12 target cities:

• Boston, Massachusetts
• Chicago, Illinois
• Homer, Alaska
• Los Angeles, California
• Miami, Florida, and the Florida Keys
• New Orleans, Louisiana
• New York, New York
• Norfolk, Virginia
• Phoenix, Arizona
• San Francisco, California
• Seattle, Washington
• St. Louis, Missouri

The NRDC says climate change impacts are likely to include: (more…)