Phase of planning is important for a retailer. It is the
time dimension which helps it to the retailer to decide which product sells
when in the store. The retailer can accordingly plan for the product. Some of
the planning phases can overlap.
Sustain2Green is a unique platform to bring forth articles, thoughts, surveys, news, discussions about Politics, Economics, Environment, Climate change, carbon, resources, waste, sustainability, social issues, clean technologies, energy, CSR etc. Our aim is to bring people on this platform and make a sustainable impact . Indexed by The Huffington Post.Ranked in the Top 50. Contact us at "sustain2green(at)sustain2green(dot)com". It does not claim copyrights or originality of posts.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Look is used as one of the planning dimensions in retail. A retailer can combine a number of products together in a Look if it feels that it makes sense to plan them together
Look is used as one of the planning dimensions in retail. A
retailer can combine a number of products together in a Look if it feels that
it makes sense to plan them together. Hence an item will be a part of a Look if
it is ranged.
Walmart will soon have its annual meeting. Aerosmith and Cheap Trick will be a part of the entertainment, CEO Mike Duke and Chairman Rob Walton are up for election

Retailers often form Wish List of items. The wish list is at an item level. The wish list also stores information about the various attributes of the item

World Fluorochemicals Market, Freedonia World demand to rise 3.9% annually through 2016
World Fluorochemicals Market, Freedonia
World demand to rise 3.9% annually through 2016
Global demand for fluorine-containing chemicals is forecast to rise 3.9 percent per year to 3.5 million metric tons in 2016, valued at $19.7 billion. Gains will be fueled by increasing production of refrigeration and cooling equipment worldwide, as well as an acceleration in primary aluminum output. However, there are a number of challenges facing fluorochemical suppliers. The first is obtaining access to key raw materials such as fluorspar, as exports from China -- by far the world's leading producer -- have increasingly come under restrictions. Another challenge is dealing with the ever-shifting regulatory environment for fluorocarbons, which are subject to multiple global and national regulations that vary considerably by region and change over time. Finally, competition with alternative products is intensifying in a number of sectors, particularly blowing agents and commercial refrigeration, placing pressure on fluorochemical suppliers serving these markets.
Fluoropolymers, HFCs to see most rapid gains in demand
In the fluorocarbon segment, demand will rise at slightly below the overall fluorochemical average through 2016. However, there are significant shifts taking place among individual products. Due to Montreal Protocol requirements, developed world countries are in the final stages of phasing out ozone-depleting HCFCs, while restrictions for developing countries will begin to take effect in 2015. As a result, HCFC demand will decline through 2016. The HFC market, which grew considerably during the 2001-2011 decade, will continue its strong advances as HFCs replace HCFCs in the developing world. However, concerns over the global warming potential (GWP) of HFCs will begin to limit demand, particularly in Western Europe, presenting opportunities for low-GWP HFO fluorocarbons to capture a portion of the market. Among other fluorochemical products, fluoropolymers will see the most rapid gains in demand, driven by expanding opportunities for high-performance materials in the motor vehicle, chemical processing, electronics, and coatings markets. Fluoropolymers have a very low penetration rate in many parts of the world, offering ample room for market growth. Demand for inorganic and specialty fluorochemicals will rise at a pace close to the overall average through 2016, benefiting from strong growth in global aluminum production. Additionally, rising production of semiconductors, advanced batteries and other electronic components will fuel demand for specialty gases and other high-value fluorochemicals...
SOURCE: prnewsire, April 2012,
Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle was very effusive when he praised Steve Jobs who was the co –founder of Apple

U.S. Commerce Department set duties on Chinese imports of wind towers based on the Wind Tower Trade Coalition complaint which includes Broadwind of Naperville, Illinois, the Otter Tail Corp. DMI Industries, Katana Summit LLC and a unit of Trinity Industries Inc.

