Blommer talks sustainable chocolate, looks to grow

Blommer talks sustainability, looks to grow - chicagotribune.com

Blommer Chocolate Co. invited media inside its building for the first time in more than 70 years Wednesday, unveiling a $45 million cocoa sustainability initiative and hinting at capacity constraints at its Fulton River District facility.  "We thought it was time to open our doors and begin a conversation," Peter Blommer, the company's president, said to a group of journalists and confectionary industry professionals in town for the Sweets & Snacks Expo.

Volkswagen's green commitment: $52 billion

German automaker Volkswagen aims to drop the average emissions from its new vehicles to 120 grams CO2/km by 2015, as part of a "fundamental ecological restructuring" likely to be worth more than €40 billion (US$52 billion by 2016.  The company says more than two thirds of its entire €62.4 billion (US$82.1 billion) investment programme for the coming five years will be directly or indirectly spent on "ever more efficient vehicles, powertrains and technologies, as well as environmentally compatible production."

Studying Carbon in Rivers

Studying Carbon in Rivers - US News and World Report

Carbon gets a lot of attention, largely because of its impact on climate change.  But its behavior in the atmosphere is only one part of the carbon cycle.  The biological and physical changes to carbon on the earth also are key to how fast carbon moves through its cycle, as well as the form it takes.  Thus, “it’s important to study all aspects of the loop,” says scientist Hilairy Hartnett.

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Policy

10 May 2012 03:57

California takes step toward linking CO2 market to Quebec

SAN FRANCISCO, May 9 (Reuters Point Carbon) – California on Wednesday released an updated draft of i…

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Domestic policy

10 May 2012 00:25

ANALYSIS: Argentina slows down climate actions amid energy supply crisis

SAO PAULO, May 9 (Reuters Point Carbon) - While its Latin American neighbors move forward with natio…

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Markets

10 May 2012 00:49

North American carbon credit market value up 70 pct: report

SAN FRANCISCO, May 9 (Reuters Point Carbon) - The North American offset market was worth $168 millio…

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International policy

09 May 2012 23:48

Countries should put value on natural resources: World Bank

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters Point Carbon)— Natural resources such as farmland, biodiversity and fores…

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EU ETS

09 May 2012 11:59

China ponders aviation in national ETS

BEIJING, May 9 (Reuters Point Carbon) - China is considering bringing the aviation sector into its e…

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Markets

09 May 2012 10:49

EU tables further energy efficiency talks, split on CO2 set-aside

LONDON, May 9 (Reuters Point Carbon) – EU lawmakers have scheduled three further meetings aiming to…

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Markets

09 May 2012 17:50

EU carbon down 1.5 pct ahead of UK auction

LONDON, May 9 (Reuters Point Carbon) - EU carbon dipped as much as 29 cents on Wednesday as traders…

World Bank Political-Risk Insurer Underused 30% in Climate Fight

A World Bank Group agency providing insurance, including political-risk cover, in developing nations is being underutilized by 30 percent because of a lack of demand as the United Nations fights to protect the climate.  The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency in Washington provided a record $2.1 billion of guarantees in the year though June last year, which may jump another 14 percent this fiscal year, said Edith Quintrell, MIGA’s director of operations.

California and Quebec Near Cross-Border Trading of Emissions Permits

California and Quebec Near Cross-Border Trading of Emissions Permits - NYTimes.com

SAN FRANCISCO — California and Quebec moved to knit together their fledgling carbon markets on Wednesday as California proposed a new regulation allowing cross-border trading of the permits that industries must acquire to cover their emissions of greenhouse gases.

CBD inks merger with Westinghouse, eyes American, EU markets

The merger between Sydney-based (ASX-listed) renewables company CBD Energy and US-based (Nasdaq-listed) rooftop PV specialist Westinghouse Solar, first flagged in February this year, is going ahead, having been approved by the boards of both companies. The deal, which was jointly announced this morning, will see CBD shareholders take 85 per cent of the merged entity, leaving Westinghouse Solar shareholders with the remaining 15 per cent. It is expected to be finalised in the third quarter of 2012, subject to shareholder approval.  CBD described the move as an “important step” in the company’s strategy of “growing a portfolio of revenue streams diversified across  profitable customer segments, geographies and technologies.” CBD also said the move should result in improved liquidity, with the company planning to apply for listing on the Nasdaq, “because it is host to the world’s largest collection of cleantech public companies and attracts a corresponding level of investor attention.”

WWF leading corporate giants to epic carbon cuts

Around 30 of the world's largest companies have saved more than double the annual carbon dioxide (CO2) output of Switzerland through the WWF's corporate carbon cutting scheme since it began in 1999.
A review of the campaign group's Climate Savers program, whose members include Coca-Cola, HP, Sony and IBM, found more than 100 million tonnes of CO2 had been avoided in the period up to 2011. The program also numbers Nike among its ranks, although the sportswear retailer had to admit last week its emissions rose substantially last year following a boost in sales.

