Home Archive by category "Sustainability" (Page 14)

Category Archives: Sustainability

Sustainability: The ‘Embracers’ Seize Advantage

SPECIAL REPORT: Sustainability & Innovation February 10, 2011 MIT Sloan Management Review How fast are businesses adopting sustainability-driven management? New study results reveal two distinct camps: ’embracers’ and ‘cautious adopters.’ And the practices of the embracers may be providing a snapshot of how the management future will look.  This report on the second annual Sustainability & Innovation Global Executive Study by MIT Sloan Management Review and The Boston Consulting Group reveals two distinct camps of companies: “embracers” — those who place sustainability high on their agenda — and “cautious adopters,” who have yet to focus on more than energy cost …

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Cleantech Companies Won 5 of 6 Largest Venture Capital Rounds in 2010

Five of six of the largest Venture Capital fundraising rounds in 2010 went to cleantech companies, based on data from Thomson Reuters: – Better Place: $350 million for electric car charging infrastructure – Solyndra: $175 in convertible debt for unique solar PV panels – BrightSource Energy: $150 million for solar thermal projects – Abound Solar: $110 million for solar thin-film – Trilliant: $105 million for smart grid networking Better Place even beat Twitter’s recently announced $200 million investment.  Worldwide cleantech investments peaked at $11.8 billion in 2008, then dropped off significantly to $6.8 billion in 2009, but thanks to strong growth during …

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Market for Sustainable Products Expanding Rapidly

Markets for sustainable products have expanded significantly over the last five years, growing much faster than those for conventional products, according to the State of Sustainability Initiatives (SSI) Review 2010, published last week. The SSI Review 2010 is a collaborative effort by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, the International Institute for Environment and Development, Aidenvironment, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and ENTWINED–Environment and Trade in a World of Interdependence–research consortium. The SSI Review 2010 gives a comprehensive overview of major voluntary sustainability standards and initiatives in the forestry, coffee, cocoa, tea and banana sectors, including detailed …

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International Green Construction Code: Game-Changer in Sustainable Building

For the last decade, green building rating systems have been the top standard for designing sustainable buildings, but at the end of the day, they are non-enforceable guidelines. Because buildings are the largest contributors of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, it’s become clear in recent years that a more rigorous and complete set of rules are needed for green and sustainable building. The work needed to formalize a code to address sustainability has been a major industry challenge – that is, until now. A new proposal – currently being developed by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the International Code …

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Seven ways that businesses can start transitioning toward a sustainable business model

Here are seven ways that businesses can start transitioning toward a sustainable business model, according to Dr. Sally Uren, deputy chief executive, Forum for the Future, in a contributed article for The Guardian. The Forum for the Future recently held its second Business Network event, which looked at sustainable business models in practice. Here are Uren’s seven tips for starting on the path toward sustainability. 1. Try new financing mechanisms. Uren says these could include forward purchase agreements for suppliers to allow them to experiment with new production methods, match funding arrangements with government bodies and a sustainable innovation or …

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