http://www.accountability.org This feed contains all AccountAbility news. http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#452 <p>The winners of the CR Reporting Awards 2011 (CRRA &lsquo;11) have been announced at an invitation-only awards ceremony on Thursday, 24 March 2011, at the Royal Society in London. To download the full report sign up free on the <a href="http://www.corporateregister.com/downloads/">Corporate Register.com</a> site.</p> In the Media 452 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#420 <p>Social responsibility must be integrated into corporate DNA, said top mining CEOs at the first ever CSR panel to be held during the main program at the Mining Indaba, yesterday.</p> <p>Three leading CEOs joined the Head of Conservation International in a collaborative effort to put sustainability on the corporate agenda.</p> <p>Read the full story on<a href="http://bit.ly/dM48Uf"> Environmental Expert</a>.</p> In the Media 420 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#416 <p>Early preparation for climate change impacts would bring economic benefits to the UK, say engineers in a report commissioned by the government.</p> <p>Engineering the Future - an alliance of professional engineering bodies - says companies will be more likely to invest in nations with secure infrastructure.</p> <p>Read the full story from the <a href="http://bbc.in/f3sTwy">BBC</a>. <br /><br /></p> In the Media 416 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#414 <p>AccountAbility has launched a new section of its website dedicated to featuring CEO commentary around corporate responsibility and sustainable development. The first CEO Corner interviewee is Mr. Badr Jafar, Co-Initiator of the Pearl Initiative, Executive Director of the Crescent Petroleum Group of companies and CEO of Crescent Investments, the Group's non-oil and gas investment company.</p> <p>The Pearl Initiative is a private-sector lead initiative, developed in cooperation with the United Nations Office for Partnerships, that is creating a regional network of business leaders and policy makers within the Gulf Cooperation Council countries in order to improve corporate governance and achieve better public reporting and accounting of their activities, leading to a more open and transparent business environment.</p> <p>Please find the full interview <a href="http://bit.ly/ghZrlR">here</a>.</p> In the Media 414 Mon, 07 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#413 <p>"The Energy Report" produced by WWF and consultancy Ecofys makes the case for a concerted move away from high carbon fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas to 95 percent clean energy by 2050 through "massive" investment.</p> <p>Download the <a href="http://bit.ly/hFgQNq">report</a>.</p> In the Media 413 Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#408 <p>The third publication in the Barclay's Social Intelligence Series 'Carbon Capital' examines various approaches to financing a low carbon economy. With an estimated &euro;2.9trillion of capital required in Europe up to 2020 to fund low carbon technologies, the report confirms that the private sector will play a crucial role in the provision of capital.</p> <p>Download the complete <a href="http://bit.ly/fJHi37">Carbon Capital Report</a></p> In the Media 408 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#409 <p>The Guardian has produced a new graphic showing the relative size of CO2 emissions by nation, with China and India experiencing significant growth in 2009, while emissions dropped in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Russia.With its CO2 emissions rising 13.3 percent from 2008 to 2009, China is by far the world's leading emitter of CO2, producing 7.7 billion tons in 2009 &mdash; 1.7 billion more than the 5.4 billion tons emitted by the United States. India's emissions rose 8.7 percent to 1.6 billion tons, making it the world's third-largest emitter of CO2.</p> <p>Read the full story on <a href="http://bit.ly/hsykeR">Yale Environment 360 </a></p> <p>Download the <a href="http://bit.ly/eDNLrp">full map of global carbon emissions</a> produced by Mark McCormick and Paul Scruton.</p> In the Media 409 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#407 <p>Novo Nordisk joins a group of 54 companies, all participants of the UN Global Compact, that have made an ambitious commitment to work towards implementing the Blueprint for Corporate Sustainability Leadership, a comprehensive roadmap outlining roughly 50 concrete actions businesses can take to achieve greater sustainability. Global Compact LEAD &ndash; launched today in Davos - is a new platform created by the UN Global Compact to take environmental, social and governance performance to the next level with set a new benchmark for corporate sustainability.</p> <p>Read the full press release on <a href="http://bit.ly/hUqMyE">CSR wire</a>.</p> In the Media 407 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#406 <p>The European Commission has moved under pressure from industry and governments to reduce dependency on the Chinese supply of rare earth metals. This will be done by encouraging EU industries to partake in the recycling and stockpiling rare earths as a way of mitigating higher prices and forestalling potential shortages in the coming years.</p> <p>Read the full story in the <a href="http://nyti.ms/gkZQVz">New York Times</a>.</p> In the Media 406 Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#405 <p>The 2010 Keystone Partner Survey, released this month surveyed over 1,000 local overseas partners on behalf of 25 international NGOs. The survey report provides powerful new data on the performance of international aid agencies. It summarises the feedback from all the partners and has the potential to create a new reporting standard. The report had two main findings; local organisations do not want to be treated as sub-contractors of international agencies; and that feedback from partners is a reliable way of measuring performance.</p> <p>The report is available to download <a href="http://bit.ly/eeZQf6">here</a>.</p> In the Media 405 Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#402 <p>A new study published in the <em>Energy Policy</em> journal says that 100 percent renewable energy can be acheived by 2030 worldwide.&nbsp; Whilst the study confirms that the technology is available, large scale political will is necessary for this target to be achieved.</p> <p>Read the full story at <a href="http://bit.ly/hNh6xi">EcoGeek</a>.</p> In the Media 402 Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#401 <p>Steve Rochlin, Head of Advisory Services for AccountAbility and Dr. Bradley Googins from Boston College were asked to reflect on the state of CSR and corporate citizenship today. Filmed at the Corporate Citizenship Awards Dinner, held in November 2010 at the Business Civic Leadership Center of the US Chamber, they were interviewed by Chamber BCLC Communications Director Kitty Taylor.</p> <p>The video is now available to watch on <a href="http://bit.ly/fgLLvX">YouTube</a>.