Patagonia will use 100 percent traceable down across its entire collection of down-insulated products starting in the Fall 2014 season, the outdoor apparel company says.

Many facilities are now implementing a number of programs to help reduce the amount of energy, water, fuel, and other resources that they use. If structural, mechanical, or similar changes must be made to decrease consumption, managers often turn to outside engineers and contractors to help with implementation.

H&M has negotiated agreements this year that make the Sweden-based fast-fashion retailer the sole customer of two factories in Bangladesh and a third in Cambodia, a move designed to give the retailer more control over working conditions and wages for the people who make its clothes. "We see these a little like test centers where we can try out different things that we can then push out on a larger scale in the entire supply chain," said social sustainability manager Anna Gedda

Unilever has pledged that by the end of 2014, all of the palm oil the company buys globally will be traceable to known sources.

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.

Levi Strauss & Co. has debuted a process for responsible sourcing that the company says combines sustainable design, environmental practices and apparel worker well-being.

The bond, launched by World Bank-backed International Finance Corporation, will fund climate smart projects.

The automaker uses climate science predictions to project production levels that will help meet its fuel efficiency targets.

The new Levi's Dockers Wellthread process creates a pattern for sustainability in clothing production

Coca-Cola is using SafeWater electrolyzed water systems in its plants as part of the company's "Doing Good, Doing Well" mission to increase sustainability. The system creates a sodium hydroxide cleaning solution and hypochlorous acid sanitizer by adding a small amount of salt to potable water and applying an electrical current. The fluids can be used to clean and sanitize processing equipment at room temperature, which reduces energy use

The key global goal of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius is already beyond reach as negotiators begin planning a 2015 climate treaty, experts say. "There is nothing that can be agreed in 2015 that would be consistent with the 2 degrees," said former United Nations climate chief Yvo de Boer. "The only way that a 2015 agreement can achieve a 2-degree goal is to shut down the whole global economy

Sainsbury's has announced that its new store at Weymouth Gateway will be water neutral - 100 percent of its water demand will be met through water-efficient infrastructure and offsetting partnerships in the local community, and the total water used within the local catchment area will not increase as a result of this new store.

Del Monte Foods is using detailed metrics to measure the effectiveness of everything from energy to water to waste.

L'Oréal has outlined a new sustainability plan it hopes will help it reach its target of 1 billion new consumers by 2020 by producing more products with less environmental impact and helping customers make desirable but sustainable lifestyle choices.

the Global Green Growth Forum in Copenhagen, WRI announced the launch of a process to develop a global standard for measuring food loss and waste. This standard, known as the Global Food Loss and Waste Protocol, will enable countries and companies to measure and monitor the food loss and waste that occur within their boundaries and value chains in a credible, practical and consistent manner.

Here's how some of the biggest toy brands are making strides toward protecting the planet's natural resources

Almost two-thirds of companies say water shortages could affect business operations over the next five years, according to the CDP Global Water Report. That's driving shareholders to insist that companies plan for dealing with water scarcity. "It doesn't take many shareholders, especially big ones, to ask a few questions ... about water to make a company to do something," says Stuart Orr, freshwater manager at WWF International

Asia Pulp and Paper Group, one of the largest paper producers in the world, is serious about its pledge to end the clearing of natural forests, according to a progress review of the company's Forest Conservation Policy.Greenpeace International, a long-time critic of APP and the organization that conducted the progress review, is cautiously optimistic and warns that the company's commitments are likely to stand or fall by the quality of conservation and management recommendations to the company's senior management.

UPS has launched its route optimization software called ORION - this stands for on-road integrated optimization and navigation - which the company expects to save more than 1.5 million gallons of fuel and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 14,000 metric tons by the end of the year. A reduction of just one mile each day per driver over the course of a year saves UPS up to $50 million annually.

The USGBC-NCC is teaming up with building companies, tech giants such as Adobe and Google, and healthcare providers to promote green building as a health issue