Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility

Can Green Technology Keep the Ocean Shipping World Sustainable?

October 1, 2013

In many ways, the fateful episode of the Costa Concordia provides a metaphor for the international shipping industry as a whole. Its image is hardly the best. Huge tankers plying the sea, belching noxious gases into the air from low-grade crude and pumping out invasive species when emptying their ballast-water tanks on shore. Oh, and a catastrophic oil spill every now and then. But that's not the whole story.

Walmart Vows to Get 'Greener' and Insists Its Suppliers Must as Well

September 27, 2013

Environment News Service

Walmart has decided to offer products with fewer harmful chemicals, increase the use of recycled materials, reduce fertilizer use in agriculture, and increase energy efficiency in the products its stores carry. The new standards apply to Walmart stores in the United States and elsewhere around the world.

Union Pacific Debuts Aerodynamic Feature for Stack Trains

September 16, 2013

Union Pacific Railroad

Union Pacific Railroad has developed new technology to increase the aerodynamic efficiency of double-stack intermodal trains.

Use of Fuel Cells in Delivery Trucks Is Promising, Researchers Claim

September 13, 2013

NPR

Your produce and frozen foods could soon arrive at grocery stores in trucks that release fewer emissions. Researchers are developing a clean technology to keep your food cool while it travels.

Many Electronics Retailers Have No E-waste Recycling Programs At All, Report Says

September 13, 2013

The Guardian

When it comes to e-waste recycling, most electronics retailers aren't just struggling; they're downright failing. At least according to the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, which took the industry to task in a recent report.

States' Electronic Waste Disposal Bans 'Largely Ineffective,' Study Finds

September 13, 2013

American Chemical Society

One of the first analyses of laws banning disposal of electronic waste (e-waste) in municipal landfills has found that state e-waste recycling bans have been mostly ineffective, although California's Cell Phone Recycling Act had a positive impact. However, e-waste recycling rates remain "dismally low," and many demographic groups remain unaware of their alternatives for properly disposing of e-waste, according to the study presented at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

Suppliers Feel the Pressure from Partners' Supply Chain Energy Initiatives

September 11, 2013

Energy Manager Today

Initiatives by such retail giants as Tesco and Walmart and recent research by bodies including the University of Minnesota Institute highlight the impact suppliers within a supply chain have on a company's energy footprint, but research by renewable energy company Urban Wind suggests that policies targeting vendors' energy use are piling pressure on UK suppliers.

Paper Products Company Reportedly Cuts Greenhouse Gas Emissions 60 Percent by Moving from Road to Rail

September 9, 2013

Environmental Leader

Packaging and paper products manufacturer Boise has cut CO2 emissions by 60 percent by switching from road to rail and packing its products more efficiently in rail containers, says a case study from Environmental Defense Fund.

Is Your Business Ready for a Spike in Customer Returns?

September 9, 2013

John Costanzo, President, Purolator International

What would you do if you knew your business was going to face a loss of as much as nine percent of bottom line sales? Hopefully, you would try to avoid calamity by putting steps in place to manage the situation with a customer-friendly returns management program.

Improper E-waste Disposal Often Results in Counterfeit Parts Re-entering Electronics Supply Chain

September 4, 2013

Electronics News

The counterfeiting of electronics (as well as the exporting of e-waste, which has been demonstrated to directly enable this type of counterfeiting) is currently seen as only a minor crime, even though it has been extensively proven to cause financial loss, injury, and death. That may be changing.