Tag Archives: water

Thirty-one percent of 18- to 24-year-olds says YES to Green Products

Harris Interactive found that while concern and awareness around environmental issues has slipped since 2009, it has not affected how consumers say environmental issues influence their purchasing behavior. Young adults are the exception – those18 to 24, are actually more likely to consider the environment in their spending now than than before.

Adults between the ages of 18 and 24 show the biggest change in shopping behavior when it comes to environmental awareness and responsibility:

  • 35 percent said they are willing to pay extra for a green product, an increase from 27 percent in 2010 and 25 percent in 2009.
  • Although just 4 percent of all U.S. adults seek out green products and services regardless of the cost—virtually unchanged from 3 percent in 2010 and 2009 – 18- to 24-year-olds are at 11 percent, far above the 3 percent rate in 2010 and 2009.
  • However, 51 percent of this youngest adult age group said they are not willing to pay extra for green products.

Among total adults, however, the survey found that consumers are now less likely to do each of the following activities in their daily life:

  • Reuse things they have instead of throwing them away or buying new items (65 percent in 2009 vs. 61 percent in 2012).
  • Make an effort to use less water (60 percent in 2009 vs. 57 percent in 2010 and 2012).
  • Buy food in bulk (33 percent in 2009 vs. 30 percent in 2012).
  • Purchase all-natural products (18 percent in 2009 vs. 16 percent in 2012); and Purchase organic products (17 percent in 2009 vs. 15 percent in 2010 and 2012).

A quarter of U.S. adults (26 percent) said that environmental issues are either “extremely” or “very” important to them when deciding which products or services to purchase. This number remains consistent across gender, geography, education and income, according to the study. The percentage has moved little over the years: 27 percent of U.S. adults said environmental issues were extremely or very important to their purchasing decisions in 2010 and 26 percent said the same in 2009.

Americans also show a preference for products and services that are “green,” with 79 percent seeking out green products, slightly up from 78 percent in 2010 and 76 percent in 2009. Additionally, 31 percent of U.S. adults said they are willing to pay extra for a green product, up from 28 percent in 2010. Thirty-two percent said the same in 2009.

More than 2,451 U.S. adults aged 18 and older were polled for this survey.

via Harris Poll: Young Adults Willing to Pay Extra for Green Products – Green Retail Decisions.

A more sustainable coffee begins with a more sustainable water use

Coffee is one of the world’s most valuable commodities, and global annual sales reach up to $70bn (£43bn). The small green bean that has its origins in Ethiopia has long been the brew of choice throughout Europe. Across the pond, office workers clutching towering cups of coffee are a routine morning sight throughout the US.

Even in places known for their tea culture, coffee has transformed social life. Coffee requires only two ingredients – ground roasted coffee beans and water – but in the coming years, the latter ingredient will vex companies that source and market the product.

Coffee is both a labour – and resource-intensive crop to grow. The Dutch NGO Water Footprint Network estimates that a standard European cup of coffee or espresso (125 ml) requires 140 litres of water – which is to say that one part of coffee consumes 1100 parts of water. Meanwhile, droughts in Brazil and Colombia, two of the world’s largest coffee producers, could spark price increases that, in the short term, may contribute to profits, but in the long term will force companies to develop programmes that ensure water conservation throughout their supply chains and especially at the source: farms.

Much of coffee’s water footprint results from the beans’ cultivation. To that end, NGOs such as Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade USA engage farmers across the globe to work together on reforestation projects. While “shade grown” coffee makes for fancy labelling, Rainforest Alliance’s work both preserves the watersheds that provide drinking water while preventing erosion. These programmes provide farmers modest financial returns that encourage them to plant more trees – and reverse the deforestation that resulted in part from the expansion of massive coffee plantations. Companies, like Kraft Foods, with its brands of coffee that includes Kenco, Gevalia, and Maxwell House, have promised to source more sustainable coffee certified by Rainforest Alliance and other third-party certification groups.

Companies that rely on coffee sales to boost their bottom line have responded in kind by becoming engaged at the source. Nestlé UK, for example, funds responsible farming practices in Ethiopia. Coffee farmers in the village of Hama, 310 miles south of Addis Ababa, for years struggled financially and faced declining yields even though the quality of their coffee beans was high. A Nestlé team realised one issue was a wasteful process that separated coffee beans from their pulp. The pulp was a potentially valuable source of compost for the farmers, but instead the farmers discharged it into the local river – where the pulp became a toxin that polluted local water supplies. A pulping machine from South America separated the lucrative bean from the pulp and provided farmers a source of compost, while slashing the ratio of litres of water to kilogram of coffee from 60-1 to 3-1.

Meanwhile, the global giant coffee retailer Starbucks has focused on its water performance within its stores. Three years ago the Seattle-based chain committed to a 25% reduction in water use throughout its stores by 2015. So far the company has reported a decrease in stores’ water consumption by 22%. Much of that decrease has resulted from discontinuing the use of dipper wells, fixtures that constantly stream water to clean utensils and eliminate food residues. That move alone cut Starbucks’ water consumption by about 100 gallons (378 litres) of water per day, per store.