</p> In the Media 401 Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#399 <p>A UK Government-commissioned report released today into food security has called for urgent action to avert global hunger. The Foresight Report on Food and Farming Futures says the current system is unsustainable and will fail to end hunger unless radically redesigned. The report calls for new measures to hold governments and food producers to account. This would involve developing objective measures on how well they are doing to reduce hunger, combat climate change and environmental degradation and boost food production.</p> <p>Read the full story on the <a href="http://bbc.in/dPUM9J">BBC</a>.</p> In the Media 399 Mon, 24 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#398 <p>The Global Compact requires participating businesses to communicate annually with stakeholders on their progress in integrating the ten principles. Companies that do not issue a Communication on Progress (COP) report for two consecutive years face expulsion and must reapply to participate in the Global Compact. As a result, 2048 companies from around the world have been expelled from the initiative this month.</p> <p>Read the full press release on the <a href="http://bit.ly/gFknJY">Global Compact site</a>.</p> In the Media 398 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#397 <p>A new consumer label has been introduced this week by wind power advocates, demonstrating a commitment from the private sector to provide solutions to global problems of energy provision and climate change. The initiative is backed by a coalition of companies and conservation groups, including the Global Wind Energy Council, the LEGO Group, turbine manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems, and Bloomberg.</p> <p>Read more at <a href="http://bit.ly/gWqLch">Yale Environment 360</a>.</p> In the Media 397 Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#396 <p>This month's MIT Technology Review highlights the 'Business Impact' of corporate energy strategies, in a special series taking a look at what technologies and green energy sources corporations are embracing and why they're choosing to embrace them.</p> <p>The series is free to view for the month of January on the<a href="http://bit.ly/hr3h88"> MIT Technology Review site</a>.</p> In the Media 396 Wed, 19 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#395 <p>A new international report by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) has investigated the impact of water scarcity and other water-related issues on some of the world's largest companies in water-intensive industries. Nearly 40 percent of companies surveyed are already experiencing water problems and nearly 90 percent have developed water policies, strategies and plans.</p> <p>Read the full CDP Water Disclosure Report at the <a href="http://bit.ly/i6SbUE">CDP site</a>.</p> In the Media 395 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#394 <p>A new report published by the Network for Business Sustainability presents a framework for embedding sustainability in organisational culture. It identifies 59 practices that can make sustainability an integral part of a company's DNA. To produce this report, the Network for Business Sustainability commissioned a systematic review of the entire body of research on sustainability and organisational culture.</p> <p>Read the full report at the <a href="http://bit.ly/g802OO">Network for Business Sustainability site</a>.</p> In the Media 394 Mon, 17 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#393 <p>Despite the poor economy, the level of business investment in sustainability activities has been steadily rising. Respondents to the second annual Sustainability &amp; Innovation Global Executive Study &mdash; a collaboration between MIT Sloan Management Review and the Boston Consulting Group &mdash; also say they expect their spending to grow further in the coming year.</p> <p>Read the full story in the<a href="http://bit.ly/h6wZ8m"> MIT Sloan Management Review</a>.</p> In the Media 393 Fri, 14 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#389 <p>The US Government is to grant the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) $7 million to research the cumulative health effects of environmental pollution and social factors on low-income communities.</p> <p>Read more at the <a href="http://bit.ly/dFDnpA">Yale Environment 360 Blog</a>.</p> In the Media 389 Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#388 <p>There are now less than 3 weeks left to vote for the fourth annual CR Reporting Awards (CRRA'11), the only independent global annual awards for corporate responsibility (CR) reporting. All 35,000 registered users of CorporateRegister.com are eligible to vote. Voting ends on the 28th of January for reports published between October 2009 and October 2010.</p> <p>Find all the details at <a href="http://bit.ly/e2AF0X">Corporate Register</a>.</p> In the Media 388 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#379 <p>According to the new report, <a href="http://bit.ly/gb36H7"><em>Zero Carbon Australia 2020 Stationary Energy Plan</em></a>, by using a combination of energy efficiency and commercially available off-the-shelf renewable energy technologies, Australia's energy needs can be met with 100% renewables by 2020. The report was published as part of a collaborative research effort by Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE) and the University of Melbourne.</p> <p>Read the full story as reported by <a href="http://bit.ly/f7mEdf">Triple Pundit</a>.</p> In the Media 379 Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#383 <p>At the Detroit Auto Show on Monday, Japanese car manufacturer Toyota unveiled a family of new hybrid vehicles around the Prius, signalling the company's ambition to create an entirely hybrid subbrand.</p> <p>Other notable events included the announcement of the <em>North American Car of the Year</em> award, which went to Chevrolet's 'Volt,' another hybrid vehicle.</p> <p>Read the full story in the <a href="http://bit.ly/h9kcDt">Financial Times</a>.</p> In the Media 383 Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#378 <p>The Empire State Building has become the largest purchaser of renewable energy in the state of New York, with NRG Energy of New Jersey providing the landmark's power from its wind power facilities. The Empire State Building is expected to purchase 55 million kilowatt-hours worth of renewable energy certificates annually &mdash; enough to cover its yearly electricity consumption.</p> <p>Read the full story in the <a href="http://bit.ly/epHUsI">New York Times</a>.</p> In the Media 378 Fri, 07 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#377 <p>The sustainable fisheries organisation has recently come under fire for granting certification to controversial fisheries. Richard Page, a Greenpeace oceans campaigner, has said that decisions to certify these fisheries "seriously undermine" the MSC's credibility.</p> <p>Read the full story by Lewis Smith at the <a href="http://bit.ly/h9wKEM">Guardian</a>.