PLAN A REPORT LAUNCHES NEW 2020 ECO AND ETHICAL PLAN FOR M&S

Marks & Spencer (M&S) today publishes its 2014 Plan A Report which launches a new, agile and stronger sustainable business plan which extends Plan A across M&S’ international business over the next six years.

Called Plan A 2020, the 100 commitment plan retains and strengthens M&S’ 2015 eco and ethical commitments and includes new commitments that tackle both today’s and tomorrow’s sustainable retail challenges. 

The plan builds on the first seven years of Plan A by extending successful commitments and scaling them across M&S operations worldwide. It further aligns the sustainability plan to M&S’ business plan to be a leading international, multi-channel retailer and includes innovative commitments that are firsts in retail and sustainable business.

Plan A 2020 highlights: 
• M&S operations worldwide, not just the UK, now carbon neutral1;
• Launch of a Global Community Programme to increase the scale of the social, environmental and economic benefits of supply chain Plan A projects;
• Make Your Mark extended to help 5,000 young unemployed people by 2016 and Marks & Start employability programme launched in international markets2;
• Sustainable learning stores to be launched overseas and UK stores to be adapted for future climate change challenges;
• Energy efficiency target increased from 35% to 50% per sq ft by 20203;
• UK stores to raise £1 million every year for local charities and plan to raise £20 million for health and well being charities by 2020.   

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UK's oil, coal and gas 'gone in five years'

In just over five years Britain will have run out of oil, coal and gas, researchers have warned.

A report by the Global Sustainability Institute said shortages would increase dependency on Norway, Qatar and Russia.

There should be a "Europe-wide drive" towards wind, tidal, solar and other sources of renewable power, the institute's Prof Victor Anderson said.

The government says complete energy independence is unnecessary, says BBC environment analyst Roger Harrabin.

The report says Russia has more than 50 years of oil, more than 100 years of gas and more than 500 years of coal left, on current consumption.

'Decisive action'

 

By contrast, Britain has just 5.2 years of oil, 4.5 years of coal and three years of its own gas remaining.

France fares even worse, according to the report, with less than year to go before it runs out of all three fossil fuels.

Coal, oil and gas resources in Europe are running down and we need alternatives”

Prof Victor Anderson Global Sustainibility Institute Dr Aled Jones, director of the institute, which is based at Anglia Ruskin University, said "heavily indebted" countries were becoming increasingly vulnerable to rising energy prices.

"The EU is becoming ever more reliant on our resource-rich neighbours such as Russia and Norway, and this trend will only continue unless decisive action is taken," he added.

The report painted a varied picture across Europe, with Bulgaria having 34 years of coal left.
Germany, it was claimed, has 250 years of coal remaining but less than a year of oil.

Professor Anderson said: "Coal, oil and gas resources in Europe are running down and we need alternatives.

"The UK urgently needs to be part of a Europe-wide drive to expand renewable energy sources such as wave, wind, tidal, and solar power."

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Companies increasingly counting internal cost of carbon

Almost 30 public-traded US companies are using an ‘internal carbon price' in their business planning, according to a new report by CDP.

The organisation formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project finds companies spanning all sectors of the economy, including energy, utilities, airlines, technology and the financial industry are using the measurement. All of the companies bar BP and Royal Dutch Shell are listed in the S&P 500.

Internal carbon pricing is a method of recognising the external cost of companies' operations on the environment and society, as well as incorporating the effects of climate change into risk assessment and long-term business planning.
Moreover, most companies in the survey told CDP they were accounting for their impacts now because they expect an eventual regulatory approach to prevent climate change.

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Hilton Worldwide extends Carbon Offset Program in Southeast Asia

Carbon Expert – Business Sustainability Carbon Consultancy

Hilton Worldwide announced the extension of its Carbon Offset Program in Southeast Asia with the inclusion of Conrad Bali and Hilton Bandung in Indonesia. They join 11 existing properties in Southeast Asia already offsetting carbon emissions from events and meetings. Since its introduction on 1 October, 2012, the Hilton Worldwide Carbon Offset Program in Southeast Asia has successfully offset more than 4,500 tonnes of carbon emissions. The amount of carbon offset is equivalent to taking over 470 economy class flights around the world.

At no additional cost to customers, the program measures carbon generated by events and meetings and offsets these through the purchase of carbon credits. The credits are used to fund projects in Borneo and Cambodia that have strong community and environmental benefits beyond carbon. From 1 April, 2013, 13 Hilton Worldwide properties in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand are part of the program.

“Hilton Worldwide is committed to leading the hospitality industry in sustainable practices,” said William Costley, vice president, operations – Southeast Asia, Hilton Worldwide. “The exceptional results from the first six months of the Hilton Worldwide Carbon Offset Program in Southeast Asia demonstrate the meaningful contribution an organisation can make to the environment and communities it operates in.”

