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IGPN NEWSLETTER [Issue 21]
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The IGPN Newsletter is a free email newsletter to keep you updated with the latest development on Green Purchasing around the world. If you find the IGPN Newsletter useful, please forward it and tell your friends and colleagues to visit http://www.igpn.org/newsletter/ for free subscriptions.
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HEADLINES
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- ADB provides $600M for eco-friendly projects in China
- After years of pondering, FTC releases marketers’ Green Guides
- Plan to build UK’s first building entirely out of waste
- Vietnam unveils its Green Growth strategy
- Beijing air quality to be better monitored
- Puma launches biodegradable shoes to aid nature, lift sales
- The first European film festival dedicated to the Green Economy 9-23 October ? online & in Brussels
- How California is harnessing P2 to make safer products
- PepsiCo launches new Facebook-inspired carbon calculator
- US researchers map carbon emissions at street level
- WBCSD launches program to drive effective ecosystems management among Indian industry
- Singapore 1st to mandate green standards for old buildings
- Accounting for the values of ecosystems can play key role in efforts to achieve international biodiversity targets
- EU acts against harm from biofuel crops
- Greenwire £6bn plan to import Irish wind power
- Vietnam province targets 25% power mix from renewables
- World Bank urges nations to end ‘wasteful’ gas flaring
- Pollution as big a health problem as malaria or TB, finds report
- UK makes biggest emission cuts in Europe
- Experts warn ‘archaic’ practices are hampering green IT efforts
- Peter Bakker launches Business Council for Sustainable Development Singapore
- UK shifts focus to closed-loop economy
- Green Innovators Receive Young Environmental Leader Award
- Energy efficiency could replace 22 UK power stations
- Al Gore calls on Barack Obama to ‘act boldly’ on climate change
- Brazil’s Amazon rangers battle farmers’ burning business logic
- More than 1,000 new coal plants planned worldwide, figures show
- Dow Corning opens window to energy savings
- Emissions cuts too slow to fight climate change, warns UN report
- Sainsbury’s reveals sustainability success as sales of green products soar
- Thawing of permafrost expected to cause significant additional global warming, not yet accounted for in climate predictions
- Greater investment could see Australia powered by 100% clean energy
within decades
- Campaigners sue EPA over carbon emissions
- Doha: developing nations demand step up in Kyoto ambition
- Top three green business groups unite against climate change
- Green energy makes up half of new US capacity
- Monsanto Company joins WBCSD
- Think, Eat, Save: UNEP, FAO and Partners Launch Global Campaign to Change Culture of Food Waste
- Four out of five people have not heard of green deal
- How Google, Facebook and Verizon uncover huge energy savings
- Maersk cruises past CO2 target eight years ahead of schedule
- Green procurement ideas inspire Thai businesses
- ReFood starts work on giant 4.2MW waste-to-energy plant
- 70% of companies believe climate change will hit business
- HSBC: BP, Shell, Statoil at risk from ‘unburnable’ reserves
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GREEN PURCHASING NEWS AROUND THE WORLD
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ADB provides $600M for eco-friendly projects in China
The Asian Development Bank is providing USD600 million for a package of green projects that will transform waste into clean energy, reduce CO2 emissions, expand eco-friendly transport, and protect fragile wetland areas in fast-growing second-tier cities in the People’s Republic of China.
After years of pondering, FTC releases marketers’ Green Guides
After nearly five years of deliberations, the Federal Trade Commission finally issued the revised “Green Guide” aimed at helping marketers ensure that the claims they make about the environmental attributes of their products are truthful and non-deceptive.
Plan to build UK’s first building entirely out of waste
The UK’s first building to be made entirely out of waste is to be built in Brighton this autumn. The building is designed by Brighton-based architect, Duncan Baker-Brown, and will be built on the University of Brighton’s campus in the city center made from waste and surplus material from local building sites and other local industries.
