EC Environmental Policy

Switching to LED fixtures will reduce energy use by more than 5 percent per store in the U.S. alone and will save an expected 340,000 kWh per store. That equals $34,000 in savings per year in each store - or removing 327,360 metric tons of carbon emissions from the atmosphere. The LED fixtures are expected to save a total of 620 million kWh over the next 10 years.

Up to $10 million in grants from the Department of Energy will be available for advanced biofuel and other biobased product initiatives. The program is in support of the agency's aim to lower the cost of advanced biofuels to $3 per gallon of gasoline equivalent by 2022.

"Toxics Across America" (Environmental Defense Fund) analyzes the production, consumption, and trade of 120 hazardous chemicals in the United States-complete with an interactive map showcasing the findings. The report finds that 14 chemicals are produced or imported in quantities exceeding one billion pounds per year, and that 8 chemicals are used in children's products.

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.

*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.

Sainsbury's became the first UK retailer to offer in-store recycling for Easter egg packaging waste, which accounts for 3,000 metric tons of waste in the UK per year.

H&M's sustainable fashion collection, Conscious Exclusive, hits stores this week. The eco-fashion line is the brainchild of the Swedish retailer and eco-design think tank EVER Manifesto, whose founders, Elizabeth von Guttman and Alexia Niedzielski, model the collection alongside supermodel Amber Valletta. 

British Airways and biofuel producer Solena Fuels selected a site east of London for building the world's first plant for converting landfill waste to aviation biofuel. British Airways will purchase 50,000 metric tons of jet fuel per year from the facility when it comes online in 2017.

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.

The $1.35 billion Quest carbon capture and storage project in Canada being developed by Shell Canada is now half finished. There are 600 workers on the project, scheduled to become operational late next year. When completed, the facility will reduce direct carbon dioxide emissions by 1 million tons per year, "equivalent to taking 175,000 cars off the road," the article notes

Energy storage is the key to the practical development of sustainable energy sources such as solar and wind. Now, it is becoming a hot field in industry and commerce. This article profiles 10 innovative companies that are leading the pack in development of energy-storage technologies

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's newest installment, Working Group III: Mitigation and Climate Change, highlights an important message: It's still possible to limit average global temperature rise to 2°C - but only if the world rapidly reduces emissions and changes its current energy mix.

According to a recent billion dollar allocation of taxpayer money for water recycling programs, drinking toilet water is one way. Don't throw up quite yet. Water recycling refers the process by which municipalities process wastewater so that it's okay to drink. It's a very safe, very clean process and might even produce water that's cleaner than what's coming out of your tap.

Photovoltaics made from organic semiconductors that can be 3D printed to cover large areas also turn out to be better than their silicon-based counterparts at capturing solar energy in cloudy environments, writes Jenny Xie. The key is the ability of organic photovoltaics to generate electricity regardless of the angle of the sun's rays

Norpac Fisheries Export is one of several companies that has found it profitable -- as well as environmentally helpful -- to track seafood catches along their entire supply chain and make sure they were not caught using illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) practices. Norpac's tracking system "actually saves us time and money," Managing Director Thomas Kraft said.

Vietnam's Asia Green will undertake an agroforestry and reforestation program following a merger with Touchlink Communications and a deal to acquire a majority stake in Hoan Vu, which was granted the land for the program's initial phase. Asia Green said it will plant Paulownia trees, along with bananas, as a preservation and economic move.

The Carton Council of North America says that just over one million households had cartons added to their recycling programs between January and March. That brings the total of US households with access to 56,970,294.

Greenhouse gas emissions fell nearly 10 percent from 2005 to 2012, according to the latest national emissions inventory released by the EPA.

The Pertamina Energy Tower's curved façade is precisely calibrated for Jakarta's proximity to the equator to mitigate solar heat gain year-round.

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.