</p> In the Media 377 Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#376 <p>The UK Government has hailed 2011 as the year of the electric car as the new Plug-In Car Grant becomes available in January. The new grants of up to &pound;5,000 are now available for six models of car.</p> <p>Read the full story on<a href="http://bit.ly/hNjIg7"> edie</a>.</p> In the Media 376 Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#375 <p>In recent analyses undertaken by a variety of academics, some have suggested that in 2010 coverage of climate change "the greatest story rarely told, had reverted to its near perpetual position on the far back shelf of the public consciousness &mdash; if not back in the freezer".</p> <p>Andrew Revkin of the New York Times examines this decline in media coverage of climate change in his recent <a href="http://nyti.ms/gDlyHZ">Dot Earth blog</a>.</p> In the Media 375 Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#374 <p>Advertising Age, a leading media and marketing magazine, has named <em>sustainability</em> as one of the "jargoniest jargon" words of 2010 that they "wish you would stop saying." They explain their decision by describing <em>sustainability </em>as "a good concept gone bad" by mis- and overuse.</p> <p>Lesley-Lammers of Triple Pundit discusses how <em>sustainability</em> has come to be a "squishy, feel-good catchall" for doing the right thing, but acknowledges that if used properly, it can describe practices through which the global economy can grow without creating a fatal drain on resources.</p> <p>Read the full article on <a href="http://bit.ly/eetPzI">Triple Pundit</a>.</p> In the Media 374 Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#371 <p>Siemens, the German engineering giant is using its investments in wind energy to save the planet and boost its revenues. Siemens Wind investment, the company's renewable energy division recorded a bigger sales increase than any other unit, rising 48 percent, to 977 million euros ($1.3 billion) in the quarter ended September 30.</p> <p>Read the full story in the <a href="http://nyti.ms/idJ44Y">New York Times</a>.</p> In the Media 371 Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#369 <p>From GE boosting their electric vehicle fleet by $25K to LG spending $18B cutting carbon and making greener products, Joel Makower summarises the most hopeful green business stories of 2010.</p> <p>Read the full story on <a href="http://bit.ly/fwmbwX">GreenBiz</a>.</p> In the Media 369 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#370 <p>James Goodman and Martin Wright track the major trends that will influence this year's sustainability debates.</p> <p>Read the full story from the <a href="http://bit.ly/dPAUbR">Guardian Sustainable Business Network</a>.</p> In the Media 370 Thu, 30 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#368 <p>Today IBM formally unveiled its fifth annual 'Next Five in Five' -- a list of five innovations that have the potential to change the way people work, live and play over the next five years. For example, Batteries will breathe air to power our devices, Your commute will be personalised, and Computers will help energise your city.</p> <p>Read the full list on Environmental-Expert <a href="http://bit.ly/hQ4Stn">here</a>.</p> In the Media 368 Wed, 29 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#365 <p>In October, the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) met and made decisions that according to them would lead to, &ldquo;A new era of living in harmony with Nature.&rdquo; However, a new report by EIRIS entitled,<em> 'COP' Out? Biodiversity loss and the risk to investors</em>, argues that the optimism of the COP 10 agreement on biodiversity will be premature until business is actively involved.</p> <p>Read Robert Kropp of Social Funds response <a href="http://bit.ly/fM5hlc">here</a>. <br /><br /></p> In the Media 365 Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#364 <p>The recently released Cisco 2degrees Sustainable Business Confidence Barometer revealed that, despite economic uncertainty, most large organisations expect to increase their investment in sustainability. The Confidence Barometer has been developed to act as a twice yearly measurement of prevailing levels of commitment and confidence to sustainable business strategies.</p> <p>In other findings, 90% of those surveyed believed their CEO considered sustainability important, and 63.3% of the large organisations surveyed have a dedicated sustainability budget.</p> <p>Read the full story on JustMeans <a href="http://www.justmeans.com/press-releases/CEOs-of-major-companies-remain-committed-to-sustainability-/6500.html">here</a>.</p> In the Media 364 Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#363 <p>According to a recent study by Zpryme Research &amp; Consulting, LLC, Ford is the most popular brand for Americans thinking about purchasing an electric vehicle (EV). Toyota and Chevrolet follow closely behind. The report also predicts that "EV Evangelists"-- individuals living in the western States and in metropolitan areas, will drive EV adoption over the next two years.</p> <p>Read the full report by Zpryme <a href="http://www.zpryme.com/SmartGridInsights/The_Electric_Vehicle_Study_Zpryme_Smart_Grid_Insights_Airbiquity_Sponsor_December_2010.pdf">here</a>.</p> In the Media 363 Mon, 20 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#360 <p>Environmental Strategist Andrew Winston summarises business success stories from the recent World Climate Summit COP 16 in Cancun, Mexico. Highlights included Coca Cola's CEO Muhtar Kent, announcing some monumental goals for the sector, such as no net deforestation around the world and a phase out of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants that contribute greatly to global warming. The conference also saw the launch of the Gigaton Awards, a 'mini Oscars for green-business'.</p> <p>Read the full article in the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-winston/celebrating-green-busines_b_796962.html">Huffington Post</a>.</p> In the Media 360 Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#356 <p>The US retailer Target has committed to a 5-year plan for environmental sustainability. Goals include achieving an energy star rating of 75% for its buildings and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent per square foot. The retailer has also committed to encouraging its 'guests' to develop a more sustainable lifestyle by providing products manufactured or harvested in a sustainable manner.</p> <p>Watch a video of Target's environmental sustainability commitments as presented by Tony Heredia, Vice President, Corporate Risk and Responsibility <a href="http://pressroom.target.com/pr/news/ealbum.aspx?id=28064&amp;ncid=24632">here</a>.</p> In the Media 356 Tue, 14 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#355 <p>According to a new report by Ernst &amp; Young, carbon-reduction policies and marketing regulations are just some of the risks facing executives trying to green their supply chain. Supply chain sustainability is affecting shareholder value, company valuations and even due diligence during proposed mergers and acquisitions, the report said. It added that shareholder actions on sustainability performance and transparency were up 40% in 2009. As carbon pricing becomes established in various jurisdictions, organisations will face risks from compliance obligations, with measures such as the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) also putting pressure on companies to report on their carbon footprints and climate action.