Vietnam unveils its Green Growth strategy
Vietnam has outlined its commitment to reducing greenhouse gases emissions with the implementation of the Green Growth strategy as approved by the Prime Minister last week. The strategy sets a number of targets for improving the environmental situation of the country between now and 2020 by reducing its GHG emissions by 8 to 10 percent based on 2010 levels.
Beijing air quality to be better monitored
Beijing authorities have completed a network of monitors that will more accurately measure air quality in the smog-ridden city after being pushed into by public pressure and pollution reports from the US embassy.
Puma launches biodegradable shoes to aid nature, lift sales
German sportswear company Puma, announced a range of biodegradable shoes and clothes on Monday, seeking to lead in protecting nature as it tries to catch up with rivals Nike and Adidas in sales. The new collection which is going on sale in 2013, includes biodegradable sneakers and shirts and recyclable plastic track jackets and backpacks which at the end of their useful life, the products can be returned to stores for processing.
The first European film festival dedicated to the Green Economy 9-23 October ? online & in Brussels
For 15 days, Europeans can view 26 documentaries on topics relevant to Green Economy including sustainable development, rational consumption, and fair trade via streaming free of charge from the festival website. The films and the festival website invites viewers to learn and reflect on what they can do to help preserve our environment.
How California is harnessing P2 to make safer products
The Pollution Prevention Act marked a significant change in how US companies manage hazardous waste twenty-two years ago as it was shifted from an “end of pipe” approach to controlling chemical hazards at their source which gave a major change in how people think about protecting human health and preserving the environment.
PepsiCo launches new Facebook-inspired carbon calculator
For a company like PepsiCo which oversees more than 20 brands and hundreds of different products around the world, calculating the carbon footprint of just one of its products can take weeks, and at a significant cost to the company. To save time and money, PepsiCo teamed up with researchers from Columbia University’s Earth Institute to create a tool that can measure the carbon footprint of thousands of products all at
once.
US researchers map carbon emissions at street level
US scientists have developed a new software that can accurately measure greenhouse gas emissions down to individual buildings and streets. The system combines information from public databases with traffic simulations and energy consumption models. Researchers believe that it could help identify the most effective places to cut emissions and could aid international efforts to verify reductions in carbon.
WBCSD launches program to drive effective ecosystems management among Indian industry
In the context of the COP11 of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Hyderabad, India , the World Business Council for Sustainable Development announces the development of a “Business Ecosystems Training India” (BET India) program. The initiative aims to advance companies’ knowledge and build practical skills related to biodiversity and ecosystems in India.
Singapore 1st to mandate green standards for old buildings
For the second half of next year, all building owners in Singapore will have to comply with the city state’s Green Mark standards, following an amendment to the Building Control Act.
Accounting for the values of ecosystems can play key role in efforts to achieve international biodiversity targets
According to a new series of guides published by The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity, assessing and taking into account the economic, social and cultural value of ecosystems and biodiversity can play a key role in efforts to achieve international biodiversity targets.
EU acts against harm from biofuel crops
European Commission says that clearing land in order to plant biofuel crops can often cancel out the environmental benefits from biofuel. Clearing land to plant food for biofuel releases greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide through ploughing and can involve deforestation, which reduces the “carbon sinks” ? the trees that absorb CO2.
Greenwire £6bn plan to import Irish wind power
The UK government is considering plans to import wind power from Ireland to the National Grid via cables under the Irish Sea to north and west Wales.
Vietnam province targets 25% power mix from renewables
Vietnam’s Dak Lak Province is aiming to make renewable energy account for 25 percent of its energy mix by 2015 through a combination of hydro, solar, biomass and wind. Although lacking in major population centers or vast rice fields like other Vietnam provinces, officials say that Dak Lak possess major potential for developing renewable energy.
World Bank urges nations to end ‘wasteful’ gas flaring
New estimates show that gas flaring in 20 of the world’s major oil-producing countries contributes as much to climate change as a major economy like Italy. While flaring has been cut by 30% since 2005, $50bn worth of gas is still wasted annually, says the World Bank.
