the environmentalist gives a round up of environment management news from companies including Anglo American, Toyota and Google.
Anglo American has warned in its latest sustainable development report that climate change poses a significant challenge to its business. “Energy and policy-associated costs are rising, consumer demand for products is changing, and the threat of the physical impact of climate change on operations and host communities is escalating,” it states. The mining company reports that its greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions in 2014 fell by 4.2 million tonnes and it is on track to achieve its target to reduce them by 19% by the end of 2015.
Toyota has unveiled its Mirai car, which will be the UK’s first commercially available hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle when it goes on sale later this year. The Mirai, which means “future” in Japanese, is powered by a hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell and can travel more than 300 miles on one tank of hydrogen.
To improve its environment and sustainability performance, Electrolux is planning to set qualitative and quantitative targets this year in
10 areas. These include improving product, material and operational efficiency and eliminating hazardous substances. The electrical goods producer reports that, by the end of 2014, it had reduced its GHG emissions by 22% against a 2005 base year. It aims to halve its emissions by 2020.
Marks & Spencer has completed installation of the UK’s largest single roof mounted solar panel array on its East Midlands distribution centre. The array consists of 24,272 panels and will generate more than 5,000 MWh of electricity a year. It will also lower the retailer’s carbon footprint by 48,000 tonnes over 20 years.
Google has invested $300 million in renewable energy company SolarCity. It is the internet services company’s largest investment in renewable energy and the money will be used to install solar panels on homes across the US without the owners paying an upfront cost.
Deutsche Post DHL Group improved the carbon efficiency of its operations – road and air transport and buildings – by 23% between 2007 and 2014. It aims to achieve a 30% improvement by 2020. The firm also said the number of “environmentally friendly” vehicles in its fleet now numbers 11,200.
