Melodies in Marketing

Authentic Green Marketing & Sustainable Product Development

The 12 Principles of Green Engineering September 7, 2008

Filed under: Design, Sustainability — Mario Vellandi @ 12:22 pm

Green engineering is the development and commercialization of industrial processes that are economically feasible and reduce the risk to human health and the environment. These principles, which were first outlined in 2003 in the American Chemical Society’s journal Environmental Science & Technology (2003, 37, 94A) by Paul T. Anastas and Julie B. Zimmerman, add an engineering perspective to the concepts of green chemistry.

  • Inherent Rather Than Circumstantial
    Designers need to strive to ensure that all materials and energy inputs and outputs are as inherently nonhazardous as possible.
  • Prevention Instead of Treatment
    It is better to prevent waste than to treat or clean up waste after it is formed.
  • Design for Separation
    Separation and purification operations should be designed to minimize energy consumption and materials use.
  • Maximize Efficiency
    Products, processes, and systems should be designed to maximize mass, energy, space, and time efficiency.
  • Output-Pulled Versus Input-Pushed
    Products, processes, and systems should be “output-pulled” rather than “input-pushed” through the use of energy and materials. (For example, reactions can be driven by pulling out products rather than increasing inputs such as additional starting material or heat and pressure.)
  • Conserve Complexity
    Embedded entropy and complexity must be viewed as an investment when making design choices on recycle, reuse, or beneficial disposition. (For example, it might be more economically and environmentally beneficial to dispose of highly complex products such as silicon computer chips rather than to attempt to recycle or reuse the material components.)
  • Durability Rather Than Immortality
    Targeted durability, not immortality, should be a design goal.
  • Meet Need, Minimize Excess
    Design for unnecessary capacity or capability (that is, “one size fits all”) should be considered a design flaw.
  • Minimize Material Diversity
    Material diversity in multicomponent products should be minimized to promote disassembly and value retention.
  • Integrate Material and Energy Flows
    Design of products, processes, and systems must include integration and interconnectivity with available energy and materials flows.
  • Design for Commercial “Afterlife”
    Products, processes, and systems should be designed for performance in a commercial “afterlife.”
  • Renewable Rather Than Depleting
    Material and energy inputs should be renewable rather than depleting.

SOURCE: American Chemical Society’s Green Chemistry Institute

 

Dow Jones Sustainability Index 2008 September 6, 2008

Filed under: Management, Sustainability — Mario Vellandi @ 12:07 pm

The latest annual review for a cooperative sustainability index of best-in-class companies has been released today with the following top identified leaders, their profiles, and results:

NAME SUPERSECTOR COUNTRY
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) Automobiles & Parts Germany
Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd Banks Australia
Xstrata Plc Basic Resources UK
BASF SE Chemicals Germany
Holcim Construction & Materials Switzerland
Itausa-Investimentos Itau Financial Services Brazil
Unilever Food & Beverage Netherlands
Novartis AG Health Care Switzerland
TNT N.V. Industrial Goods & Services Netherlands
Swiss Re Insurance Switzerland
Pearson Plc Media UK
ENI Oil & Gas Italy
Adidas AG Personal & Household Goods Germany
Land Securities Group PLC Real Estate UK
Kingfisher Plc Retail UK
Intel Corp. Technology USA
BT Group Plc Telecommunications UK
Air France-KLM Travel & Leisure France
Grupo Iberdrola Utilities Spain


Additional Resources:
- DJSI website
- 2008 Annual Review
- Official Webcast

 