Pollution as big a health problem as malaria or TB, finds report
A new report has found that waste from mining, lead smelters, industrial dumps and other toxic sites affects the health of an estimated 125 million people in 49 low- and middle-income countries. This unrecognized health burden is on the same scale of malaria or tuberculosis.
UK makes biggest emission cuts in Europe
UK has cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than any other European country last year, over-achieving on targets under the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. France and Germany also made sizeable cuts in emissions but Spain and Italy are lagging and are in danger of missing their Kyoto targets.
Experts warn ‘archaic’ practices are hampering green IT efforts
According to a major new industry-backed report, businesses are wasting billions of pounds every year by cooling their datacenters far more than is necessary due to an ‘archaic’ view of the environmental tolerance of modern equipment.
Peter Bakker launches Business Council for Sustainable Development Singapore
The Business Council for Sustainable Development Singapore was launched by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development President, Peter Bakker. It is a membership organization comprised of leading local business and the regional arms of international companies and will work with businesses locally to help foster economic development in harmony with environmental preservation and social development. It will advocate for the implementation of policy frameworks that help sustainable businesses to thrive; reinforce capabilities for sustainability management; spearhead green initiatives; and share its values across all key stakeholders.
UK shifts focus to closed-loop economy
UK businesses will face increasing pressure to use natural resources more efficiently as a way of stimulating economic growth. Liz Goodwin, chief executive of Waste and Resources Action Programme, set out plans to place a greater emphasis on the financial benefits of creating a “closed-loop” economy, in which products are designed and manufactured so that materials can be re-used.
Green Innovators Receive Young Environmental Leader Award
Three students from Costa Rica, Kenya and Vietnam have received a major international youth award from the United Nations Environment Program and Bayer in recognition of their environmental efforts. The young environmental innovators received the 2012 Young Environmental Leader Award for creating their own sustainable development projects; a scientific process to convert waste shrimp shells to ingredients for medicines, a community project of recycling plastic bags into clothing and homeward, and an environmental guide for housewives and families.
Energy efficiency could replace 22 UK power stations
UK government launches a wide-ranging energy efficiency strategy including £39 million pot for research into changing behavior. This strategy could cut UK’s energy use by 11% by 2020 while providing a major energy boost to the economy and living standards.
Al Gore calls on Barack Obama to ‘act boldly’ on climate change
Former vice-president, Al Gore, urges re-elected president to seize the moment and use his re-election victory to push through bold action on climate change.
Brazil’s Amazon rangers battle farmers’ burning business logic
As Evandro Carlos Selva, one of the 1,400 hi-tech environmental cops, fly over the Amazonian inferno via helicopter, he radios back to a base a witness testimony to deforestation. As forests are being burned, smoke billows across the horizon releasing the carbon that has been stored in the forest for hundreds of years into the atmosphere.
More than 1,000 new coal plants planned worldwide, figures show
World Resources Institute identifies 1,200 coal plans in planning across 59 countries, with about three-quarters in China and India. Coal plants are the most polluting of all power stations. The capacity of new plants add up to 1,400GW to global greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent of adding another China ? the world’s biggest emitter.
Dow Corning opens window to energy savings
Businesses are increasingly waking up to the benefits of energy efficient buildings, but according to numerous surveys, they are often discouraged from undertaking retrofitting measures by the cost and disruption associated with green office upgrades.
Emissions cuts too slow to fight climate change, warns UN report
The Emissions Gap report, coordinated by the UN Environment Programme and the European Climate Foundation, was released days before the convening of the Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Doha and shows that greenhouse gas emissions levels are now around 14 percent above where they need to be in 2020.
Sainsbury’s reveals sustainability success as sales of green products soar
Supermarket giant confirms that not only is it making good progress against environmental goals, it has also seen sales of green products climb. Sainsbury’s reveals that sales of products carrying sustainability and fair trade labels have climbed significantly in the past year.
Thawing of permafrost expected to cause significant additional global warming, not yet accounted for in climate predictions
Permafrost, covering almost a quarter of the northern hemisphere contains 1,700 gigatonnes of carbon, twice that is currently in the atmosphere, and could significantly amplify global warming should thawing accelerate as expected, according to a new report released by the UN Environment Programme. This can also radically change ecosystems and cause costly infrastructural damage due to increasingly unstable ground.
