-----------------------------------------------------------
IGPN NEWSLETTER [Issue 28]
-----------------------------------------------------------
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------
HEADLINES
-----------------------------------------------------------
- UN awards innovative green enterprises
- Korea eyes ear of ‘green growth 2.0’
- China eyes green plan for 2030
- Recycling facility in NYC saves truck trips, money
- Taiwan to lead green trade growth in Asia Pacific
- Coke, Ford, Nike form bioplastic feedstock alliance
- ‘Cinderella’ gas a threat to climate and ozone layer
- EPA issues draft guidelines for greener buying
- U.S. Green Building Council announces new standards for green construction certification
- Sustainability is impossible until companies admit environmental cost
- EcoATM recycles 2 million electronic devices
- EPA moves hazardous waste e-Manifest system forward
- New Web Platform Launched to Accelerate Green Economy Transition
- Swedish city builds ‘passive houses’ as part of ambitious CO2 reduction targets
- Singapore to build green features into new public housing
- LED street lighting can generate savings as high as 85 percent
- First Grocer joins How2Recycle
- Switzerland scores first in global green rankings
- Philips teams up with mayors to power city LEDs
- Award-winning professor creates cow-less leather with chicken feathers
- Energy efficient asphalt could drive down road emissions
- New green management certification standards edge forward
- Sustainable label programs enjoy 40 percent boost
- Taiwan promotes new green, healthy plastic
- Online registry tracks credits
- New York Green Bank confirmed as “open for business”
- Sustainable packaging market to hit $244 billion by 2018
- Stronger push for ‘green’ cars
- Study: Wind turbines remain efficient for at least 25 years
- New car labels would promote use of renewable fuels
- Earth’s green canopy gets online protector
- Ecolabels don’t influence consumer food choice, study says
- Energising green cities: Solutions to meet demand and spark economic growth
- Support for green economy surges but crucial gaps remain
- Electric vehicle chargers trial London smart grid hook up
-----------------------------------------------------------
GREEN PURCHASING NEWS AROUND THE WORLD
-----------------------------------------------------------
UN awards innovative green enterprises
Fully biodegradable plates implanted with organic seeds in Columbia to provide food after use, a social media website to promote car-sharing in Vietnam, certified cocoa for specialty markets, and affordable biodegradable sanitary pads made from banana waste are just some of the 34 winners of the 2013 SEED Awards, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announced.
Korea eyes ear of ‘green growth 2.0’
Despite concerns that it has weakened its commitment, Korea remains determined to fight global warming by pushing through carbon reduction projects at home and boosting international cooperation, the nation’s ambassador for climate change said.
China eyes green plan for 2030
The frequent occurrence of extreme weather conditions in China has caused an average of more than 2,000 deaths and up to 200 billion yuan ($32.8 billion) of direct economic loss every year since the 1990s, according to Beijing’s latest report on the nation’s climate change strategies.
Recycling facility in NYC saves truck trips, money
A recycling facility will soon open in New York City ? the city’s first large, state-of-the-are plant for recycling.
Taiwan to lead green trade growth in Asia Pacific
Taiwan is kicking its green initiatives into high gear as the country is set to host the Eco-Products International Fair (EPIF) for the first time this March 2014.
Coke, Ford, Nike form bioplastic feedstock alliance
Coca-Cola, Ford, Nike and five other major consumer brand companies along with World Wildlife Fund have formed the Bioplastic Feedstock Alliance (BFA) to support the development of plastics made from plant material and build a more sustainable future for the bioplastics industry.
‘Cinderella’ gas a threat to climate and ozone layer
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has issued a warning about the dangers posed by nitrous oxide, the so-called “laughing gas”.
EPA issues draft guidelines for greener buying
The EPA has issued a set of draft criteria to help federal government identify and buy greener and safer products.
U.S. Green Building Council announces new standards for green construction certification
The U.S. Green Building Council announced the fourth major update to LEED, its third-party green building certification program.
Sustainability is impossible until companies admit environmental cost
While companies' impact on the environment remains ignored the question of how society deals with the consequence of this damage will remain unanswered.
EcoATM recycles 2 million electronic devices
EcoATM, a network of automated electronics recycling kiosks, says it has recycled more than 2 million phones and devices in its four-year history.
EPA moves hazardous waste e-Manifest system forward
The EPA has issued a final rule that it says is a crucial step in developing a national electronic manifest (e-Manifest) system, which will upgrade the current paper-based system of tracking hazardous waste to an electronic one.
New Web Platform Launched to Accelerate Green Economy Transition
A robust, state-of-the art knowledge-sharing platform was launched today by the newly established Green Growth Knowledge Platform (GGKP), a diverse consortium of leading institutions and organizations working in areas related to green growth and green economy.
Swedish city builds ‘passive houses’ as part of ambitious CO2 reduction targets
Passive housing is catching on across Europe, but Vaxjo boasts innovative highrise project to help country realize goal of eliminating CO2 emissions by 2050.
Singapore to build green features into new public housing
The Singapore government has said that all future public housing developments will be outfitted with a range of standard eco-living features including centralized waste recycling chutes, LED lighting, motion sensors and even a system that uses drained sink water to flush toilets.
