| Federal Trade Commission proposes revisions to its Green Guides |
10/7/2010 |
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 Federal Trade Commission has released proposed revisions to the guidance that it gives marketers to help them avoid making misleading environmental claims. The proposed changes are designed to update its Green Guides and make them easier for companies to understand and use. The proposed guides include changes designed to strengthen the FTC’s guidance on those marketing claims that are already addressed in the current guides as well as to provide new guidance on marketing claims that were not common when the guides were last reviewed. The changes include new guidance on marketers’ use of product certifications and seals of approval, renewable energy claims, renewable materials claims, and carbon offset claims.
The revised guides also provide new advice about carbon offset claims. Carbon offsets fund projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in one place in order to counterbalance or offset emissions that occur elsewhere. The guides advise marketers to disclose if the emission reductions that are being offset by a consumer’s purchase will not occur within two years. They also advise marketers to avoid advertising an offset if the activity that produces the offset is already required by law.
The Green Guides were first issued in 1992 to help marketers ensure that the claims they are making are true and substantiated. The guides were revised in 1996 and 1998.
The proposed changes were developed using information collected from three public workshops, public comments, and a study of how consumers understand certain environmental claims. FTC is seeking public comments on the proposed changes until Dec. 10, 2010, after which it will decide which changes to make final.
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| David Kuack |
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| Green buildings boost worker productivity |
8/30/2010 |
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Workers who moved from conventional office buildings to environmentally “green” buildings said they called in sick less often and were more productive. The preliminary findings of a study by researchers at Michigan State University indicate that green buildings may positively affect public health. The researchers looked at two case studies in the Lansing, Mich., area found that moving into LEED-certified buildings contributed to noticeable reductions in self-reported absenteeism and stress. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a designation by the U.S. Green Building Council for buildings with environmentally friendly design, construction practice and operation.
The study also found the workers’ productivity also improved as a result of perceived improvements in health and well-being. The study appears in the online version of the American Journal of Public Health. The researchers plan to seek additional funding to continue monitor the study participants and to conduct similar studies at different locations.
Michigan State University researchers found that workers in environmentally green buildings called in sick less often and were more productive.
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| David Kuack |
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| One-third of U.S. counties face higher risks of water shortages |
7/22/2010 |
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A new report released by the National Resources Defense Council indicates more than
1,100 U.S. counties face higher risks of water shortage by 2050 as a result of global warming.
More than 1,100 U.S. counties face higher risks of water shortage by 2050 as a result of global warming. A new report, “ Climate Change, Water, and Risk: Current Water Demands Are Not Sustainable”, by Tetra Tech for the National Resources Defense Council, claims one-third of all counties in the lower 48 states will face higher risks of water shortages. More than 400 of these counties will be extremely high risk. The report uses publicly available water use data across the U.S. and climate projections from a set of models used in recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change work to evaluate withdrawals related to renewable water supply. The report finds that 14 states face an extreme or high risk to water sustainability, or are likely to see limitations on water availability as demand exceeds supply by 2050. These areas include parts of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. In particular, in the Great Plains and Southwest United States, water sustainability is at extreme risk. The more than 400 counties identified as being at greatest risk in the report reflects a 14-times increase from previous estimates.
Water withdrawal is estimated to grow by 25% in many areas of the U.S. including the Arizona/New Mexico area, the South Atlantic region, Florida, the Mississippi River basin, and Washington, D.C. and surrounding regions.
The report said estimated water withdrawal as a percentage of available precipitation is generally less than 5% for the majority of the Eastern U.S., and less than 30% for the majority of the Western U.S. But in some arid regions (such as Texas, the Southwest and California) and agricultural areas, water withdrawal is greater than 100% of the available precipitation so that water is already used in quantities that exceed supply.
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| David Kuack |
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| Organic pesticides not always the “greener” choice |
6/28/2010 |
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A product that is labeled organic doesn’t necessarily mean it’s environmentally friendly. A study conducted by researchers at the Univ. of Guelph showed that some organic pesticides can have a greater environmental impact than conventional pesticides because the organic product may require larger doses. The study has been published in PloS One.
Researchers compared the effectiveness and environmental impact of organic pesticides with those of conventional and reduced-risk synthetic products on soybean crops. The study involved testing synthetic pesticides (2 commonly-used conventional products and 2 new reduced-risk pesticides), a mineral oil-based organic pesticide and a product containing Beauveria bassiana fungus that infects and kills insects. These 6 products were compared for their environmental impact and effectiveness in killing soybean aphids. Field tests were also conducted on how well each pesticide targeted aphids while leaving lady beetles and insidious flower bug predators unharmed.
“We found the mineral oil organic pesticide had the most impact on the environment because it works by smothering the aphids and therefore requires large amounts to be applied to the plants,” said environmental
sciences professor Rebecca Hallett.
The mineral oil-based and fungal products were less effective than the synthetic pesticides because they also killed predators, which are important regulators of aphid population and growth. Hallett said the predators reduce the environmental impact because they naturally protect the crop, reducing the amount of pesticides that are needed.
“In terms of making pest-management decisions and trying to do what is best for the environment, it’s important to look at every compound and make a selection based on the environmental impact quotient rather than if it’s simply natural or synthetic,” Hallett said. “It’s a simplification that just doesn’t work when it comes to minimizing environmental impact.”
A study of conventional and organic pesticides showed that product selection
should be based on the environmental impact quotient rather
than whether the product is natural or synthetic.
Photo by Michael Potter, Univ. of Ky.
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| David Kuack |
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| U.S. organic sales top $26 billion in 2009 |
5/27/2010 |
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Organic Trade Association reports that U.S. sales of organic products in 2009 grew 5.3 percent overall to reach $26.6 billion. Of that figure, $24.8 billion represented organic food. The remaining $1.8 billion were sales of organic non-foods.
