Archive for the 'Shorts' Category



At Hotels: Green Key Cards on the Rise

Last month we blogged the introduction of Credit Cards in America made from biodegradable BioPVC and mentioned that this material has also been used in Hotel Key Cards, an industry that in America alone puts an estimated 1,300 tons of plastic into our landfills annually.

The good news is that in the last couple of years, biodegradable key cards have dramatically risen in popularity and availability. Last year the Marriot chain in the US started phasing in Key Cards made with 50% recycled material, soon all the 24 million key cards the company buys each year will be ‘Green’.

BioPVC, which contains enzymes that allow the material to biodegrade in less than 5 years, is not the only option hotels have when it comes to green key cards. The other 2 major offerings are Agri Cards, made out of plant material, and reNew Cards, which uses recycled plastics in its manufacturing process. These options are primarily distributed in the US through usfi Greenworks and Pineapple Hospitality.

green card types

Another option from Sustainable Cards that only last made its debut at the Democratic National Convention, are Wooden cards made from  PEFC (Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) certified wood.

With this much choice, it will be easy for hotels to find a variant to suit their environmental focus / message and with there being very little difference in costs when compared to the PVC option, they will have no excuse not to adopt these cards. 

More: GreenLodgingNews, Luxist, Environmental Leader

Rocks that Absorb CO2?

Over thousand of years, rocks have naturally been absorbing carbon dioxide from the air and binding it with minerals. But this process is slow, much slower than the effects of a forest’s photosynthesis for example.

Scientists have however, albeit in labs, managed to speed up the process by adding a catalyst, sodium nitrate, to ground up rock. In minutes, the rocks reform and absorb carbon dioxide in the process.

Unfortunately the process in its current form cannot be applied on a large scale. But scientists are optimistic.

A new study led by Sam Krevor of Columbia University’s Earth Institute has been mapping rocks with the potential to absorb carbon all across the United States, from California to Oregon and from Alabama to Newfoundland (Canada). His team has found a staggering total of 15,540 sq km of rock formations that have the potential to be ‘supercharged‘ to accelerate their carbon absorption rates.

Although these rocks have also been mapped earlier in Oman, Papua New Guinea and Caledonia, this study’s mapping of ‘Carbon Absorbing Rocks’ is by far the largest of its kind. Sam firm believes in the potential of these rocks to absorb 500 years of the United States’ carbon emissions but there still is one problem…

The problem is not going to be a lack of rocks, it’s getting them to do the job” – Sam Krevor

Link: Reuters

Ethical Fashion Show: It Travels!


If you could not get enough of Ethical Fashion at Estethica at London’s Fashion Week. Here’s an Ethical Fashion Show that comes to you! That is of course if you live in Paris, Milano, or Rio de Janeiro.

Running since 2004, the show presents a wide variety of designers (100!) from across the globe that ‘respect people, the environment and the precious traditional skills inherent to each culture‘. From Veja (France) to Eco Logika (Australia) and Samant Chauhan (India).

Organised by Universal Love, the show just wound up in Milano (1st – 3rd March) and will be in Rio in Summer (June 11th – 14th) and then wind up the year in Paris (1st – 4th October).

Also Blogged At: EcoFashionWorldCentre for Sustainable Fashion, MyFashionLife, YouthXChange

Press Release: Here

ResponsibleTV: Responsible Investment TV Channel

ResponsibleTV ”Online TV Dedicated to Responsible Investing

Sounds too good to be true? EvoTV, an online personal finance media portal, in partnership with RIAA (Responsible Investment Association Australasia) has launched a channel dedicated to the latest news and trends on Responsible and Ethical Investing.

With interviews from Industry Professionals, Politicians, Academics and other leaders of thought in the sphere of Responsible Investment, ResponsibleTV looks to substantially increase the accessibility to and ‘buzz’ surrounding the global trend towards Responsible / Ethical / Sustainable Investing.

It really is exciting that the channel is hosted on a portal targeting individuals who are interest in / about to make personal investment decisions.

A sample of recent issues covered:

Are we Ready for a Carbon Economy?

Greenwash or Green Light – the effectiveness of the UN PRI

Facing the ESG challenges of the Future

Why and how are High Net Worth Individuals investing responsibly?

Climate Change and new investment models

Bail out or Band Aid – what’s behind the Credit Crunch

I don’t know about you, but we sure will be tuning in.

Aaron: I’m curious guys, do any of know of any other media source that covers Sustainability / CSR issues extensively? Would really appreciate some tips on where to check out.

HSBC launches Vaccine Investment Fund

HSBC Vaccination ISA ”Every £1,000 you invest will help immunise over 130 children against five life–threatening diseases

Today HSBC launches a novel new Investment Vehicle, one that promises to make you a fixed return 16.2% (if your funds remain invested throughout the intended 5 year 1 month period) and save lives!

Your investment will go towards a program administered in 70 countries by the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFim) and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI).

But how does this work? 

Its Simple.

HSBC will pool investments to purchase bonds (medium term notes) from IFFim. 

IFFim secures these bonds with the pledged donations from United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Norway and South Africa of $5.3 billion over 20 years.

The World Bank acts as Treasury Manager to coordinates the donors pledges.

This is a great example of Corporations creating Synergies with community initiatives for mutual benefit, large global financial institutions like HSBC have a natural competitive edge in raising capital and initiatives like immunizing children have an ability to rally individuals to action (in this case donate invest).