Hilton Worldwide is the first and only major multi-brand hospitality company to make sustainability measurement and corrective action a brand standard at each of its over 3,900 hotels globally.

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Carbon Neutral ?

“Carbon neutral means that – through a transparent process of calculating missions, reducing those emissions and offsetting residual emissions – net carbon emissions equal zero”
DECC definition of carbon neutrality

To view more in depth expert Carbon Offsetting  analysis visit our website. http://www.carbon-expert.com

Europe's climate chief vows to fight on to save emissions trading scheme

Carbon Expert - Business Sustainability Carbon Consultancy

Connie Hedegaard's attempts to introduce longer-term reforms will face fierce opposition from a powerful business lobby

Europe's climate chief vowed on Wednesday to fight on to save the EU's flagship environmental policy, the emissions trading system (ETS), after a serious blow on Tuesday when MEPs rejected reforms aimed at repairing the ailing system.

MEPs voted 334 against to 315 in favour of "backloading" the market – a proposal aimed to reverse the plummeting price of carbon that has resulted from a surplus of permits in the ETS market – leading the price of carbon to fall by almost half to under €3 on Tuesday.


Connie Hedegaard, EU commissioner for climate action, said: "We are preparing structural [longer-term reforms]. We will have new meetings for stakeholders, in parallel with an impact assessment. We are preparing an initiative." The proposals include measures to restrict rights to carbon permits under the system, and to allow for reviews of the number of permits companies receive for free.


Phil Hogan, the Irish environment minister who holds responsibility for the portfolio under the Irish presidency, said: "We are not prepared to allow this issue to die. We have a working party, and we will see what we have to do to put [this issue] up to people in a democratic process."

These attempts will face fierce opposition, however, from a powerful business lobby that has opposed the penalties on carbon dioxide emissions that Europe has sought to impose, in order to tackle climate change.

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Carbon Neutral ?
"Carbon neutral means that – through a transparent process of calculating missions, reducing those emissions and offsetting residual emissions – net carbon emissions equal zero"
DECC definition of carbon neutrality
To view more in depth expert Carbon Offsetting  analysis visit our website. www.carbon-expert.com

How polluters are trying to neuter carbon market ahead of key vote

Sandbag' Rob Elsworth warns a vote against backloading carbon allowances will undermine the EU's entire climate change strategy

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International cap-and-trade markets expanding – but still contentious

Nascent carbon emissions-trading exchanges in several countries are increasingly looking at options to interlink with one another, which advocates say would offer investors long-term stability, increase revenues for the development of renewable energy and strengthen corporate support for climate policy.

Yet critics warn that so-called cap-and-trade systems are inefficient and create incentives for polluting industries to continue with business as usual. They also warn that the new systems in the United States are dependent on mechanisms that adversely impact on poor and indigenous communities in developing countries.

"I've been incredibly struck at the recent groundswell of interest by countries – including China and Korea – looking to develop carbon markets," Harinder Sidhu, an Australian civil servant, said Wednesday at a panel discussion here.

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Ballooning Gas Exports to Leave Australian Wind Winner: Energy

Australia’s $65 billion of projects to export liquefied natural gas from the east coast are set to push up domestic prices, opening the way for record investment at home in competing energy sources to produce power.

Prices are forecast to double this decade closer to levels customers in Asia will pay for Australian LNG after companies including BG Group (BG/) Plc and Santos Ltd. open terminals to ship gas that could have been supplied to the local market. That will help drive the A$33 billion ($34 billion) of wind- and solar- power projects developers plan to build through 2020 in Australia, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

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Carbon Neutrality pledge from TAG Construction (UK) Ltd

Essex based TAG Construction (UK) Ltd have committed to working towards becoming a carbon neutral company.

Since 1996 TAG Construction has grown as a company by carrying out construction works for local authorities, large property companies, pension funds and education authorities.

In order to become Carbon Neutral they have engaged the services of leading international carbon consultancy Carbon-Expert.

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KLM debuts weekly transatlantic biofuel-powered flight

Carbon-Expert
Dutch airline confirms weekly flights from New York to Amsterdam will use sustainable biofuels.

Click here for the Business Green article

Huhne and Hendry lining up behind decarbonisation target

Former energy secretary Chris Huhne and former energy minister Charles Hendry are reportedly among those considering rebelling against the coalition and voting in favour of the inclusion of a decarbonisation target in the upcoming Energy Bill.

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Can Copenhagen Become the World's First Carbon Neutral City?

