From Green Energy News: “In a refreshing change of pace, the latest First Family is really putting “their money where their mouth is” in respects to establishing a more economically and environmentally sustainable country. While First Lady Michelle Obama is doing her part by planting an organic garden to supply healthy food and fertilizer, President Barack Obama is now seeking to attain LEED Certification for the colossal, energy-consuming White House.
Information & Updates
Supply Chain Sustainability Study from BPM & E2open
From CSR International: “A new report from BPM Forum and E2open covers the priorities, progress and pitfalls that supply chain and finance executives are facing in product development environments. The report also provides perspectives from more than 20 corporate and faculty leadership committee members, which includes best practices for implementing environmental sustainability into their supply chains.” Supply Chain Sustainability Study from BPM & E2open
Green or Green Washed? 7 Lessons in Green Supply Chain Management
From GSCC: “Ma Jun is one of China’s most prominent environmentalists. His book, China’s Water Crisis, has been compared to Rachel Carson’s Classic work, Silent Spring, which was instrumental in driving environmental change in the United States. “It’s not easy being green,” said Kermit the Frog of his amphibian existence. Talk to sourcing managers, auditing firms, and NGOs and you’ll hear it’s not so easy being truly green in supply chain management either.”
Call to Adopt GHG Protocol as Global Emissions Standard
Amid continuing confusion over the scale, scope and timing of planned legislation governing carbon emissions, a leading force in the development of carbon optimisation software is warning that the entire issue could become meaningless unless all nations agree to a common emissions accounting standard.
Ewan French, co-developer of the world-beating CAST-CO2 carbon optimisation software and Chief Operating Officer of Barloworld Optimus, said this week that despite the global economic downturn, pressure on companies to reduce carbon emission remains on a sharp upwards curve – but that individual governments following their own targets and agendas will ultimately result in a dilution of the initiative unless all nations recognise and agree to adopt ‘like-for-like’ carbon calculation and accounting processes.
Wal-Mart: Making Its Suppliers Go Green
From Business Week: “Jiangsu Redbud Dyeing Technology is a poster child for China’s effort to clean up manufacturing. The textile maker, based in Changshu City, Jiangsu Province, slashed electricity use by one-tenth, banished most toxic emissions from its dyeing operations, and garnered more than 150 patents for its environment-friendly jute-based materials. Behind the scenes, it has a demanding mentor: Wal-Mart Stores (WMT).”
Nine Out of 10 Firms Ignoring Supply Chain Carbon Footprint
From businessgreen.com: “Just 10 per cent of companies are tracking the carbon footprint of their supply chains, according to a major new study from consultancy Accenture. The global survey of almost 250 supply chain executives found that while the majority of firms are now committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from their supply chains, only one in 10 has accurate data on the carbon footprint of different components of their supply chain.
NASA Green Aviation Workshop Report Published
A “Green Aviation” weekend workshop was held at NASA Ames Research Center on April 25–26, 2009 to stimulate dialog and foster collaboration among the nation’s aviation and energy technologists. Approximately 80 representatives from government, industry, and academia were in attendance.(including Ron Hochstetler, one of our Founders) The workshop was organized into three serial sessions on advanced transportation concepts, advanced propulsion systems, and operational concepts, followed by three parallel sessions on technology priorities, organizational strategies, and metrics. The serial sessions opened with an overview talk on the relevant NASA activities, followed by shorter technical talks relevant to the session’s theme. Ample time was provided for discussion following each presentation. The program for the workshop is included in the report.
Sainsbury’s Expands Methane-Powered Vehicle Trials
From newenergyfocus.com: ” Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s is expanding its trials running vehicles on biogas made from landfilled waste, with an order for five more of its vehicles to be converted. The company has been running one of its Mercedes-Benz Axor lorries since August, fitted with “Dual-Fuel” technology allowing it to use a combination of diesel and biomethane.
McDonalds: Ten Tips on Sustainable Supply Chain
From McDonalds.com: “Companies are very interested in developing sustainable supply chain plans. To me, being invited to speak by the animal agricultural industry and a supply chain professional organization to address this topic is a really good indicator of the mainstreaming and integration of sustainability into the day-to-day business. Anyone who has read my blogs over the last three years knows that I bring up sustainable supply issues frequently. These issues are important and complex. At McDonald’s, we have been making progress, listening to and learning from others. We’ve learned a lot along the way, and we know we need to do more.”
Supply Chain Networks and Carbon Reporting
Over the next several months the globalization of carbon reporting will begin to emerge. This will be driven by the entry of the United States into a mode of preparation for carbon reporting which will likely be done based on a coordinated North American initiative. So what does carbon reporting mean? Well there are many approaches currently being taken today by different companies, countries and entities, from basic spreadsheet approaches all the way through to very sophisticated and integrated supply chain carbon reporting models. Supply Chain Networks and Carbon Reporting