Green News Roundup September 5, 2008

Filed under: Sustainability — Mario Vellandi @ 6:05 pm

Chemists Wanted for a Better World - This article is a must read if you’re want an in-depth look at what green chemistry holds for us now and in the future
. . .
CDs, DVDs, and Sustainability - They’re typically made by combining various mined metals (aluminum, gold, silver, and nickel) with petroleum-derived plastics, lacquers, and dyes. This brief article addresses some of the additional issues and concerns.
. . .
Podcast on Bioplastics by BASF (a German world leading chemical company); 4min.
. . .
Biomimicry: Natural by Design - This revolution in bioengineering and chemistry is shaping the future of sustainable design by using the natural world of plants, animals, and ecology.
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Turning CO2 into Chalk and Sand - Carbon sequestration and its conversion into useful materials is a hot topic. Science News further explains.
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GE Touting Eco-Benefits of New Frontload Washers - “The frontload washer uses about 15 to 16 gallons of water per load that you have to heat, compared with a traditional top-load washer at between 39 and 40 gallons.” A big marketing campaign is now underway.
. . .
Building Better Sustainability Metrics - Emma Stewart on the Harvard Leading Green blog, describes that while the availability of various environmental metrics developed over the last few decades are great, it’ll be increasingly important to apply the right metrics for particular reporting and analysis.
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Whole Foods Farmed Seafood Standards - While the Environmental Law Institute praised Whole Foods Market for its standards in procuring quality aquacultural products, they said increasing transparency is among important next steps.
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Green Products are the Ticket to Faster Growth - Andrew Winston, co-author of “Green to Gold”, makes the case for business growth through examples of energy and water efficiency, material minimization, and eliminating toxic substances in products.
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Building a Sustainable Brand; Audio Interview with Method Products’ Eric Ryan
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Inside Look with Chinese Eco-Detective - This great article takes us into the work life of Zhang Yadong, who examines effects of industry and society upon water quality and agriculture in China.
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Organization Promotes Curbing Unwanted Phonebooks - YellowPagesGoesGreen is an org that seeks to reduce the amount of paper wasted on phonebooks, which never get read or used. Includes a Opt-out signup list.
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Fairtrade Jeans: An Inside Look - Great examination of the availability of, and case for purchasing, ethically produced denim.
. . .
Scientists Concerned About Nitrogen’s Effects - Like Carbon, it’s a huge natural part of our world. This NY Times article takes a closer look at the underlying issues and concerns scientists hold.
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Can Sewage Waste Make Good Agricultural Fertilizer? - The Guardian newspaper looks below the surface.
. . .
PulpWatch.org Receives Asia’s Attention - The Paper Planet blog quickly points out how this website is proof of the need for operational transparency in the paper industry.
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Consumer Electronics and Bioplastics - There are a lot of plastic components in electronics besides the housing. This article takes a quick look at how DuPont and Fujitsu are using bioplastics.
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Bioplastics Recycling Consortium Launched - Primo Water Corp and 19 other orgs launch an initiative to seek out a future for bioplastic recycling
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Tesco’s New Mandate to Go Green - The CEO of Tesco, one of the world’s largest retailers, gives a strong case for why sustainability in retail operations and merchandising is critical for the planet, and of growing importance to consumers.
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Sanyo Washer/Dryer Combo conserves water and recycles it too.
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Flame Retardants Found 3 Times Higher in Toddlers than moms, an Environmental Working Group study has found.
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Au Revoir!

 

The Secret Life of Paper September 4, 2008

Filed under: Sustainability — Mario Vellandi @ 5:59 am

[Video Link for Email/Other Subscribers - 5.5min]

This video provides a great exploration into paper production, consumption, environmental impact, and practical advice.

 

Forget Carbon, Think Life Cycle September 2, 2008

Filed under: Sustainability — Mario Vellandi @ 6:45 pm

Carbon emissions are ONE element of sustainable environment, society, and commerce. While climate change is indeed important, we must be mindful to not exclusively focus on one factor alone. For the purposes of examining a holistic environmental impact, a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment is necessary. This article puts light onto the environmental aspect of sustainability.

The public discussion on carbon has gone on for the last couple years, helping fuel greater awareness of activities’ contributions to greenhouse gas accumulation. While this is great, there are three major problems with carbon:

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Misconceptions

Many people have only a vague idea of what a carbon footprint is, or means. A study by Harris Interactive for Dow Corning, from a sample of 1,000 individuals from a cross-section of companies in 8 countries, revealed that 68% of respondents were unfamiliar with the term. Here’s the lowdown:

The measurement of a carbon footprint entails the amount (expressed in units of CO2 equivalents) of greenhouse gases that enter the atmosphere as the result of a given activity or product. On the surface, this is acceptable because there are environmental accounting methodologies for calculating it (ISO 14040, 14044 and 14064). Let’s think about those ‘equivalents’ though. The three primary greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. While the first is the largest contributor, the latter two have a MUCH higher impact (per unit) on global warming.

A carbon footprint tells us only about emissions though. The danger is that if people who want to be more environmentally friendly, compare products and services solely on the basis of carbon footprints, they might make the wrong choices. While carbon labels like those advised by organizations like the U.K. Carbon Trust, and implemented by manufacturers and retailers in Britain and Japan, are good in theory and I commend them for their efforts, it’s just not a good enough measurement - It does not deliver a total environmental impact.

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Narrow Scope

Secondly, the scope of carbon footprints don’t cover a product or activity’s total impact over time. For that, we need a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment to consider many other environmental factors including:

- Acid rain
- Smog
- Habitat alteration
- Ozone depletion
- Fossil fuel depletion
- Water usage and effluence quality
- Indoor air pollutants
- Solid and hazardous waste
- Human and ecological health

How are carbon emissions from organizations measured then? There are generally accepted 3 Tiers of scope:

1) From the company’s own activities
2) Emissions from electricity and steam purchased by the company.
3) All other emissions, including the entire supply chain of goods and services.