Link: HSBC , Pharmaceutical Executive, Financial Times, HuaxLee

International Polar Year Celebrates Inuit Partners in Arctic Research

Last Wednesday marked the end of the International Polar Year (IPY 2007 – 2008), a year which saw 60 countries spending $1.2 billion on building knowledge around the polar ice caps, global climate systems, polar bears and equally important, the Arctic peoples.

Involving the Arctic communities was a key focal point of the 4th edition of the IPY, building on past efforts where “a typical Arctic family was 5: 2 parents, 2 children and 1 anthropologist” to include community education and research institutions as full partners.

Full partners that have been enthusiastically participating in activities ranging from climate monitoring to keeping track of local wildlife populations.

Now instead of helplessly watching the industrial world’s actions destroy their environment, Arctic communities, through efforts during the IPY, have been able to play active roles in developing knowledge that will dictate the world’s actions to address the urgent need to preserve our Polar regions.

Link: International Polar Year Celebrations

Wokai Launches!

Last week, Wokai officially launched its microfinance platform to provide support to rural entrepreneurs in China with a focus on women. The platform which has been in Beta in the last months has already attracted more than 200 contributors!

Definitely an organization to watch.

Wokai Website: Here 

Wokai Blog: Here

BHP Billiton Head now Leads Temasek Holdings

Temasek Holdings Logo In a move that has shocked the industry, Temasek Holdings, Singapore’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, has selected Charles “Chip” Goodyear, CEO of Mining Giant BHP Billiton (until September 2007), to head the US$124 bn fund. 

Chip replaces Ho Ching, the wife of Singapore’s Prime Minister, who oversaw reforms in the fund which began as a sleepy enterprise holding mostly Singapore-based companies like Singapore Airlines and DBS to the international giant it is now holding 19% of Standard Chartered, 4 – 8% of the 4 Leading Chinese Banks and 9% of Merril Lynch (Temasek Holdings Portfolio Highlights: Link Here).

The choice continues a trend which has resulted in 40% of senior management in Temasek Holdings being Non-Singaporean and could be in line with the fund’s aims to dissuade proponents of the idea that the fund has been used to further Political agendas of the Singapore Government with Ho Ching being so closely associated with the state’s Prime Minister.

The installation of Mr. Goodyear in October this year could also herald a new direction for the fund which has traditionally invested heavily in the global financial sector. Observers believe that with Mr. Goodyear, Temasek Holdings will now focus more attention on the Mining and Resources sector (currently only 5% of the funds portfolio) with the future of the Financial Sector remaining turbulent.

Could this also mean a more sustainable approach to investing with Chip’s former firm BHP Billiton making it the “Top 100 Sustainable Corporations” list released at Davos previously blogged (link here) ? We can be idealists and hope.

More Here: Financial Times

Previous Article on Sovereign Wealth Funds: EvolvingChoice

Temasek Holdings Portfolio Highlights: Link Here

The news quickly made the headlines in Singapore Blogs: “Ho Ching is Out of Temasek!”, SGPolitics, Singapore News Alternative, A Poem for Ho Ching

‘Fake’ Products Soar in Popularity: China

Not Just Bags & Watches

Not just limited to imitation Louis Vuitton Handbags and Rolex Watches, the “Culture of Fake” in China is soaring in Popularity across a whole spectrum of Consumer Goods.

Tough Times

In tougher economic times when “The Real Thing” is increasingly out of reach of your average Chinese consumer, many are taking to “ShanZhai” (as the culture of fake/imitation goods has been called) products which its proponents insist are “Just as Good”.

Intellectual Property Rights

This will present a large problem for International Brands, who have been looking to enforce their intellectual property rights in China, as these ShanZhai” brands grow in popularity in their own right.

Will SQNY replace SONY?

Will ADADAS (or ADIDOS) outsell ADIDAS?

Will KFG move more chicken that KFC?

Original Reuters Article: Link Here

More Examples of Funny and Clever “Shanzhai”: ChinaSmack

An Interesting Post about Apples with Chinese Characters “Grown” into them: AaronFu.com

Vodafone is Benchmark for Czech CSR: Katz Research

Professor John Camillus of the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Graduate School of Business is currently engaged in a study in the Czech Republic which hopes to prove that ”corporate humanity and social responsibility in business is absolutely essential for the economic success of companies”.

In an interview with Czech newspaper Hospodářské noviny, he highlights Vodafone, alongside EMCO, as companies which are benchmarks for CSR in the Czech Republic.  

John Camillus, Professor at the University of Pittsburgh's Katz Business School

John Camillus, Professor at the University of Pittsburgh's Katz Business School

Excerpt of the Interview:

At this moment, you are in the middle of collecting data for your case study and have come into contact with many Czech companies. What is your opinion of Czech managers? Is their policy humane and socially responsible vis-à-vis customers? How would you assess their strategies towards employees?

The University of Pittsburgh has been operating in the Czech Republic for almost twenty years. It also cooperates closely with the U.S. Business School Prague. Thanks to this fact, we are able to find many excellently managed Czech companies here, which may serve as prime examples of the approach we study.

The two Czech companies we are focusing on in the first stage of the case processing are EMCO and Vodafone. These are two brilliantly managed Czech companies, which may serve as global benchmark for economically successful and human-oriented companies. Both have solid values which are incorporated in their business decisions, both are very attentive to the wellbeing of their employees and customers, both use innovative and diverse approaches in management and the managements and employees of both companies are proud to be a part thereof. This has a positive effect on the benefit their companies generate. In the case studies, we will describe in detail their philosophy, management procedures and decision-making processes.

 

 


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