Despite Starbucks’ success, however, companies must work on more efficient coffee sourcing processes throughout their supply chains. Pilot projects like those of Nestlé’s and of Rainforest Alliance’s are templates from which companies can learn if they want their future coffee businesses to not only be sustainable and profitable, but also survive as the global demand for water surges. (Source:Leon Kaye/GuardianUK – Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis)

The Coca Cola Company and the new PlantBottle® packaging: sustainability comes from sugarcane!

Beginning April 4, 2011 the first 100 percent recyclable beverage packages made with plants are readily available to people across the U.S. If you want to enjoy the fresh taste of DASANI, or a nourishing Odwalla beverage in a more environmentally responsible package made from plants, now you can. There’s no more waiting.

PlantBottle® packaging for both brands was developed with the planet in mind by PlantBottle® Packaging Platform, The Coca Cola Company.  Single-serve Odwalla packages are made from up to 100 percent plant-based materials with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic. PET bottles for DASANI are made with up to 30 percent plant-based materials.

“It’s our goal to make traditional plastic bottles a thing of the past and ensure that every beverage we produce is available in 100 percent plant-based, fully recyclable packaging,” said Scott Vitters, General Manager, PlantBottle® Packaging Platform, The Coca-Cola Company. “The national launch of DASANI PlantBottle® packaging represents an important step toward reducing our carbon footprint, and the up to 100 percent plant-based, recyclable packaging used for Odwalla is the first of its kind in the beverage industry.”

Traditional PET bottles are made from petroleum and other nonrenewable fossil fuels. Incorporating a blend of petroleum-based materials with up to 30 percent plant-based materials allows PlantBottle® packaging for DASANI to reduce potential intrinsic carbon dioxide emissions when compared with PET plastic bottles

“DASANI is designed to make a difference by offering a better designed package for a more sustainable future,” said John Roddey, Vice President and General Manager, Water, Tea and Coffee, Coca-Cola North America. “Because DASANI PlantBottle® packaging is up to 30 percent made from plants and still 100 percent recyclable, it was designed with the planet in mind by helping to reduce the impact of our packaging on the environment.”

The plant-based materials for both DASANI and Odwalla PlantBottle® packaging are produced through a process that turns sugarcane into a key component for PET and HDPE plastic. Currently, PlantBottle® packaging is made using sugarcane ethanol from Brazil, the only source widely recognized globally for its unique environmental and social performance. Brazilian sugarcane is primarily rain fed and industrially grown on abundant, arable land using organic fertilizers. The plantations from which PlantBottle materials are sourced are located far away from Amazon rain forests, and their impact on biodiversity is reduced thanks to advanced farming practices and sound public policy.

Unlike other plant-based plastics, PlantBottle® packaging is entirely recyclable and can be processed through existing systems. This ensures PlantBottle® packaging can be repeatedly used, recycled and reused. In addition, there are no differences in shelf life, weight, composition or appearance between traditional PET plastic bottles and PlantBottle® plastic bottles.

In late 2009, PlantBottle® packaging was launched in the western U.S. and eight other markets around the world. To date, PlantBottle® packaging is estimated to have eliminated the equivalent of 30,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, or three million gallons of gasoline used to produce PET plastic bottles. Currently, The Coca-Cola Company is working to further technology so other plant materials can be used in future PlantBottle® packaging. The ultimate long-term goal is to turn waste into a resource, resulting in a carbon neutral, 100 percent renewable, responsibly sourced bottle that is fully recyclable.

“Several approaches to a PET package made entirely from plants have been successfully demonstrated in laboratory testing. We’re working to advance this breakthrough science to ensure it is commercially viable,” said Vitters. “PlantBottle® packaging means only good things for everybody. We welcome others in the industry joining us in advancing the science behind packaging made from plants.”

The technology used to make PlantBottle® packaging already has been adopted by Heinz, which recently announced it will begin packaging its ketchup using that technology this summer under license from The Coca-Cola Company.

The rollout of PlantBottle® packaging for DASANI will be supported by a national television spot breaking in April. Additional executions will include enhanced packaging graphics, as well as out-of-home, print, digital and point-of sale-advertising to build awareness for PlantBottle® packaging. Odwalla’s marketing program includes coupons, print advertising, digital programs and new labeling Point-of-sale materials for in-store displays will feature attention-grabbing messages such as “Paper or Plastic? Try Plant!” (Source: Businesswire)

SHOWFOOD presents SMEG CW500 dishwasher: sustainability, design and efficiency

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This year in SHOWFOOD‘s product catalogue our customers will find many new products which are both efficient and sustainable. The first one to be introduced is SMEG CW500 dishwasher with Heat recovery.

Smeg CWC500

 The special Drain Heat Recovery (D.H.R.) unit, 2 patent pending,

transfers heat from the water outlet to the inlet, thus raising the initial temperature of the water supply by around 20°C with a consequent energy saving of over 25% compared to the standard model. It also help saving water (11 litres against 30 consumed by traditional machines) and thanks to its Standby function saves up to 70% of energy in respect to traditional machines. The total running cost saving: up to 44%, a great result for a great product! (Please visit SHOWFOOD for further information about this product)