According to research conducted by researchers at MIT, most measurement and reporting is carried out in the first two tiers. Further elaborating,

“Two-thirds of U.S. industries would overlook 75 percent of their total greenhouse gas emissions if they continue to use the same tier one or tier two reporting boundaries. The average industry has only 14 percent of its total greenhouse gas emissions in tier one and 12 percent in tier two for a total of 26 percent.

Specifically, the research finds that only 6 percent of the publishing industry’s greenhouse gas emissions result from its tier one and tier two uses of petroleum products and electricity. However, there are large emissions from electricity and paper in the supply chain that would otherwise be ignored. Similar results appear for other industries.”

As you probably see, all of these factors consider production and distribution within the supply chain. But what about carbon impact measurements for the product/service’s useful life and eventual disposal?

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The Difficulty with Compare & Contrast

With the vast potential for inaccurate carbon reporting, scenario analysis can thus be quite difficult. There are a variety of carbon calculators out there, but according to a University of Washington study on 10 different ones, the results can vary substantially for three big reasons. While air travel is a massive contributor, its calculation methods differ. Second, there is no standard set of behaviors measured by all; each behavioral measurement can vary by either nominal inputs or per capita averages. Third, the weighted coefficients differ for each like variable across the calculators’ formulas. Claire Trageser of Seattlepi.com writes,

“Since there’s no oversight of the increasingly popular calculators, Steinemann [UW civil and environmental engineering professor who headed the research] agreed that there’s nothing preventing anyone from running a Web site that claims to calculate carbon footprints.

And if the results can’t be trusted, that means some people may be changing their lifestyle or donating money for carbon “offsets,” such as those offered by public utilities, under false assumptions.”

Stefan Glimm of Flexible Packaging Europe writes that:

“In calculating a footprint we need to make certain assumptions – for example predicting the conditions under which activities will take place, or how a product will be used. Obviously, the reliability of the resulting footprint will depend crucially on the accuracy of these assumptions. If one footprint is calculated on the basis of realistic assumptions, while another is based on an overly optimistic or idealised scenario, then clearly any comparison between the two will be meaningless.”

Regarding the lack of contextual effects, Stefan further adds,

“Many people believe fewer goods should be packaged, on the grounds that by not using packaging a certain ‘footprint’ is saved. But if, as a result of eliminating packaging, the goods perish the environmental impact of producing and transporting them will have been for nothing – and the small environmental benefit gained by eliminating packaging will be more than outweighed by the loss of the goods.”

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The Case for a Comprehensive Life Cycle Analysis

Carbon emissions are important aspects of environmental impact assessments, so long as they’re measured properly and given appropriate weight within a multi-attribute life cycle analysis. This considers the triple bottom line of ecology, society, and economics.

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Additional Resources:

 

Responsible Bioplastic Sourcing - Barent Roth August 29, 2008

Filed under: Innovation, New Product Development, Sustainability, Video — Mario Vellandi @ 1:27 pm

[Video Link for Email/Other Subscribers - 3min]

In this interview with Barent of Grow Design, he discusses the importance of using non-GMO (genetically modified organism) agricultural products for biopolymers (plastics). In the coming years, bioplastics will become more prevalent as a means to make plastics without the use of fossil fuels. In the United States, much of our agriculture comes from GMO crops. Although one could use the feedstock and byproducts from these sources, Barent claims it isn’t the wise choice.

First, the procurement of biopolymers made from GMO sources helps further support that contentious industry. The European Union has practically banned GMO crops for public health and cultural value reasons. Engineers and product developers should thus support natural alternatives in their supplier selection process, by asking about origination sources.

Secondly, doing so would be perfectly aligned with making ‘green’ and sustainable components, packaging, and products.

 

Mark Schapiro, Exposing a Toxic U.S. Policy August 28, 2008

Filed under: Sustainability — Mario Vellandi @ 5:34 am

[Audio Link for Email/Other Subscribers - 40 min]

In this gem of an interview I found with investigative journalist Mark Schapiro, he talks about a variety of important issues related to sustainable products, toxicity, regulation, and how the European Union (the largest collective economic entity) is leading the world in environmental/social regulation. So much so that developing countries like India and China are sending delegates to Brussels to learn how to adopt similar progressive programs in their countries.

The potential implication is that America’s lagging governmental regulation on toxic substances, will leave us with more dangerous products, relative to other countries. My brief summary doesn’t suffice compared to the vast amount of stories and insight listening to the whole interview will give you.

Mark’s book: Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What’s at Stake for American Power
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Article: Fear phthalate ban in toys just the beginning