LED street lighting can generate savings as high as 85 percent
The Climate Group, in association with Philips, launched a global ‘consultation process’ with its network of member cities, states and regions to identify and address barriers to the adoption of low carbon LED (light-emitting diode) street lighting in cities.
First Grocer joins How2Recycle
Wegmans Food Markets has joined the How2Recycle Label program, making it the first grocer to use the voluntary recycling label developed by GreenBlue’s Sustainable Packaging Coalition.
Switzerland scores first in global green rankings
Switzerland tops a new index that was released at Davos this weekend, which ranks countries in order of their sustainability efforts.
Philips teams up with mayors to power city LEDs
Washington, D.C. is following in the footsteps of a bunch of cities that have ? or are in the process of ? switching their lighting to LEDs.
Award-winning professor creates cow-less leather with chicken feathers
Professor Richard Wool, a 2013 US Environmental Protection Agency awardee, has devised a leather substitute out of chicken feathers, creating a manufacturing method that uses less energy and water.
Energy efficient asphalt could drive down road emissions
Using lower temperature asphalt in road construction could save the UK road industry more than ?46m over the next 10 years, while also cutting carbon emissions arising from the process by up to 39 percent, a new study has found.
New green management certification standards edge forward
Countries have backed a move to publish a revised version of ISO 14001 as a draft international standard (DIS), paving the way for sustainable management best practices to play an even more central role in corporate decision making.
Sustainable label programs enjoy 40 percent boost
Production of certified sustainable goods, such as those carrying Fairtrade or organic labels, jumped more than 40 percent in 2012, increasing their market share across a raft of product categories.
Taiwan promotes new green, healthy plastic
A special polylactic acid (PLA) resistant to temperatures of more than 100 C has been developed by Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), with possible applications including food and drink containers that promise to contribute greatly to food safety and the environment.
Online registry tracks credits
Ecometrica’s online tracing and registry software addresses the need to ensure that certified products or certificates of environmental benefit can be traced back to a specific farm, forest, plantation, ecosystem or mining operation.
New York Green Bank confirmed as “open for business”
New York has officially launched its Green Bank, confirming plans to boost investment in environmental technologies and renewable energy, such as wind farms and solar panels.
Sustainable packaging market to hit $244 billion by 2018
Consumer demand, advances in material technology and legislation will push sustainable packaging to a $244 billion market by 2018, according to report by Smithers Para.
Stronger push for ‘green’ cars
Buyers of cleaner and more efficient cars in Beijing can receive a maximum subsidy of 57,000 yuan from the central government as it targets 200,000 clean energy vehicles on the road by the end of 2017.
Study: Wind turbines remain efficient for at least 25 years
Wind turbines can remain productive for up to 25 years, scientists have said, scotching claims that the devices have a more limited shelf life than other energy technologies.
New car labels would promote use of renewable fuels
“To increase consumer awareness regarding the use and benefits of alternative fuels,” writes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, they will require car manufacturers to label vehicles indicating the kinds of fuels they can use: ethanol, biodiesel, vegetable oil, hydrogen or electric batteries.
Earth’s green canopy gets online protector
A new online monitoring system will make it possible to quickly check the condition of tropical forests around the globe that were previously under no surveillance, potentially increasing pressure on governments to stop deforestation.
Ecolabels don’t influence consumer food choice, study says
Consumers are concerned about sustainability, but their understanding is limited and ecolabels rarely influence food purchases, according to a study by the European Food Information Council.
Energising green cities: Solutions to meet demand and spark economic growth
Cities in Southeast Asia (SEA) are growing twice as fast as the rest of the world and by 2030, it is expected that 70 percent of SEA population will live in cities.
Support for green economy surges but crucial gaps remain
Governments, businesses, investors and others are embracing the ‘green economy’ idea, but differences in the way they interpret it pose barriers to sustainable development, according to a report published by the International Institute for Environment and Development and the Green Economy Coalition.
Electric vehicle chargers trial London smart grid hook up
The marriage of electric car and smart grid technologies are being trialed in London as developers look to reduce the impact of electric vehicles on existing grid infrastructure.
-----------------------------------------------------------
We hope you have enjoyed the IGPN Newsletter. We will be delivering more information on Green Purchasing including best-practices and know-how, purchasing guidelines, product information, research outcomes and the latest trends from around the world. Please visit our web site regularly for the detailed information and the latest news.
*If you have any Green Purchasing-related news that you would like featured on the IGPN web site, please contact us at igpn[at]net.email.ne.jp
You are currently on the IGPN mailing list. IGPN does not lend or sell the list to any other party. If you wish to unsubscribe the IGPN Newsletter, please either reply to this email with the word 'unsubscribe' in the subject field or visit http://www.igpn.org/letter/
To change your email address, please send email with your new details to igpn[at]net.email.ne.jp. If you have a general comment, suggestion or question about IGPN, please send email to igpn[at]net.email.ne.jp
Copyright (c) 2013 IGPN All Rights Reserved
IGPN newsletter is written and edited by C. Pangilinan.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
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/
-------------------------------------------------------------------