</p> <p>Read the full story in <a href="http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/12/10/carbon-pricing-creates-supply-chain-risks/">Environmental Leader</a>.</p> In the Media 355 Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#354 <p>The sixth working conference of the Global Compact's CEO Water Mandate convened this week in South Africa. The event attracted experts and practitioners from business, civil society, Government and the UN. Most of the discussions were focused on water challenges in southern Africa. The event also featured the global release of the initiative's new Guide to Responsible Business Engagement with Water Policy.</p> <p>Read the full press release from the Global Compact <a href="http://www.unglobalcompact.org/news/84-11-17-2010?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=UN+Global+Compact+Bulletin++December+2010+subscribers&amp;utm_content=UN+Global+Compact+Bulletin++December+2010+subscribers+CID_14c627750c5ceee678d63377944cf3c5&amp;utm_source=Monthly+Bulletin&amp;utm_term=More">here</a>.</p> In the Media 354 Fri, 10 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#353 <p>The World Wildlife Fund has released a new file format which encourages people to "Save as WWF, save a tree." The software is a plug-in that enables documents to be disseminated as PDF files that cannot be printed, simply saving paper by preventing unnecessary printing.</p> <p>Read the full story <a href="http://wwf.panda.org/?uNewsID=197485">here</a>.</p> In the Media 353 Thu, 09 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#352 <p>According to a report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, current policies among the world's richest 20 nations will result in $546bn (&pound;348bn) less being invested in clean energy by 2020 than is needed to prevent dangerous climate change. The report also predicted that the UK will become a much more significant investor in green technology globally increasing its spending by 260% over the next decade.</p> <p>Read the full article in the Guardian <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/dec/08/global-investment-renewables">here</a>.</p> In the Media 352 Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#349 <p>The 3rd Annual 'Climate Counts' survey has found that across the board, companies reviewed showed a 14% improvement in 'climate action' and five forerunners improved their climate performance by 20%. Sector leaders included Nike in apparel, Hewlett-Packard in electronics and Bank of America in commercial banking. The non-profit developed the Climate Counts Company Scorecard in 2007 to determine how effective large companies are at accomplishing addressing the global climate crisis.</p> <p>Full results from the climate scorecard can be found <a href="http://climatecounts.org/scorecard_overview.php">here</a>.</p> In the Media 349 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#348 <p>As part of an offshore wind development plan, Mitsubishi has announced Edinburgh to be the base for its 'green energy hub' in the UK. First Minister Alex Salmond met officials from Mitsubishi to reveal the plans to the national and local media. They displayed images of Mitsubishi's J-Series gas turbine, which the firm claims is the largest and most efficient gas turbine in the world. This partnership will significantly help the Scottish Government reach its ambitions goal of 80% renewable electricity provision by 2020.</p> <p>Read the full story <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/edinburgh/2010/dec/03/edinburgh-offshore-wind-power-mitsubishi-jobs">here</a>.</p> In the Media 348 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#338 <p>Fair Trade USA, the leading third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States, has announced that a full range of Fair Trade Certified&trade; clothing items is now available in the United States as part of a two-year pilot test.The Fair Trade Certified label helps companies create jobs and sustainable livelihoods for garment workers and cotton farmers in India, Latin America and Africa. By giving consumers the choice between Fair Trade garments and those with less reputable supply chains, cotton farmers are guaranteed a fair price for their goods.</p> <p>Read the full press release at <a href="http://3blmedia.com/theCSRfeed/Fair-Trade-USA-Launches-First-Ethical-Fashion-Certification-Label">3BL Media</a>.</p> In the Media 338 Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#337 <p>In interviews conducted by David Kroodsma, a climate analyst for the Hub Centre; the President of Mexico, the CEO of Coca-Cola, the CEO of Dow Chemical, the CEO of Duke Energy, and the CEO of FEMSA (Mexico's largest beverage distributor) discussed their business commitments to climate change action and sustainability. In praise of the companies Kroodsma highlighted that;</p> <p><em>" The commitment of the CEOs goes beyond what would be needed just for marketing or "green washing." Dow Chemical is much larger today than in 1990, but, through an aggressive effort, they have cut carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent. Coca-cola is attempting to reduce emissions from all of its first world factories by five percent by 2015. Duke Energy lobbied the government to ask for a price on carbon dioxide and also pulled out of the "American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity." The job of these CEOs is to maximize the value of their companies--not save the planet. And while they are not cutting pollution as much as they could, they are doing much more than most companies."</em></p> <p>Read the full story and watch videos of the interviews at the Huffington Post <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kroodsma/what-are-ceos-doing-at-co_b_790221.html">here</a>.</p> In the Media 337 Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#336 <p>A new resolution on corporate social responsibility in international trade agreements has been adopted, furthering the integration of CSR into European international trade. The resolution highlights that, in the light of the key role played by corporations, their subsidiaries and their supply chains, corporate social and environmental responsibility must become an integral part of the European Union's trade agreements.</p> <p>The resolution includes clauses regarding the incorporation of CSR into the generalised system of preferences (GSP and GSP+), the need&nbsp; to improve the Commission's sustainability impact assessment model to reflect the economic, social, human rights and environmental implications, a proposition for CSR clauses in all the European Union's trade agreements and the establishment of CSR in multilateral trade policies.</p> <p>Read the full document <a href="http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&amp;reference=A7-2010-0317&amp;language=EN">here</a>.