Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility

Pointing to Jobs, Sustainability, Walmart Maintains It Is Positive Force in Asia-Pacific Retailing

October 8, 2013

Many of the key priorities of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum are "strikingly similar" to those of Walmart, executives of the retail giant's Asia Pacific arm say. That includes supporting the economic empowerment of women, increasing speed and efficiency in supply chain and sourcing operations, adding new stores and infrastructure, playing a leadership role in food security and sustainability - all shared goals not only critical to Walmart's success but to people, communities and entire economies alike.

Pickens-Backed Company Sets Out to Prove Natural Gas Really Can Succeed as Transportation Fuel

October 4, 2013

New York Times

Farmers, waste management companies and the energy industries have long experimented with converting methane, a byproduct of decomposing organic matter, into transportation fuel. Those efforts have met with mixed success, and a renewable natural gas fuel has not been widely available in the United States. But now, one leading supplier of natural gas transport fuel is taking a big step toward changing that.

Report Claims Continued Reductions in Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Ocean Vessels

October 2, 2013

BSR

Average carbon-dioxide emissions for global ocean container transport have declined year on year, and by more than 7 percent between 2011 and 2012, according to BSR's Clean Cargo Working Group's 2013 Collaborative Progress report.

Can Green Technology Keep the Ocean Shipping World Sustainable?

October 1, 2013

The Guardian

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.