http://www.environmentalleader.com Environmental Leader Fri, 25 May 2012 17:41:13 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/25/texas-instruments-sustainability-report-normalized-emissions-jump-23/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/25/texas-instruments-sustainability-report-normalized-emissions-jump-23/#comments Fri, 25 May 2012 14:05:33 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=77383 Technology firm Texas Instruments’ emissions normalized on a per-chip basis rose 23 percent year-on-year amid a host of other disappointing environmental figures, according to its 2011 corporate sustainability report. TI attributes this to a number of facilities running under capacity – which the company says requires a similar amount of energy to fully loaded operations [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/25/texas-instruments-sustainability-report-normalized-emissions-jump-23/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/23/alcoa-sustainability-report-4-5-drop-in-water-intensity-but-landfilling-up-10/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/23/alcoa-sustainability-report-4-5-drop-in-water-intensity-but-landfilling-up-10/#comments Wed, 23 May 2012 14:15:20 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=77158 Last year saw aluminum products supplier Alcoa cut its normalized water use by 4.5 percent from 2010 levels, but increase the amount of waste it sent to landfill by 10 percent, according to the company’s 2011 sustainability report. In 2011, Alcoa used 4.2 cubic meters of water per metric ton of production, down from 4.4 [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/23/alcoa-sustainability-report-4-5-drop-in-water-intensity-but-landfilling-up-10/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/23/accenture-44-of-senior-execs-say-sustainability-critical-to-business/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/23/accenture-44-of-senior-execs-say-sustainability-critical-to-business/#comments Wed, 23 May 2012 07:30:46 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=77227 Forty-four percent of senior executives say that sustainability is critical to their businesses, according to an Accenture report, and that figure rises to 64 percent in emerging markets. The consulting firm surveyed 250 senior executives in the United States, Japan, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, as well as China, Brazil and India, about sustainable [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/23/accenture-44-of-senior-execs-say-sustainability-critical-to-business/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/22/san-fracisco-49ers-buy-low-co2-concrete-for-new-stadium/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/22/san-fracisco-49ers-buy-low-co2-concrete-for-new-stadium/#comments Tue, 22 May 2012 14:00:55 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=77047 Central Concrete, a US Concrete company, will supply about 80,000 cubic yards of its low-CO2 concrete for the new San Francisco 49ers stadium, the company said. The mixes selected, which will be used for the auger cast piles and overall stadium structure, use less materials than traditional concrete and will reduce the stadium’s overall carbon [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/22/san-fracisco-49ers-buy-low-co2-concrete-for-new-stadium/feed/ 3 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/21/top-environmental-services-firms-named/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/21/top-environmental-services-firms-named/#comments Mon, 21 May 2012 16:43:29 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=76985 AECOM, AMEC, Arcadis, CH2M Hill, ERM, SAIC and URS lead the US market for environmental services, according to a report from Verdantix. Green Quadrant Environmental Services Providers said the seven companies stood out in a field of 20 environmental services firms assessed in the study because of their national reach; ability to provide end-to-end project [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/21/top-environmental-services-firms-named/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/21/water-tech-market-for-food-and-drink-to-almost-double-by-2020/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/21/water-tech-market-for-food-and-drink-to-almost-double-by-2020/#comments Mon, 21 May 2012 14:20:29 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=76946 The global water technology market in the food and beverage sector is set to almost double in size by 2020 as concerns over water scarcity increase, according to new research by business data research center Global Water Intelligence. Drivers including rising demand coupled with a fixed supply, and companies’ increasing concern over environmental branding, will [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/21/water-tech-market-for-food-and-drink-to-almost-double-by-2020/feed/ 1 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/21/submetering-market-will-grow-to-1-5b-in-2020/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/21/submetering-market-will-grow-to-1-5b-in-2020/#comments Mon, 21 May 2012 13:55:42 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=76989 The worldwide market for submetering technology and services totals $771 million and will grow to $1.58 billion in 2020 at a compound annual growth rate of 9.4 percent, according to a new Pike Research report. North America, Western Europe, and Asia Pacific collectively amount to 85 percent of the global market, with the remaining 15 [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/21/submetering-market-will-grow-to-1-5b-in-2020/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/18/intel-sustainability-report-tech-giant-commits-to-10-ghg-cut/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/18/intel-sustainability-report-tech-giant-commits-to-10-ghg-cut/#comments Fri, 18 May 2012 14:40:13 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=76839 Intel has pledged to reduce its direct greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent on a per-chip basis by 2020 compared to 2010 levels, and announced a 34 percent reduction in its total CO2 emissions last year. The company has