</p> In the Media 336 Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#333 <p>The Dow Jones Indexes and SAM, a firm that specializes in sustainability investing, have launched a new index aimed at giving investors a broader sustainability benchmark. The Dow Jones Sustainability World (DJSIWorld) Enlarged Index will track the performance of 20 percent of the most sustainable companies out of the 2,500 largest companies in the Dow Jones Global Total Stock Market Index.</p> <p>The DJSI World Enlarged complements the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes family, which has become a reference point for Sustainability Investing since the launch of the first index in 1999, the DJSI World. SAM's research indicates that a growing number of asset owners are using the DJSI indexes for their investments and more companies define index inclusion as a corporate goal.</p> <p>Read the full press release <a href="http://www.sustainability-index.com/djsi_pdf/news/PressReleases/101122_MR_DJSI_World_Enlarged_e_Vdef.pdf">here</a>.</p> In the Media 333 Mon, 29 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#332 <p>The State of Sustainability Initiatives (SSI) review of 2010 has been published in a collaborative effort between the International Institute for Sustainable Development, the International Institute for Environment and Development, Aidenvironment, UNCTAD and ENTWINED. The review provides a comprehensive overview of major voluntary standards and initiatives in the forestry, coffee, cocoa, tea and banana sectors; following the remarkable rise in environmental and social standards for commodities in recent years.</p> <p>The 2010 review revealed that major voluntary initiatives are altering the way supply-chain decision-making takes place, by providing civil society and developing country stakeholders with a more active role in setting trade rules and production practices. Overall it was found that environmental criteria are the most prevalent and robust criteria, with social requirements focussing on the ILOs core conventions, worker health and safety and employment conditions. Economic criteria were the least developed across initiatives and were increasingly focussed on transparency and sound commercial relations.</p> <p>Download the full review <a href="http://www.iisd.org/pdf/2010/ssi_sustainability_review_2010.pdf">here</a>.</p> In the Media 332 Wed, 24 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#329 <p>The Mary Robinson Speaker Series launched in October 2010 is now available on YouTube. The annual series, hosted by Business and Human Rights, the non-profit resource centre, seeks to recognise the continuing role of Mary Robinson, President of Realizing Rights, former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The series also seeks to advance the debate around business and human rights by bringing together people from the business, investment, human rights and environmental communities.</p> <p>The series includes addresses from Robinson herself, John Ruggie, UN Special Representative on Business &amp; Human Rights, Lucas Benitez, Co-Director, Coalition for Immokalee Workers and Alexandra Gu&aacute;queta, Head of Social Standards &amp; Intl. Engagement, Cerrej&oacute;n Coal (Colombia).</p> <p>The series is available on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTzHcobRPwQ&amp;feature=related">YouTube</a> and the full press release is available <a href="http://www.business-humanrights.org/media/documents/mary-robinson-speaker-series-26-oct-2010.pdf">here</a>.</p> In the Media 329 Tue, 23 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#328 <p>John Ruggie, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Business and Human Rights, has posted a draft of the Guiding Principles for the implementation of the UN 'Protect, Respect and Remedy' Framework to the online SRSG consultation forum (<a href="http://www.srsgconsultation.org">www.srsgconsultation.org</a>). The forum will gather stakeholder views on the principles and will remain open until the 31st January 2011.</p> <p>The principles attempt to clarify for companies and other stakeholders how the UN 'Protect, Respect, Remedy' framework can be implemented by taking practical steps to address business impacts on the human rights of individuals. Once the forum closes the Special Representative will submit the final text to the UN for translation before its formal presentation to the Human Rights Council in June.</p> <p>See the full press release<a href="http://www.reports-and-materials.org/Press-release-Ruggie-UN-draft-Guiding-Principles-22-Nov-2010.pdf"> here</a>.</p> In the Media 328 Mon, 22 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#327 <p>Based on the 287 companies listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, the Social Media Sustainability Index report offers an in depth insight into those companies who are the leading social media communicators. The report provides a series of charts and graphs to map the full landscape of social media sustainability. With an estimated 85% of companies listed on the DJSI using social media as part of their communications or PR portfolio, social media is increasingly being used for CR and sustainability communications.</p> <p>GE, IBM, Starbucks and Ford are the leading social media communicators according to the report, with the telecommunications sector proving to be the furthest along the sustainability &amp; social media journey.</p> <p>Access the full report <a href="http://socialmediainfluence.com/SMI-report/">here</a>.</p> In the Media 327 Fri, 19 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#323 <p>In July 2010 GE invited businesses, entrepreneurs, students and other eco-minded individuals to join its efforts to bring innovative ideas and technologies to the forefront. GE challenged participants to invent new ways that will help power the next-generation grid. Nearly 4,000 ideas were submitted and the five winners were announced on Tuesday.</p> <p>They were; Capstone Metering for an intelligent water meter that generates its own power, ElectricRoute for technology that enables secure communications across the smart grid, GridON for technology that reduces power disruption by enabling precise control over power flow, IceCode for technology that prevents ice building up on wind turbines, WinFlex, for creating inflatable wind rotors &amp; turbines from cloth sheets making them lightweight and reducing costs by up to 50%.</p> <p>The winners will receive a cheque for $100,000 each to develop the technologies for their application. For more information visit the <a href="http://www.ecomagination.com/">Ecomagination site</a>.</p> In the Media 323 Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#322 <p>The United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment, the international investor network, is looking to use the momentum created by the move towards integrated corporate reporting to create something similar for institutional investors. The PRI currently has 835members and is looking to enhance its transparency requirements in 2012. With a view to close the gap between ESG reporting for investors and current CSR reporting, the move attempts to seize the opportunity to develop standardised and integrated reporting from an investor standpoint.