More sustainability-consulting consolidation: DNV buys Two Tomorrows

Small fish beware: There’s another major merger in the sustainability-consulting-service industry. Oslo-based DNV, a venerable international risk management company, is acquiring the corporate sustainability agency, Two Tomorrows Group. With offices in the U.S., U.K. and South Korea, Two Tomorrows works with major clients in a wide range of sectors, including mining, global transportation, electronics, retail and health care -- offering a “full range of sustainability and corporate responsibility issues, managing risks and creating value.”

Mixed Greens: Microsoft to go CO2 neutral, with help from Oz firm

Microsoft has announced its intentions of achieving company-wide “carbon neutrality” for its energy use, beginning July 1. The US IT giant announced the ambitious, but “simple,” goal on Tuesday, after the expiry – and fulfillment – of the its 2009 goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 30 per cent per unit of revenue by 2012.

Sustainability Programs Drive 'Good' Investment To Meet Rising Global Food Demand

Blommer Chocolate Company, the largest cocoa processor and ingredient chocolate supplier in North America, today announced its plans to invest an incremental $45 million in cocoa sustainability efforts by 2020 as a part of its Sustainable Origins program. Driven by an effort to meet rising consumer demand and to help its customers achieve their sustainability goals, the company pledges to reach an additional 50,000 cocoa farmers worldwide, building on existing farmer programs to double its current farmer base to 100,000.

EasyJet Estimates CO2 Permit Costs for 2012 at 7 Million Pounds

EasyJet Plc (EZJ), Europe’s second-biggest discount airline, estimates its costs of complying with the European Union’s emissions trading system for the 12 months through December to be about 7 million pounds ($11 million).  “We have completed forward purchase of permits that cover our expected remaining requirement for calendar year 2012,” the company said in its half-yearly financial report published today. The airline received 74 percent of the permits it needs for the year for free, according to the report.

Environmental Finance | News | Brazilian exchange seeks afforestation credit buyers, sellers

A new Brazilian environmental exchange has opened its doors to potential buyers and sellers of ‘Forest Reserve Credits’.  Bolsa Verde Rio (BVRio) – set up by carbon markets veteran Pedro Moura Costa – last week set up a service to allow land owners and investors register their interest in buying or selling Créditos Reserva Legal florestal (CRLs), used to comply with the Brazilian forest code.

Environmental Finance | News | Investors call for funding details as UK announces green bank legislation

The UK government is to introduce legislation in the coming year to establish its long-planned Green Investment Bank (GIB), but investors and environmentalists have called for clarity over how it will be funded.  In the Queen’s speech today, in which the UK’s monarch sets out her government’s legislative plans for the next 12 months, Queen Elizabeth announced that “my government will introduce legislation to establish a Green Investment Bank,” without elaborating.

Arizona Legislature Exempts the Sale of Renewable Energy Credits from State Sales Tax

Arizona Legislature Exempts the Sale of Renewable Energy Credits from State Sales Tax 

Affirming its commitment to the development of renewable energy resources, the Arizona legislature recently passed legislation exempting the sale and/or use of Renewable Energy Credits (generally referred as "RECs") from Arizona's transaction privilege tax, which operates similar to a sales tax. Given that Arizona's state transaction privilege tax is over seven percent in most counties, and that city tack on an additional 2 to 3 percent tax, the decision to exempt the sale of RECs from a 10 percent tax is a significant development that should encourage the development of renewable energy in Arizona.

Australia Predicts A$24.7 Billion Carbon Revenue

Australia expects to raise A$24.7 billion ($24.8 billion) in four years from the carbon tax coming into effect July 1, as the government seeks to reduce emissions and spur investment in cleaner energy.  The levy on Australia’s biggest polluters starts at A$23 per ton of carbon and rises by 2.5 percent in real terms in each of the following two fiscal years. Treasury projects they will reach A$29 in 2015-16, when the mechanism moves to a price set by the market, the government said in the budget yesterday.

Norway opens major facility to test carbon capture

Norway opens major facility to test carbon capture | Reuters

MONGSTAD, Norway, May 7 (Reuters) - Norway on Monday launched the world's largest facility of its kind to develop carbon capture and storage (CCS), the so-far commercially unproven technology that would allow greenhouse gases from power plants to be buried safely underground.

Rehn: Carbon Investments Won’t Risk Crisis

Rehn: Carbon Investments Won’t Risk Crisis - Businessweek

Companies with high-carbon emissions are unlikely to fall suddenly in value and threaten the financial stability of the European Union, Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Olli Rehn said.