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Some fashion companies are embracing ethical shopping trends, using greener chemicals and more sustainable production methods. Marketing eco-fashion can be tricky, though: Executives say it's important to avoid finger-wagging and to make sure fashion comes first. "It is primarily about fashion. Being 'green' is in the background," says Olaf Schmidt, organizer of the Ethical Fashion Show in Berlin

Canada's two largest west coast ports are offering financial incentives to the most efficient vessels that enter the ports. Port Metro Vancouver's Eco-Action program and Prince Rupert Port Authority's (PRPA's) Green Wave program will reward ship owners based on the Carbon War Room's A to G Greenhouse Gas Emissions rating, which benchmarks the energy efficiency of shipping fleets.

Tiffany & Co., Target and Helzberg Diamonds have committed to more sustainable gold and metals mining.

Wal-Mart has introduced a line of "all-natural," chemical-free cleaning products under its Great Value label. The products, which are priced more cheaply than brand-name eco-friendly cleaning products, use Wal-Mart's proprietary Evolve technology, which the company says allows the products to work as effectively as petroleum-based cleaners.

Greenpeace said that 16 out of the 27 products from Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Trussardi and Versace were found containing toxic substances, including nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs). The highest concentration of NPEs was detected in a Louis Vuitton branded ballerina shoe.

Starbucks opened a new store yesterday at Disneyland Resort in California as an effort to introduce a series of environmentally-friendly coffee shops worldwide. Located at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, the new LEED-certified shop was built totally from reclaimed wood with a large yard surrounded by a green wall with more than 1,000 plants. Customers will experience an interactive environment created by a 10-foot video installation with high technology and nice design.

A big retailer, a scrappy startup and a third-party fair trade certifier weigh in on sourcing organic, fair trade, eco-friendly flowers.

In a bid to appeal to eco-conscious consumers, McDonald's will start selling Rainforest Alliance-certified espresso and Marine Stewardship Council-certified fish sandwiches. "We feel there's a tipping point coming. We see the consumer starting to care. Consumer expectations are rising," explains Bob Langert, vice president of sustainability for McDonald's

Facebook and eBay are among companies spending to make their data centers more eco-friendly and energy efficient. New software tools helped Facebook reduce energy use at one server farm by 38%, yielding cost reductions of about 24%.

Sustainable packaging and design is helping beverage brands promote themselves as eco-friendly without appearing less luxurious, write Fiona Bennie and Barbra Wright. Recyclable packaging can help, but it's only a first step. "[I]f we consider packaging in isolation from the rest of the system we will only ever manage to create minimal impact both financially and sustainably," they write.

H&M is running a series of print ads in British newspapers to promote its "Conscious" line of eco-friendly clothing, and to tout a clothing-collection service that rewards shoppers with a £5 discount voucher for each bag of used clothes they drop off at a branch of H&M. "We want to inspire people to make a difference and engage with our customers to do things that are more sustainable," says Linda Maggs, H&M's sustainability manager.

Forests and consumer campaign groups have called on the global coffee chain to step up its sustainability commitment and ensure its baked products do not use palm oil grown from destroyed forests and tiger habitats.

In two years, the global fashion industry uses as much water as is in the entire Mediterranean Sea, and that makes conservation a key priority for sustainably run fashion brands. Nike is working with Dutch eco-dying company DyeCoo to reduce its water consumption and to encourage better conservation practices across the fashion industry

European climate policies are creating new demand for biomass, which power plants now have an incentive to burn instead of coal. That's leading to dramatically increased logging along the eastern coast of the U.S., even as researchers question the eco-friendliness of biomass-based power generation

Seattle's six-story, 52,000-square-foot Bullitt Center has been deemed a "living building" and produced 60% more energy than it consumed last year. Constructed under the Living Building Challenge, the office building tries to show "what's possible today and to pave a path forward" in eco-friendly construction

China is building ecocities in droves. Dozens of these green-branded, new frontiers of urbanism are already in an advanced state of development, and upwards of 200 more are on the way. In fact, over 80 per cent of all prefecture level cities in the country (the administrative division below "province") have at least one ecocity project in the works. Over the coming decades, it has been estimated, 50 per cent of China's new urban developments will be stamped with labels such as "eco," "green," "low carbon," or "smart".

A growing number of billion-dollar companies are showing that sustainability can be a real driver of profits, writes Freya Williams. Companies such as Tesla, Chipotle Mexican Grill, IKEA, Nike and Whole Foods Market are making serious money through eco-friendly business models. "The green giants are turning a strategy of sustainability or social good into a billion-dollar business proposition, and profiting in the process," Williams explains

Bed Bath & Beyond, Nordstrom, J.C. Penney and Backcountry.com have been accused of "bamboozling" shoppers by selling products purportedly made of eco-friendly bamboo, but that in fact were made of other, less sustainable materials. "False 'bamboo' claims are a significant problem for consumers who care about buying environmentally friendly products," said Federal Trade Commission attorney Korin Felix

researchers' own data suggests hotels try to project a green image in order to draw in perspective customers. As many as 79% of travelers worldwide agree that implementing eco-friendly practices is important to their choice of lodging, so wrapping your corporate image around this just makes sense.

The world's leading certification body for ethically sourced palm oil has ordered a total ban on deforestation by its members, amid growing pressure from both companies and consumers.