the environmentalist gives a round up of environment management news from companies including Sainsbury's, Kellogg's and UPS.
Food retailer Sainsbury’s and Dutch company Schoeller Allibert are working to recycle food crates. Two million “old” crates used by Sainsbury’s are being ground down into plastic flakes, which are washed and dried and turned by Schoeller Allibert into new, 100% recycled food crates that meet European Food Safety Authority Standards. The retailer says the scheme is an sector first in the UK.
The latest corporate responsibility report from Molson Coors, the UK’s largest brewer, reveals that it is pressing ahead with plans to invest in anaerobic digestion wastewater treatment technology to generate biogas to produce heat or electricity for its breweries. The AD technology is now operating in five breweries and Molson Coors, the firm behind Carling and Cobra beer brands, is investing $11.8 million this year to install it at two more sites.
New social and environmental commitments from Kellogg’s, the world’s leading cereal company, include expanding its use of low-carbon energy by half and implementing more water reuse projects – both by 2020. In addition, all packaging will be either from recycled content or certified sustainable sources, and 30% of its manufacturing plants will incorporate zero waste to landfill policies by 2016.
Boeing, South African Airways and “sustainable” jet fuel company SkyNRG have announced that they are collaborating to produce aviation biofuel from a new type of tobacco plant. Farmers in South Africa are trialling growing the hybrid plant. Initially oil from the seeds will be converted into jet fuel.
Logistics company UPS has revealed that it has already met its 2016 goal to reduce its air and ground fleet’s carbon intensity by 10% and will therefore double the target and hope to achieve a 20% cut from transportation by 2020.
Philips is to install LED lighting throughout the properties of Unite Students, one of the largest providers of student accommodation in the UK, over the next two years. Unite has 130 properties in 23 UK cities. Under the £21 million contract more than 300,000 new light fittings and 85,000 sensors and dimmers will be installed. Payback is estimated at five years.