BSR Insight

A Weekly Newsletter for BSR Members | April 12, 2011

   
 

In This Issue

Editor's Note

Supply Chain Sustainability Opportunities at Ports and Terminals

The global shipping industry accounts for more than a third of the value of all trade, and about 4 percent of all carbon emissions. While ports contribute a relatively small portion of the industry’s climate impacts—and of the overall impacts of supply chains—they often have a significant effect on local communities due to their contribution to air pollution.

In this week’s feature article, BSR Advisory Services Director Raj Sapru and Environmental Manager Laura Ediger report on our project—supported by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund—to help port operators in Southern China improve their environmental performance.

With proxy season upon us, we’re also highlighting As You Sow’s “Proxy Preview 2011,” a compendium of the 360 U.S. shareholder resolutions, which concludes that environmental and social issues are on the rise.

Finally, we hear from two energy experts from last week’s Brainstorm Green conference on the future of energy in a coal-dominated world.

Improving the Environmental Performance of Ports and Terminals Department Icon

In Depth

Improving the Environmental Performance of Ports and Terminals

By Laura Ediger, Associate Director, Advisory Services, BSR

As the shipping industry focuses on ways to reduce the carbon emissions of large container ships, efforts are moving further along the supply chain to improve the environmental performance of ports and terminals. To make real progress, the industry needs a framework that provides a benchmark for performance, uses metrics that fit within existing supply chain efforts, and includes a holistic picture of ports’ diverse environmental impacts.

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U.S. ‘Proxy Preview’ Report: Environmental, Social Issues on the Rise

According to As You Sow's "Proxy Preview 2011"—a compendium of the 360 U.S. shareholder resolutions up for vote in 2011—investors now file about 50 percent more resolutions on social and environmental issues than they did 10 years ago. This year’s guide, which provides an overview of the major players, recent regulatory developments, shareholder proposal trends, and new issues, includes highlights such as:

  • More than one-third of all resolutions reference the environment either by itself or in conjunction with broader requests for sustainability reports. These resolutions ask companies how they are mitigating climate change, reducing impacts on natural resources, and limiting product toxicity.
  • Eighty-four resolutions ask for greater oversight and more information on how and where stockholder money is spent on political issues.
  • Forty-five resolutions focus on diversity reforms in the workplace and on corporate boards.
  • Another 45 resolutions focus on labor and human rights actions.
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On the Record

Energy Buzz at Fortune’s Brainstorm Green

By Elissa Goldenberg, Associate, Advisory Services, BSR

Last week, sustainability thought leaders and business executives gathered at Fortune's Brainstorm Green in Laguna Niguel, California, to focus on emerging environmental trends and innovative ways to advance sustainability.

During the session "Will Coal Stay King?" panelists discussed the future of our coal-dominated world; where capital will come from to drive alternative forms of energy such as solar, wind, and geothermal; and whether there’s a role for nuclear or natural gas.

"You can make a strong argument that coal is the new tobacco. There are lots of things that are plentiful and inexpensive, but we manage to get by without them, like child labor."

—Alan Salzman, CEO and managing partner, VantagePoint Venture Partners (April 5, 2011)

"Can we do without nuclear? Probably, but I’d hesitate to take it off the table today. The key is figuring out how to get over the next 20, 30, 40 years with very low emissions, and nuclear is a big part of that."

—Bill Weihl, green energy czar, Google (April 5, 2011)