Fast growing Bamboo is Ahead in the Sustainable Products Stakes

We always thought bamboo was the most sustainable of all the plants we can use. And a thorough life cycle assessment aimed at determining the potential environmental benefits and impacts of using alternative natural fibres, put bamboo in front and has the potential to become part of Kimberly-Clark’s sourcing strategy.  The study, involving LCA consulting firm Quantis, environmental nonprofit Canopy and the WWF, provided analysis on scale of land use, impacts on biodiversity and biogenic carbon accounting. Meanwhile, the French facilities management company Sodexo has been ranked, for a seventh consecutive year, as the best for Social, Environmental and Economic Performance in the RobecoSAM ‘Sustainability Yearbook 2014’ as Sector Leader and Gold Class. Read More

Environmental Leader (5 February 2014)

Kimberly-Clark Study Pinpoints Bamboo as Possible Alternative Fibre

Bamboo appears to have less impact than fibre from northern softwood trees, particularly when it comes to land use because it regenerates in three years as opposed to 70 years for the trees, according to a life cycle assessment commissioned by Kimberly-Clark, the company behind Kleenex, Scott and Huggies.

The life cycle assessment is part of a broader research initiative aimed at determining the potential environmental benefits and impacts of using alternative natural fibres. The findings suggest that alternative fibres have the potential to become part of Kimberly-Clark’s sourcing strategy.

The study, reviewed by LCA consulting form Quantis, environmental nonprofit Canopy and the World Wildlife Fund, provided supplemental analysis on issues such as scale of land use, impacts on biodiversity and biogenic carbon accounting.

Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology assessed the environmental impacts of several alternative fibres as well as the conventional fibre options of Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft fibre derived from primary forests in the Canadian Boreal and recycled fibre from waste paper. The alternative fibres studied were bamboo, wheat straw, giant cane Arundo donax and kenaf.

Specifically, the study compared NBSK fibre with bamboo and recycled paper fibre with wheat straw, kenaf and giant cane. The study found wheat straw, giant cane and kenaf have higher environmental impacts than recycled paper. However, wheat straw benefits from being an agricultural remnant associated with wheat grain production and is comparable to recycled fibre depending on the allocation of inputs for the production of the original fibre, according to the study.

The study did not look at fibres from plantation forests or semi-natural forests because they are not in line with Kimberly-Clark‘s sustainable forest management pledge.

In 2012, Kimberly-Clark announced at the Rio+20 United National Conference on Sustainable Development that it would reduce its use of wood fibre sourced from natural forests by using other fibre types, including the possibility of alternative natural fibres.

Kimberly-Clark’s UK line of Andrex toilet tissue launched a product made with 90 percent recycled fibre and 10 percent bamboo in spring 2012. The product is Forest Stewardship Council-certified for the bamboo and recycled fibre supply chain.

Source: www.environmentalleader.com

Sustainability ranking

Professional Security (21 February 2014):

Sodexo has been ranked, for a seventh consecutive year, as the best-performing company for Social, Environmental and Economic Performance in the RobecoSAM ‘Sustainability Yearbook 2014’ as Sector Leader and Gold Class. The FM firm Sodexo reports that it has again topped its industry and is the only company in the sector named Gold Class. Sodexo earned the highest overall score in its peer group, 80 percent (compared to a sector average of 48).

Sodexo earned a perfect (100) score for the positive local impact of its business operations around the world. Sodexo also earned the highest score in its industry in the social pillar – particularly impressive in light the large number of employees (nearly 428,000) and the decentralized nature of its business (33,300 client sites in 80 countries).

Damien Verdier, Sodexo Group chief marketing and strategic planning officer, said: “We are very proud to again be leading our business sector for our efforts and achievements to contribute to the economic, social and environmental development of the cities, regions and countries where we operate.”

And Elisabeth Carpentier, Sodexo Group chief human resources officer, said: “We are both pleased and humbled that Sodexo continues to be at the forefront of what it means to be a socially responsible and diverse company because we know that human resources are a leading factor driving competition now and in the future.

“By developing policies focused on women and men at all levels of the organisation, companies will become stronger, and quality of life will not be an outcome of their success but a fundamental component of it.”

Methodology

This yearbook is published by RobecoSAM (http://www.robecosam.com/), an asset management company focusing on sustainability investing. This year more than 2000 companies were considered for inclusion in the yearbook, using up to 120 financial, environmental, social and economic indicators to evaluate companies in 59 industries.

The RobecoSAM Sustainability Yearbook is regarded as the world’s most comprehensive publication on corporate sustainability performance, in part due to continually raising the bar for inclusion.

Source:  www.professionalsecurity.co.uk/products/guarding/sustainability-ranking/