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In This Issue
Editor's Note
The Business Challenge of Adapting to Climate Change
As climate change sets in, its impacts—such as the increasing severity of weather, receding snow and rivers, advancing deserts, and more frequently occurring landslides and floods—will test companies' ability to effectively deliver products and services.
Coinciding with the launch of our new industry series on climate adaptation, which kicks off today with a focus on the food, beverage, and agriculture sector, BSR's Ryan Schuchard and Joyce Wong provide an overview of barriers to effective adaptation, climate risk hotspots, available resources, and BSR's services in this area.
Also in the food, beverage, and agriculture sector, we highlight key trends to watch for in 2011, including increased transparency, new food safety regulations, and a renewed focus on health and wellness.
We also feature the findings from Greenpeace's third "Green Electronics Survey," which show that while electronics companies have made significant progress in finding green solutions, there is still room for improvement.
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In Depth
Adapting to Climate Change: BSR’s New Industry Series
By Ryan Schuchard, Manager, Climate and Energy, BSR
BSR's new industry series on climate change adaptation will provide companies with the tools and resources they need to understand how climate change will affect their operations, how they can prepare for the adverse effects of climate change, and even how they can take advantage of the new market opportunities associated with adaptation solutions.
Read more →
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Spotlight
2011 Priorities for Food, Beverage, and Agriculture Companies
By Ryan Flaherty, Manager, Advisory Services, BSR
Online news service FoodNavigator-USA kicked off 2011 by predicting the top five factors that will influence the U.S. food, beverage, and agriculture industry. The factors, which include FDA labeling recommendations, food safety legislation, focus on obesity and healthy eating, and new dietary guidelines, reinforce what BSR sees as key priorities for the sector in 2011: transparency and health and wellness.
- Transparency: U.S. Food and Drug Administration front-of-pack labeling recommendations will fundamentally change the way companies interact with consumers. Companies will need to find innovative solutions to educate consumers about nutritional aspects not included on the front label. Additionally, new food safety legislation—focused on traceability and recall-response times—underscores the importance of bolstering supply chain programs.
- Health and wellness: Attention to obesity and healthy eating, and updated dietary guidelines focusing on sodium, nutrient density, and child obesity, will likely change the way consumers view and purchase food and beverages. This bodes well for employee, consumer, and environmental health (see the Barilla Center's double food pyramid). Leading companies will develop programs to engage with their employees and consumers on health and wellness.
For more information on these issues, contact Kai Robertson.
Toolbox
Greenpeace Ranks Green Electronics for 2011
By Elissa Goldenberg, Associate, Advisory Services, BSR
Greenpeace just released its third "Green Electronics Survey"—which assesses the greenest electronics products that will be available in 2011, and ranks 18 leading electronics manufacturers on three criteria: removing toxic substances, responsible take-back of their end-of-life products, and energy efficiency.
The survey's three main findings are:
- There have been significant reductions in the use of hazardous chemicals; however, the complete elimination of toxic substances and strong regulation that bans the export of hazardous waste from developed to developing nations is still needed.
- Almost all products meet or exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star standards. Companies are more focused on improving the energy efficiency of their products rather than reducing the energy used in the production of their products.
- Life-cycle management is the weakest area for electronics products. Companies still use very little recycled plastic, and the effectiveness of take-back practices for disposal varies widely. Companies are, however, becoming more transparent on the amount and type of product information they provide to customers.
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The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission released draft conflict minerals reporting rules in December 2010 that have significant implications for a range of corporate sustainability issues—from supply chain monitoring and transparency to integrated reporting and responsible investing.