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sustainable building ratings based on creating "good" buidlings not just less harmful. Ratings are also based on performance of a buidling as opposed to construction elements.

Siemens Water Technologies magnetite ballasted CoMag System, which is already helping municipalities to increase water and wastewater treatment plant clarification performance in confined footprints, is now available for industrial water and wastewater treatment applications.

Swiss chemical giant Clariant today announced the launch of Nipaguard® Zero - a powerful line of optimized preservative blends for cosmetics that contain no parabens, yet deliver a comparable performance.

Renewable diesel fuel blend made from sugar did not impact ship engine performance or operation, according to a study by the Maritime Administration.

*Saved 50 million liters of water in 2013 through the use of DryDye fabric. *Introduced heel inserts for shoes that will divert 1,500 metric tons of polystyrene waste from landfills. *Incorporated sustainable components into 100% of Sport Performance footwear created for 2013. *Obtained over 23% of cotton from Better Cotton-certified sources.

MBA students from the University of California, Berkeley achieved a 50% return on investment from the school's socially responsible investment fund since 2008. The fund performed almost 5% better than the overall market from 2011 to 2014.

Consumer goods maker Unilever (ULVR.L) says its brands that most fully embrace its CEO's passion for sustainability perform the best, adding fuel to its oft-repeated argument that social responsibility is good for business.

Airplane engine-maker Pratt & Whitney is going green to attract and keep the best workers, says environmental chief Mary Anne Cannon. The company is aiming for 100% recycling of manufacturing waste, is holding its supply chain accountable for its actions and has curbed factory emissions by 28% since 2000. The company performs life-cycle assessments to measure the effects of its products, Cannon says

A Nissan vehicle plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, improved the plant's energy performance by 7.2 percent in gaining the SEP certification. The new system saves the facility $938,000 annually; Nissan's investment, $331,000, was recovered in just four months. - See more at: http://www.justmeans.com/#sthash.61g5GUht.dpuf

As a punishing drought continues to grip California and other areas, scientists are exploring hardy succulents as a pathway to genetically engineer plants to use less water. Agave and other succulents such as the prickly pear, pineapple and vanilla have evolved to perform a different kind of photosynthesis that enable their survival in semiarid environments. These species absorb most of their carbon dioxide at night rather than during the day, as most plants do, meaning less water evaporates off the leaves through transpiration. 

Household and personal care company Seventh Generation launched its Energy Smart laundry and dishwasher detergent product line, which is designed to give the same performance in all water temperatures so consumers can use low energy settings on their appliances. The products will be exclusive to Target's "Made to Matter" line.

Weber State University has saved $1.4 million by reducing energy consumption since 2013, following the purchase of a system enabling real-time data at the sub-meter level for its entire portfolio of energy systems and using Lucid's BuildingOS to make performance data instantly accessible.

Forest product company Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) hired KPMG to audit the company's performance on its Sustainable Forest Management Policy. The policy calls for APRIL to conserve over 450,000 hectares of forests and to stop producing pulp from areas where conservation assessments have not been completed.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil has terminated or suspended more than 100 of its members for failing to file annual reports on their sustainability practices. Environmentalists praised the association for holding its members accountable. "The duty to continuously improve performance is central to the founding vision of the RSPO, and this applies not only to the organization as a whole but, more importantly, to its individual members," said Adam Harris of the World Wildlife Fund.

Barclays and financial services company MSCI will launch a new Green Bond Index to serve as a benchmark for assessing the performance of green bond funds. The index will be comprised of fixed income projects with direct environmental benefits.

The Silk Leaf, by RCA graduate Julian Melchiorri, is the first manmade material that can perform photosynthesis. It has huge implications for science and technology and it could also make long-distance space travel a possibility.

Consumers want green products, and they're willing to boycott brands that fail to deliver them, writes Bridget James. "Consumers, enabled by information, are becoming the regulatory body of the market, and their new values are driving green growth globally," she asserts

The Boeing ecoDemonstrator 787 has begun flight testing more than 25 new technologies aimed at improving aviation's environmental performance through every phase of flight, according to a recent announcement. The Boeing ecoDemonstrator Program accelerates the testing, refinement and use of new technologies and methods that can improve efficiency and reduce noise.

Private equity firm KKR announced that Del Monte, Dollar General, Sealy, and the 24 other companies in its Green Portfolio Program have collectively avoided more than 2.3 million metric tons of GHG emissions from 2008 to 2013, generating $1.2 billion in new savings and revenues. Companies in the Green Portfolio Program agree to assess, measure, and optimize their environmental performance in ways that improve their businesses.

The interactive report, produced in partnership with Trucost, features: our ninth annual State of Green Business report, This year's report continues our tradition of taking the pulse of corporate progress in sustainability, in the United States and around the world.  * The top 10 trends for 2016 * Video interviews with key sustainability leaders * 30+ metrics assessing the environmental performance and progress of nearly 2,000 companies