</p> <p>Read the full story <a href="http://www.responsible-investor.com/home/article/un_pri_looking_at_standardised_esg_reporting_for_institutional_investors/">here</a>.</p> In the Media 322 Tue, 16 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#321 <p>Jordanian-based Nuqul Group has partnered with Shabakat Al Ordon, a local NGO, to finance 23 micro business start-ups in Al Koura District in Northern Jordan.</p> <p>The first of its kind micro venture fund was initiated earlier this year with the objective of encouraging entrepreneurship in the local community and transforming job seekers into job creators. The programme has since attracted more than 300 community members from all over the District. Participants received comprehensive skills training in business planning and operations, costing, accounting and bookkeeping, marketing and sales, human resources, purchasing, and inventory management.</p> <p>Upon completion of the training course, participants were shortlisted to 60 prospects who presented business plans to a screening committee comprised of members from both Nuqul Group and Shabakat Al Ordon. The committee evaluated each project according to specific scoring criteria that considered the target market, the product or service, development plan, competition and financial projections.</p> <p>To date 23 limited liability companies have been established (by 19 women and 4 men) in Al Koura District and have received funding from SHABAKAT Nuqul Group Micro Venture Fund. The new businesses include home grown mushrooms, frozen vegetables, seeds and plants, dairy products, and olive oil soaps.</p> <p>Read more about the Nuqul Group and this partnership <a href="http://nuqulgroup.com/home/aboutus.aspx">here</a>.</p> In the Media 321 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#320 <p>Unilever, the global consumer products group is to launch a new ten year Sustainability Plan this coming Monday. This new strategy will explain how the company will reduce its overall environmental footprint while at the same time continuing to grow its business.</p> <p>Part of the launch will include a live webcast discussion with a panel of experts. The crucial question; 'Can Consumption Become Sustainable?' will be discussed by the panel chaired by prolific broadcaster, writer and film-maker Jonathan Dimbleby. Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever and Gavin Neath, Global Senior Vice President for Sustainability will join the debate.</p> <p>Read the full press release <a href="http://www.unilever.com/mediacentre/news/sustainable-consumption.aspx">here</a>.</p> In the Media 320 Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#318 <p>New legislation adopted by the EU will increase the level of European protection from industrial pollution and seeks to reduce premature death rates by 13,000 per year. The rules include stricter emissions limits on the largest plants across the EU whilst also encouraging Member States to actively promote emerging techniques to better environmental performance. The Directive on industrial emissions updates and merges seven pieces of existing legislation which seeks to enhance Best Available Techniques (BAT) practice across industry for a more level playing field. By encouraging BAT practice it is also hoped that the administrative burden placed on member states can be reduced by an estimated &euro;32 million through industry collaboration.</p> <p>Read the full story <a href="http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/10/1477&amp;format=HTML&amp;aged=0&amp;language=EN&amp;guiLanguage=en">here</a>.</p> In the Media 318 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#317 <p>For the first time in its history, the UN Human Development Report is looking back at past decades to rigorously examine key trends and patterns. The report discusses how new vulnerabilities require innovative public policies to confront risk and inequalities, while harnessing dynamic market forces for the benefit of all. With climate change noted as a major new challenge facing human development, the report not only celebrates the substantial progress of the past 20 years, but also highlights human development as an evolving concept.</p> <p>Read the full report <a href="http://hdr.undp.org/en/">here</a>.</p> In the Media 317 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#313 <p>The Dutch Task Force Sustainable Palm Oil has coordinated a commitment by the Dutch Nation to embrace only sustainable palm oil by the end of 2015. Dutch businesses are Europe's largest importer and exporter of palm oil (about 2 million tons annually) with much of it going into products sold throughout the European Union.</p> <p>Read the full story <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/11/netherlands-only-use-sustainable-palm-oil-2015.php?campaign=th_rss&amp;utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed:+treehuggersite+(Treehugger)">here</a>.</p> In the Media 313 Fri, 05 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#311 <p>As election fever has gripped the US, Andrew Winston has addressed questions of what the results mean for business and sustainability. This election has featured both the symbolic Californian rejection of the controversial 'Prop 23', yet also brought the anticipated weakening of Obama's Climate Campaign with the loss of the lower house.</p> <p>Winston establishes three clear trends for sustainability in the US based on the results of the Midterm elections: Federal legislative action on climate and energy is dead, broad consensus on building a clean economy future is not dead and the case that business can, and will, lead the sustainability movement.</p> <p>Read the full article <a href="http://www.andrewwinston.com/blog/2010/11/what_the_election_means_or_doe.php?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed:+eco-advantage+(AndrewWinston.com)">here</a>.</p> In the Media 311 Thu, 04 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#305 <p>Siemens has been contracted by Amtrak, the US government owned passenger rail corporation, to produce 70 trains with energy efficient features. The trains will run in Northeast and Keystone Corridor lines and are to be manufactured in Siemens' Sacramento plant, which gets up to 80% of its power from a 2 megawatt solar energy system. The trains will have features such as regenerative brakes that feed up to 100% of the energy produced during braking back to the power grid.</p> <p>Read the full story <a href="http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2010/11/02/siemens-lands-466m-contract-green-amtrak-locomotives?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed:+greenbiz/business-operations+(Business+Operations+|+GreenBiz.com)">here</a>.