Chemicals & Energy

Record Amounts of Plastic Packaging Collected and Recycled in 2011, Report Finds

October 15, 2012

The total number of U.S. polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic containers and bottles collected and recycled in 2011 is a record, according to a report from the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) and the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers (APR).

C.H. Robinson Forms Logistics Division for Chemical Industry

October 15, 2012

C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. has formed a new division to offer logistics services to chemical manufacturers and distributors. Dubbed ChemSolutions, the unit can provide chemical bulk shipping, safety and sustainability, freight forwarding, customs brokerage, vendor and supplier compliance, global trade management and multimodal transportation.

Report Analyzes Total Sustainability Impacts, Market Outlook for Commercial Transportation Fuels

October 12, 2012

BSR

A report from BSR is designed to help large-scale fuel purchasers make viable decisions that lessen impacts to the environment and society and enhance economic growth and development.

Assessing and Balancing Trade-offs in Supply Chain Optimization

October 12, 2012

Chet Chaffee, Vice President, Life Cycle Assessment, FirstCarbon Solutions

Optimizing supply chain operations to cost less and be more effective has long been a top priority for businesses. Now, companies must consider new sustainability measures such as carbon. Identifying, tracking and managing supply chain emissions is quickly becoming essential to optimization efforts, with the primary goal of detecting inefficiencies in fuel, electricity and water consumption and then correcting those inefficiencies to help eliminate waste and reduce costs. But improving one benchmark in an optimization effort may adversely impact another. It's rare that everything aligns perfectly.

Implementing S&OP for a Competitive Advantage

October 5, 2012

Jane B. Lee, Arkieva, Inc.

S&OP is a way of managing the entire supply chain for dependable, reliable, reproducible results.

Campaign Builds Steam to Keep Wind Protection Tax Credit

September 27, 2012

Environmental Leader

Starbucks, Johnson + Johnson, Sprint and 16 other companies have sent a letter to Congress, urging elected officials to extend the wind production tax credit (PTC) before it expires at the end of 2012.

Could Rising U.S. Exports and Reshoring Help Create Up to 5 Million Jobs by 2020?

September 25, 2012

Boston Consulting Group

Manufactured exports - a bright spot of the U.S. economy in recent years - are set to surge. Combined with jobs created as a result of reshoring, higher U.S. exports could add 2.5 million to 5 million jobs by the end of the decade, as manufacturers shift production from leading European countries and Japan to take advantage of substantially lower costs in the U.S., according to new research by The Boston Consulting Group.

Manufacturers, Petroleum Interests Spar with California Board Over Greenhouse Gas Credits Auction

September 25, 2012

The Los Angeles Times

Corporate executives and workers from dozens of refineries, glass-makers and other business groups bombarded members of the California Air Resources Board with complaints about an upcoming auction of credits allowing them to release greenhouse gases.

Chemical Manufacturer Turns Fragmented Enterprise into Global Success Story

September 24, 2012

Challenge: The client's European operations location-by-location logistics was diminishing cost-savings and overall performance. Management developed four objectives: to obtain transportation cost-savings, to provide a supplier base for growth, to improve data capture for financial analysis, and to upgrade transparency and on-time delivery. The client turned to the experts at Odyssey Logistics & Technology (OL&T).

Logistics Management for Mining Companies: Fine Tuning a Neglected Function Can Drive Profit, Service Excellence

September 24, 2012

PLS Logistics Services

Third-party logistics providers (3PLs) who specialize in industrial freight can provide targeted solutions that reduce operating costs and improve service levels.