 OTA executive director Christine Bushway said while total U.S. food sales grew by only 1.6 percent in 2009, organic food sales grew by 5.1 percent. Organic non-food sales grew by 9.1 percent, as opposed to total non-food sales which had a -1 percent sales growth rate. Organic fruits and vegetables, which represent 38 percent of total organic food sales, accounted for nearly $9.5 billion in sales in 2009, up 11.4 percent from 2008. Organic fruits and vegetables now represent 11.4 percent of all U.S. fruit and vegetable sales. Since the approval of the National Organic Program rule in 2000, sales of organic fruits and vegetables have grown from $2.5 billion, representing approximately Organic non-food product sales, including flowers, were $1.8 billion in 2009,
up 9.1 percent from 2008. Photo courtesy of Organic Trade Association3 percent of all fruit and vegetable sales.
During that same time frame, organic food sales have grown from $6.1 billion to $24.8 billion in 2009, jumping from 1.2 percent of all U.S. food sales to 3.7 percent.
In the organic non-food sector, organic supplements led, with $634 million in sales, representing 35 percent of total organic non-food sales, Organic supplement sales were 12 percent higher than in 2008. Organic fiber (linen and clothing) totaled $521 million in sales, up 10.4 percent, while personal care products, at $459 million, were up 3.7 percent from 2008 sales.
Who’s selling organic?
The mass market segment accounted for the majority of organic food sales in 2009, with 54 percent sold through mainstream retail outlets. Natural retailers were next, with 38 percent of total organic food sales. Farmers’ markets, co-ops and community-supported agriculture operations had a small percentage of sales, but gained more interest as consumers increasingly look for locally and regionally produced organic foods.
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| David Kuack |
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| Federal organic program needs improvement |
3/23/2010 |
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USDA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has released its report (“Oversight of the National Organic Program”) of an audit it conducted on how USDA administers the National Organic Program (NOP). The audit was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the Agricultural Marketing Service’s corrective actions implemented in response to an OIG audit of NOP conducted in July 2005. OIG also conducted the current audit because of the size and growth of the organic industry as well as the public’s increased interest in purchasing organic products.
In 2008, the organic industry had sales of $24.6 billion and grew between 14-21 percent annually over the past decade. NOP, created in October 2002, has the responsibility to assure consumers that organic products meet uniform standards and that they are appropriately labeled. Program regulations require that agricultural products labeled as organic originate from farms or handling operations certified by a state or private entity that has been accredited by the USDA.
OIG issued 14 recommendations to NOP officials to improve administration and internal controls. OIG recommended:
- NOP strengthen its enforcement procedures to determine what actions should be imposed on program violators, including civil penalties, and to timely issue the appropriate actions.
- NOP officials resolve and track complaints from receipt through disposition in a timely manner.
- NOP implement a plan for achieving compliance from California’s state organic program, obtain an Office of the General Counsel opinion on residue testing, and establish a mechanism for conducting annual evaluations of its accreditation process as required.
- Oversight of certifying agents and operations be strengthened to ensure that all onsite reviews of foreign certifying agents are performed, internal reviews are conducted more effectively and guidance is provided as necessary to improve overall program operations.
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| David Kuack |
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| Walmart pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions |
3/1/2010 |
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Walmart is seeking to eliminate 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from its global supply chain.
Walmart plans to eliminate 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from its global supply chain by the end of 2015. This represents 1½ times the company's estimated global carbon footprint growth over the next 5 years and is the equivalent of taking more than 3.8 million cars off the road for a year.
Walmart collaborated with Environmental Defense Fund to develop this approach that looks at the supply chain on a global scale. Other advisers include: PricewaterhouseCoopers, ClearCarbon Inc., the Carbon Disclosure Project and the Applied Sustainability Center at the University of Arkansas. The group will identify projects, quantify reductions, engage suppliers and ensure proper procedures are followed for each greenhouse gas reduction claim.
“Like everything we do at Walmart, this commitment ends up coming down to our customers,” said Walmart president and CEO Mike Duke.“Reducing carbon in the life cycle of our products will often mean reducing energy use. That will mean greater efficiency and, with the rising cost of energy, lower costs, making our business stronger and more competitive. And, as we help our suppliers reduce their energy use, costs and carbon footprint, we’ll be helping our customers do the same thing.”
The greenhouse gas reduction program has three main components:
Selection: Walmart will focus on the product categories with the highest embedded carbon. This approach ensures the project team focuses on the categories that have the greatest opportunity for reductions. Reductions can come from any part of a product’s life cycle.
Action: For a project to be included as part of this goal, it must reduce greenhouse gases from a product in either the sourcing of raw materials, manufacturing, transportation, customer use or end-of-life disposal. Walmart must demonstrate it had direct influence on the reduction and show how that reduction would not have occurred without Walmart’s participation.
Assessment: Suppliers and Walmart will jointly account for the reductions. ClearCarbon will perform a quality assurance review of those claims to ensure methodology, completeness and calculations are correct. When the claims meet the quality assurance check, PricewaterhouseCoopers will assess under consulting standards whether the defined procedures were followed consistently to quantify the reduction claim.
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| David Kuack |
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| For Gen Y there’s a price to saving the environment |
1/22/2010 |
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Members of Generation Y are all for saving the environment as long as it doesn’t cost them any more money. Based on a survey of 18- to 30-year-olds, researchers from Michigan State University found that young consumers won’t pay a premium price for an automobile simply because it is environmentally friendly. The determining factor is the automobile’s fuel efficiency.
“It’s all about economic motivation,” said Clay Voorhees, assistant professor of marketing and lead faculty researcher on the project. “While people want to do the right thing – they want to save the world, particularly Gen Y – they need an extra incentive on top o
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