</p> In the Media 305 Wed, 03 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#303 <p>A new state of the art recycling plant has opened near Glasgow in Scotland that recycles food waste and turns it into renewable energy. As the largest organics recycling factory in Scotland, it can take in 30,000 tonnes of food waste a year to produce 8,000 megawatt hours of green energy &ndash; or enough energy to power 2000 homes.</p> <p>Read the full story <a href="http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=18909">here</a>.</p> In the Media 303 Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#301 <p>In a bid to improve the engineering and manufacture of the 'green vehicles of the future', Ford is to invest $850 million in its Michigan operative between 2011 and 2013. Generating up to 1,200 jobs, the upgrade is expected to improve company competitiveness and overall fuel economy by enabling the manufacture of more fuel efficient vehicles and fuel saving technology.</p> <p>Access the press release <a href="http://www.ford.com/about-ford/news-announcements/press-releases/press-releases-detail/pr-ford-to-invest-additional-850-33467">here</a>.</p> In the Media 301 Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#300 <p>HSBC has published its fourth annual Climate Confidence Monitor, with this year's survey focusing on the business opportunities presented by climate change. The survey showed that after a slight dip last year climate change has returned as one of the top three global concerns. Emerging economies were those most concerned, with a strong call in developing markets for businesses to invest more in specifically addressing climate change.</p> <p>The survey also asked people to 'visualise' what images first came to mind when considering climate change with responses varying from melting ice caps to loss of biodiversity.</p> <p>Access the survey <a href="http://www.hsbc.com/1/2/sustainability/ccm-2010">here</a>.</p> In the Media 300 Fri, 29 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#299 <p>Greenpeace published the 16th version of the 'Greener Electronics Guide' earlier this week. The guide uses a 10 point scale to rank companies based on three Greenpeace demands - that companies; clean up their products by eliminating hazardous substances, take back and recycle their products responsibly once they become obsolete and reduce the climate impacts of their operations and products.</p> <p>The Finnish Group Nokia remained in the number one spot, followed by Sony Ericsson, Phillips and HP. At the bottom were Lenovo, Toshiba, Microsoft and finally Japanese gaming giant Nintendo.</p> <p>Access the guide <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/toxics/electronics/Guide-to-Greener-Electronics/">here</a>.</p> In the Media 299 Thu, 28 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#298 <p>The fourth annual 'Giving in Numbers' report, released by the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) has detailed the rise in non-cash philanthropy from US firms. While cash giving fell from $4 billion in 2008 to $3.8 billion in 2009, non-cash philanthropy rose from $5.3 billion to a substantial $6.1 billion.</p> <p>These increases are due to a rise in employee volunteerism and fundraising &ndash; with more employees receiving full paid time off to participate in volunteer activities. As a result of the global financial crisis, companies have also become more strategic and focussed about their corporate giving.</p> <p>Read full article <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69Q0I020101027">here</a>.</p> In the Media 298 Wed, 27 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#292 <p>As part of the company's 'Plan A' initiative, Marks and Spencer have begun to use fully compostable chocolate trays in their Swiss Chocolate Collection range. The trays, made from plantic a starch based product, are 100% compostable when they come into contact with moisture, making them ideal for home composting.</p> <p>The new packaging will be released today as chocolates go on sale in the line up to Christmas.</p> <p>Read the full article <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/oct/25/chocolate-box-compostable-packaging">here</a>.</p> In the Media 292 Mon, 25 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#291 <p>SAP and Siemens, the two German giants of software and engineering respectively, have partnered to further the adoption of electric vehicles in North America. The two companies will aid to provide the underlying technology to support the use of such vehicles, with improved infrastructure between charging stations and utility providers.</p> <p>A work group is to be established to develop the first phase of the project, which will form the Sustainable Utility Committee (SUC) to focus on e-mobility using SAP's AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) Lighthouse Council. With participation from select utilities, the partners will also examine cases where electric vehicles generate energy that is sold to the grid.</p> <p>Read the full article <a href="http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2010/10/22/sap-and-siemens-target-technologies-needed-accelerate-evs?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+greenbiz%2Fbusiness-operations+%28Business+Operations+%7C+GreenBiz.com%29#ixzz13N4lA0ir">here</a>.</p> In the Media 291 Fri, 22 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#286 <p>India is expected to become the first country in the world to commit to publishing 'natural wealth accounts'. As a part of the UN study of The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity these accounts will track the nation's plants, animals, water and other "natural wealth" as well as financial measurements such as GDP.</p> <p>The announcement is expected to happen at the COP 10 conference in Nagoya, Japan which began earlier this week.</p> <p>Read the full article <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/oct/20/india-natural-wealth-accounts">here</a>.</p> In the Media 286 Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#285 <p>PepsiCo UK has released its first sustainable farming report unveiling a new &lsquo;i-crop&rsquo; technology developed in collaboration with Cambridge University. The report outlines how the company will use 'i-crop' and other initiatives to acheive its target to cut its water usage and carbon emissions by 50% in the next 5 years. <br /><br />As the parent company of Walkers, Quaker, Tropicana and Copella, PepsiCo is a major buyer of potatoes, oats and fruit. By working in partnership with 350 farmers and using innovative measures such as i-crop, the company hopes to make a significant contribution to sustainable UK farming. <br /><br />Read the full press release <a href="http://www.pepsico.co.uk/news-and-comment/pepsico-uks-first-sustainable-farming-report-published">here</a>.</p> In the Media 285 Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#283 <p>Newsweek has released its annual Green Rankings of the top 500 US and top 100 global corporations. The Rankings assess each company's environmental footprint, policies and its reputation among environmental experts.Topping the global list are IBM and Hewlett-Packard, while Dell is the leader among US companies.</p> <p>To produce these Rankings, Newsweek collaborated with MSCI ESG Research, Trucost and CorporateRegister.com.