also committed to a host of other goals covering its building practices, the efficiency of its [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/18/intel-sustainability-report-tech-giant-commits-to-10-ghg-cut/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/18/lux-research-sustainable-coatings-an-emerging-market/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/18/lux-research-sustainable-coatings-an-emerging-market/#comments Fri, 18 May 2012 14:12:55 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=76837 Consumer awareness, government regulations and the widespread acceptance of energy efficiency standards for buildings are driving the development of sustainable architectural coatings, but “greenwashing” has created confusion in the market, according to a Lux Research report. The report, Painting a Green Future: Opportunities in Sustainable Architectural Coatings, assesses these coating technologies and evaluates their performance and [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/18/lux-research-sustainable-coatings-an-emerging-market/feed/ 2 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/17/mining-industry-to-spend-20bn-on-renewable-energy-and-conservation-by-2020/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/17/mining-industry-to-spend-20bn-on-renewable-energy-and-conservation-by-2020/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 14:19:46 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=76801 Worldwide investment by the mining industry in renewable energy and energy conservation will reach about $8.4 billion by 2016 and nearly $20 billion by 2020, according to a new report from Pike Research. And under a more aggressive scenario, in which the global economy expands more rapidly and policy mandates pertaining to climate change are [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/17/mining-industry-to-spend-20bn-on-renewable-energy-and-conservation-by-2020/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/17/international-paper-expects-to-meet-12-sustainability-goals-by-2020/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/17/international-paper-expects-to-meet-12-sustainability-goals-by-2020/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 12:30:16 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=76748 International Paper has outlined 12 voluntary sustainability goals that it expects to meet by the end of the decade, including a 15 percent efficiency improvement in its purchased energy use. The Memphis, Tenn.-based company detailed the goals in its 2011 Sustainability Report. These goals aim to reduce emissions as well as cut water consumption, improve the supply chain [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/17/international-paper-expects-to-meet-12-sustainability-goals-by-2020/feed/ 1 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/16/ericsson-sustainability-report-direct-carbon-intensity-drops-6/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/16/ericsson-sustainability-report-direct-carbon-intensity-drops-6/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 14:10:01 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=76632 Direct emissions from telecommunications firm Ericsson’s in-house activities totaled around 0.84 Mtonnes during 2011. This corresponds to a six percent reduction in direct emissions intensity from Ericsson’s activities year-on-year, according to the company’s 2011 sustainability report. Last year, the CO2 emissions associated with the lifetime operation of Ericsson products in operation totaled approximately 24 Mtonnes. [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/16/ericsson-sustainability-report-direct-carbon-intensity-drops-6/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/16/sheffield-steel-plants-could-provide-20-mw-of-green-thermal-energy/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/16/sheffield-steel-plants-could-provide-20-mw-of-green-thermal-energy/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 14:05:25 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=76629 Steel plants located just outside Sheffield’s city center could be connected to the UK city’s existing district heating network (pictured) to provide an extra 20 MW of thermal energy, Phys.org reports. Steel companies actually spend money to cool flue gas and the water used during manufacturing, so heat recovery helps them to save money while [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/16/sheffield-steel-plants-could-provide-20-mw-of-green-thermal-energy/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/16/nrel-model-improves-predictions-of-shade-effects-on-solar-pv/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/16/nrel-model-improves-predictions-of-shade-effects-on-solar-pv/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 13:55:49 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=76690 Using microinverters instead of typical string inverters can improve solar panels’ performance in shade by more than 12 percent, according to a new National Renewable Energy Laboratory test procedure, which the lab says greatly improves the accuracy of predictions about shade effects. Shade hinders photovoltaic performance, which is why solar installers consider it in PV [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/16/nrel-model-improves-predictions-of-shade-effects-on-solar-pv/feed/ 0 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/15/cafedirect-using-carbon-credits-to-fund-green-coffee/ http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/15/cafedirect-using-carbon-credits-to-fund-green-coffee/#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 15:20:03 +0000 Environmental Leader http://www.environmentalleader.com/?p=76516 Cafedirect – the UK’s largest fair trade hot drink supplier – is using the carbon market to fund adaptation projects that, in turn, support the sustainability of its own coffee production. As one of the four pilot groups of Cafédirect’sAdapCC project, the Peruvian cooperative of Cepicafe began investigating ways the carbon market could be used to [...]]]> http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/15/cafedirect-using-carbon-credits-to-fund-green-coffee/feed/ 0