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Phasing out unprofitable coal plants could save U.S. consumers $10 billion a year by 2021 and boost the country's competitiveness, according to a new report by Carbon Tracker launched today. No Country for Coal Gen: Below 2°C and Regulatory Risk for U.S. Coal Power Owners is the first study to look at the economics of each U.S. coal power plant and provide investors with a tool to support a rational closure program to keep global warming below 2 C°.

Timberland and the Smallholder Farmers Alliance have partnered to provide Haitian farmers with a sustainable economy and to reduce deforestation. SFA will give the farmers who plant trees free cotton seeds, training and tools, while Timberland says it will purchase a certain amount of its global cotton supply from Haiti.

The fashion and textile industries continue to make strides towards circular models with the emergence of new resources and technologies that make a sustainable shift easier than ever before. The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute's Fashion Positive Initiative has unveiled a set of online resources designed to rapidly increase environmental and social outcomes in the fashion industry, while the H&M Foundation and The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel have uncovered a new hydrothermal process that fully separates and recycles fabric blends that can then be reused directly without any quality loss.

There are several long-term threats to the global chocolate industry, not the least of which is climate change. Concerns over human rights have also convinced more consumers to be discerning about the choices they make when purchasing chocolate. Companies have responded in kind, as many have started to partner with nonprofits on projects ranging from mapping tools to supply chain transparency.

MillerCoors used new tools and irrigation initiatives, along with increased brewing efficiencies, that helped the brewing giant reduce its water consumption by 15 billion gallons in 2016, the company announced today. Wet weather also contributed to the 2016 reduction, the company acknowledged. MillerCoors used 16.9% less water compared to 2015 - equivalent to more than 500 million kegs of beer.

As part of its CanopyStyle initiative, environmental NGO Canopy has released an updated and expanded edition of its Hot Button Report, a ranking of eleven viscose and rayon producers that represent 70 percent of global viscose production. The report is the first tool of its kind to enable fashion brands and retailers to robustly assess producers' impacts on the world's forests, as well as their leadership in forging solutions to eliminate endangered forest fiber from the rayon and viscose supply chain.

This infographic summarizes the findings of a recent statewide survey, commissioned by Xylem, Inc., which revealed that California residents are supportive of the use of recycled water, that they do not view the use of recycled water as a short-term fix to the state's 5-year drought, and that education is a key component in bolstering public support for recycled water use. 

Every year an estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic waste are added to the ocean. Without immediate intervention across all points of the pollution pathway, 250 million metric tons of plastic waste could be in the ocean in less than 10 years. The Ocean Conservancy and Trash Free Seas Alliance's new report, The Next Wave, examines some of the solutions and technologies currently available and looks forward to establishing a framework to generate greater collaboration and innovation toward long-term solutions.

Fisher International has developed what it says is the paper industry's first carbon emission database and benchmarking resource.

By adding thoughtfully planned and well-timed daylighting fixtures, big-box stores see significant energy savings.

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition has turned its groundbreaking Higg Index, which exposes sustainable business metrics from across the fashion and apparel industry supply chain, into a dynamic Web portal.

The Food Waste Reduction Alliance released "Best Practices and Emerging Solutions Toolkit," a guide for companies to reduce food waste. The guide provides advice for overcoming barriers to food donation, new technologies for reducing food waste, and strategic planning to avoid generating waste.