Greater investment could see Australia powered by 100% clean energy within decades
A report was released by the Australian Climate Commission which highlights the nation’s rapid clean energy growth, and states that in coming decades, Australia’s economy could be powered ‘almost entirely’ by renewables.
Campaigners sue EPA over carbon emissions
Campaigners threatened to sue the Environment Protection Agency on Wednesday in an effort to push back Barack Obama to make good on his re-election promise to act on climate change. The formal notice calls on the EPA administrator, Lisa Jackson, to take immediate steps to begin regulating carbon emissions from cars, planes and off-road vehicles.
Doha: developing nations demand step up in Kyoto ambition
A group of more than 100 developing countries have issued a formal call for the Kyoto Protocol to be strengthened, amid fears the proposed second commitment period will do little to accelerate emission reductions.
Top three green business groups unite against climate change
Three of the world’s largest energy and sustainability networks have joined forces within the Global Electricity Initiative to support electrical utilities’ efforts to tackle climate change and improve energy access.
Green energy makes up half of new US capacity
Renewable energy accounted for just under half of all new electrical generating capacity installed in the US over 2012. The latest Energy Infrastructure Update report from the Office of Energy Projects, part of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, lists just shy of 13GW of green energy project coming online last year, a more than 50 percent rise on the 8.5GW of capacity added in 2011.
Monsanto Company joins WBCSD
Monsanto is a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that aim to improve farm productivity and food quality, joins WBCSD and is offering WBCSD’s Business Ecosystems Training course globally for employees. The BET course will enhance employee’s awareness and understanding of the links between ecosystems and business.
Think, Eat, Save: UNEP, FAO and Partners Launch Global Campaign to Change Culture of Food Waste
Consumers, Food Industry and Government all have role to play in reducing the 1.3 billion tonnes of food wasted or lost each year. In developed regions, around 300 million tonnes of food is wasted annually because producers, retailers and consumers discard food that is still fit for consumption.
Four out of five people have not heard of green deal
UK government’s flagship energy efficiency programme remains largely unknown just days before its launch. The ‘green deal’ which starts on Monday, is designed to tackle household energy bills and carbon emissions.
How Google, Facebook and Verizon uncover huge energy savings
Many companies have good intentions: they want to cut down their energy use. But deciding out the best way how to do it isn’t easy. The Environmental Defense Fund aims to ease the process with a fellowship program, called Climate Corps, that helps companies identify and overcome barriers to successful energy saving. Since its inception in 2008, the company has uncovered more than a billion dollars in savings at companies like Google, Facebook and Verizon.
Maersk cruises past CO2 target eight years ahead of schedule
Maersk Line, the world’s largest shipping company, has reached its 2020 target of reducing CO2 emissions by 25 percent from its benchmark 2007 levels.
Green procurement ideas inspire Thai businesses
Companies grouped under the Thailand Business Council for Sustainable Development (TBCSD) recently launched a campaign to promote green procurement among Thai companies, pulling support from manufacturers and consumers.
ReFood starts work on giant 4.2MW waste-to-energy plant
Construction is now underway on one of the UK’s largest anaerobic digestion plants, which is expected to be capable of converting 90,000 tonnes of commercial and domestic food waste into energy.
70% of companies believe climate change will hit business
Seven out of 10 companies believe that climate change has the potential to significantly affect their revenue, with over half saying that it was expected within five years.
HSBC: BP, Shell, Statoil at risk from ‘unburnable’ reserves
Oil and gas majors, including, BP, Shell, and Statoil, could face a loss in market value up to 60 percent should the international community stick to its agreed emission reduction targets, analysts at HSBC warned.
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IGPN newsletter is written and edited by C. Pangilinan.
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International Green Purchasing Network (IGPN) Secretariat
Cosmos Aoyama 5-53-67, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan.
Email: igpn[at]net.email.ne.jp / URL: http://www.igpn.org/
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