</p> <p>Access the Rankings<a href="http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2010/green-rankings.html"> here</a>.</p> In the Media 283 Tue, 19 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#281 <p>Newsweek's recent feature article "The New Oil" investigates the growing strain on water resources and outlines perspectives for ceding control to private entities or keeping resources under public control. It also discusses the challenges of investing in water infrastructure and meeting demand around the world.</p> <p>It is interesting to note that this article does not acknowledge the corporate interest in water use. Globally, domestic use of water only accounts for 8 percent, while industrial and agriculture use accounts for 22 and 70 percent, respectively (United Nations World Water Development Report, 2003). While consumers may not change their water use habits because of relatively minor price increases, companies are increasingly examining ways to decrease water use &ndash; proving their commitment to sustainability while also contributing the bottom line.</p> <p>Read the full article <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/2010/10/08/the-race-to-buy-up-the-world-s-water.html">here</a>.</p> In the Media 281 Mon, 18 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#277 <p>The Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship and Reputation Institute have released their 2010 CSR Index of the top 50 companies in the United States. The CSR Index ranking is determined by how the public perceives each company in the areas of Citizenship, Governance and Workplace.</p> <p>Access the ranking <a href="http://www.bcccc.net/index.cfm?pageId=2202">here</a>.</p> In the Media 277 Thu, 14 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#273 <p>Recognizing future potential for globally limited supplies of water and high energy costs, SAB Miller, one of the world's largest brewers, has predicted that the brewery's of the future will be mobile.</p> <p>By using desalinated sea water, a mobile brewery on a specialised ship will be able to move water sources, people and crops in order to avoid risky business situations. To reduce energy costs, SAB Miller has developed a plan to use its own agricultural waste in the manufacture of bio-fuels as a production energy source.</p> <p>This could be an exciting development in innovation and risk mitigation, not only for the brewery industry, but also for other sectors as they develop forward thinking business models to address environmental challenges.</p> <p>Read the full article <a href="http://www.sabmiller.com/index.asp?pageid=149&amp;newsid=1410">here</a>.</p> In the Media 273 Wed, 13 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#272 <p>Google announced today that the company will invest 37.5% of initial equity in the development of a backbone transmission project off the Mid-Atlantic coast. An exact figure for the investment was not released but is expected to be around $5 billion.</p> <p>The so-called Atlantic Wind Connection backbone&nbsp; will be able to connect 6,000 megawatts of offshore wind turbines. This amount is equivalent to 60% of the wind energy installed in the entire U.S. last year, and enough to serve approximately 1.9 million households.</p> <p>Read the full article <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/wind-cries-transmission.html">here</a>.</p> In the Media 272 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#271 <p>The Guardian Newspaper has re-launched its sustainable business site 'Guardian Sustainable Business' or GSB, that includes an array of information from company profiles detailing sustainability practices across business, to a live twitter feed around CSR and sector specific news and comment.</p> <p>The site is not only a timely launch in context of recent growth around CSR, but demonstrates and cements the idea that CSR is a concept here to stay within the mainstream.</p> <p>Access the site <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business">here</a>.</p> In the Media 271 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#269 <p>Eco-Business.com recently featured an article about the growth of CSR in Asia. Thanks to organisations such as CSR Asia, there is more discussion across sectors about Asia's environmental, social and governance challenges.</p> <p>The article also highlighted that compliance remains the largest CSR driver today, as multi-national businesses must increasingly ensure rigorous standards in their global supply chains.</p> <p>Read the full article <a href="http://www.eco-business.com/news/2010/oct/06/csr-asia-gaining-traction/">here</a>.</p> In the Media 269 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#263 <p>A survey of over 1,800 US companies worth $1 billion or more predicts global spending on sustainability initiatives to increase by 11% in 2010. The analyst firm Verdantix forecasts that the annual amount spent on green projects by U.S. companies will reach $60 billion by 2014. The utility and automotive sectors are expected to grow the most, with spending up by 24%. Banking and retail will grow at a slower yet still significant 14%.</p> <p>Despite the sluggish economy of the last two years these trends clearly signify the elevation of sustainable business to C-Suite importance.</p> <p>Read the full article <a href="http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2010/10/06/us-firms-double-sustainablity-spending-60b-2014?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ClimateBiz+%28ClimateBiz.com%29">here</a>.</p> In the Media 263 Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#266 <p>Sainsbury, the UK-based supermarket chain, has been taken to court over the excess use of packaging in some of its products. As the first large scale company to bear the brunt of new UK environmental legislation, a regional Trading Standards body has held the supermarket accountable after consumer complaints raised awareness of the issue.</p> <p>In an interview with the BBC, CEO Justin King discusses the balance to be struck between customer expectations and the company's drive to reduce packaging.&nbsp;</p> <p>View the full interview with CEO Justin King <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11484160">here</a>.</p> In the Media 266 Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.accountability.org/about-us/news/index.html#265 <p>The Obama Administration announced that solar panels will be installed on the roof of the White House, nearly 25 years after they were removed by the Reagan Administration.</p> <p>The move came after strong lobbying for the Administration to reinstall the panels. Bill McKibben, leader of the campaign welcomed the decision, saying "solar panels on one house, even this house, won't save the climate, of course. But they're a powerful symbol to the whole nation about where the future lies."</p> <p>Read the full article <a href="http://www.examiner.com/green-design-in-buffalo/solar-panels-will-return-to-white-house-by-spring-2011">here</a>.</p> In the Media 265 Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400