During the same week of the Beijing smog, Lord Mayor Frank Jensen of Copenhagen spoke at a green solutions presentation at the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Key talking points covered the gamut from smarter cities and sustainable design, to energy efficiency and a bold plan for the city of 1.2 million people to become the world's first carbon neutral city by 2025.

Click here for the full Huffington post article

Saudi Arabian United Float Glass Company set to become first Carbon Neutral Company in Yanbu

The Arabian United Float Glass Company, the first independent float line in the Middle East and Africa has committed to taking the first steps to implementing a strategic approach to reducing its impact on the environment and engaged the services of Carbon- Expert, an international carbon management consultancy, to conduct a carbon footprint assessment.

Click here for the full AMEInfo article

Carbon Neutrality pledge from TAG Construction (UK) Ltd

Essex based TAG Construction (UK) Ltd have committed to working towards becoming a carbon neutral company.

Since 1996 TAG Construction has grown as a company by carrying out construction works for local authorities, large property companies, pension funds and education authorities.

In order to become Carbon Neutral they have engaged the services of leading international carbon consultancy Carbon-Expert.

Click here for the full Urban Times article.

www.carbon-expert.com

Paulie Malignaggi Teams Up With Carbon Neutral Investments to Become First Ever Carbon Neutral Boxer

Current WBA Welterweight, Paulie Malignaggi and his team are to become carbon neutral ahead of his high profile fight at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn on Saturday.

Click here for the full Sacramento Bee article.

The Low Carbon Energy Company hails new era for financing sustainability projects

Carbon-expert

Despite the current economic climate and the understandable distrust consumers and businesses feel towards the financial services industry, Lancashire-based sustainability experts, The Low Carbon Energy Company are urging people to consider low carbon alternatives.

Click here for the IB Times article.
www.carbon-expert.com

Westcliff-on-Sea IT firm gets positive about emissions

An Essex IT consultancy firm is set to become ‘carbon positive’.

Westcliff-on-Sea based Globalnet IT Innovations Ltd is a local company which helps businesses of all sizes to maximize the potential of their IT Infrastructure through innovative cloud computing solutions.
In order to become carbon positive, Globalnet has enlisted the services of leading international carbon consultancy Carbon-Expert.

Having a sustainability policy and dealing with business Green House Gas (GHG) emissions has become an intrinsic part of business management.
Major players in the IT industry, IBM and Microsoft, have already formulated sustainability policies and are actively looking at becoming carbon positive across the whole business.
Now it is the turn of smaller companies to get on board as well.
Robert Burdett,
Director of Globalnet IT Innovations explains. “We strive to offer the best and most beneficial IT solutions to our clients. With this in mind we are also conscious of the impact that IT has on the environment. We partnered with Carbon-Expert not only to differentiate ourselves from our competitors, but to prove how easy it is to go beyond carbon neutral to a point where a company can be beneficial to the environment, by using our cloud solutions our clients will now be able to do the same.”

Moya McKeown, Business Development Manager at Carbon-Expert said: “Being carbon positive is a recognized way to enhance your brand and reputation and sits nicely along with Globalnet IT ethos of providing good honest IT Consultancy and support.”
The fact that computers generate emissions is old news.

A 2007 article in The Economist revealed that computers, printers, mobile phones and the widgets that accompany them account for the emission of 830m tonnes of carbon dioxide around the world.
“The same report,” says Moya McKeown, “estimated that the spread of computers will increase these associated emissions by about 6 per cent annually until 2020.  Now  with Microsoft taking the lead with its ground breaking commitment to becoming Carbon Neutral by 2013 - the IT industry is moving to ensure it does not get left behind.”

“For most businesses the benefits of developing and maintaining a sustainability program out-weighs the costs both in time and money,” says McKeown.
www.carbon-expert.com

Emirates Palace Marina – Opulence and Good for The Environment

Abu Dhabi-based Emirates Palace Marina has committed to measuring its impact on the environment.
Already registered under the International Blue Flag Award programme, Emirates Palace Marina is an exclusive 167 berth fully serviced marina securely located in the grounds of the Emirates Palace Hotel and has enlisted the services of leading international carbon consultancy Carbon-Expert.

Click here for the full Urban Times article.

www.carbon-expert.com

Olympic cauldron built in 'Bond-style gadget workshop' says architect as organisers vow to make giant flame carbon neutral

The lighting of the Olympic cauldron at last night's opening ceremony was, if nothing else, wonderfully unique. The giant flame's design was so sophisticated the studio where it was crafted looked more like James Bond's gadget workshop, its architect revealed today.

Click here for the Mail Online artcile.

Carbon trading coming to Shanghai

Shanghai will officially launch a pilot carbon emissions trading platform next year, which is expected to see the participation of about 200 companies in 16 industries, the China Securities Journal reported Tuesday, citing an anonymous source.

Click here for the Global Times article