Scott Devitt an analyst with Morgan Stanley has predicted that over the years Amazon will slowly beat all the brick and mortar retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, Target

Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Proposals to amend the Montreal Protocol relating to hydrofluorocarbons
Proposals to amend the Montreal Protocol relating to hydrofluorocarbons
Proposals to amend the Montreal Protocol relating to hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) has been received by and posted on the Ozone Secretariat website under the following respective links: The proposal from the Federated States of Micronesia was received by the Ozone Secretariat, today, 11 May 2012:
http://ozone.unep.org/new_site/en/ozone_highlights.php http://conf.montreal-protocol.org/meeting/oewg/oewg-32/presession/default.aspx The joint proposal from Canada, Mexico and the United States of America was received by the Ozone Secretariat on 9 May 2012.
http://ozone.unep.org/new_site/en/ozone_highlights.php http://conf.montreal-protocol.org/meeting/oewg/oewg-32/presession/default.aspx The proposals are being circulated as received, and have not been formally edited by the Secretariat. The proposals will be made available in all United Nations languages in due course. Please do not hesitate to contact the Ozone Secretariat with any related queries at ozoneinfo@unep.org, from : UNEP, OzoNews.
An assortment planning tool for the retail industry should help in micro segmentation

Gordon Murray has risen to fame by designing Formula One racing and McLaren super cars has designed T.27 Cube car with high fuel efficiency for city drive reports Bloomberg
Gordon Murray has risen to fame by designing Formula One
racing and McLaren super cars. He has now designed a unique car for driving
within the city. The car has a fuel efficiency of 96 Mpg. The car is known as
T.27 cube car. He is now negotiating with various companies to produce the car.
The car has a top speed of 100 Mph.
Subsidies to clean and renewable power industry in Spain has been stopped Larger wind turbine companies like Gamesa Corporation Tecnologica SA and solar power plant developer T-Solar is looking for projects outside Spain.

Soft skills for a manger to build a sustainable team
A team manager should be a well rounded person and should be to manage the complex environment of the team. He needs to have the following soft skills to manage the team and the stakeholder.
Managing regional stakeholders
• Getting regular updates from the region and sharing the updates
• Managing escalation
Managing the delivery quality
• Ability to manage scope
• Ability to deliver in time
• Satisfactory feedback from the region
Team engagement
• Keeping the team informed about corporate developments
• Keeping the team involved
• Being sensitive to associate’s aspiration and concerns and work towards them within the organizational framework
• Creating a conducive environment for collaboration between the teams and within the team
Call for Papers: Jan 2013 issue of IEEE IT Professional magazine is a special issue on Advancing Green IT
Jan
2013 issue of IEEE IT Professional magazine is a special issue on
Advancing Green IT. Please find details
at:
www.computer.org/itpro/cfp1). Submission
deadline: 1 July 2012. Please forward the Call to your staff and researchers
and others who may interested in contributing an article.
Previous
special issue on Green IT (IEEE IT Professional, Jan 2011) is now
available in digital edition free at http://bitly.com/HOu1bR.
Email from :
Prof San Murugesan
Director, BRITE Professional Services
Adjunct Professor, University of Western Sydney
Associate Editor in Chief, IEEE IT Professional
Sydney, Australia
Email from :
Prof San Murugesan
Director, BRITE Professional Services
Adjunct Professor, University of Western Sydney
Associate Editor in Chief, IEEE IT Professional
Sydney, Australia
Desso Wins Guardian Sustainable Business Award for Waste and Recycling
May
30, 2012
Desso
Wins Guardian Sustainable Business Award for Waste and
Recycling

“This is a
fantastic endorsement of all the hard work the people at Desso have undergone to
transform our business,” says Stef Kranendijk, CEO of Desso. “I am especially
delighted because the Guardian Sustainable Business Awards recognise entries
that have made a real impact and look for business models that can be
replicated. We have found that the Cradle to Cradle® strategy boosts our profits and
innovation but it also helps us deal with the most pressing environmental
challenges we face as a society. And we hope it will be adopted by others, so
that together we can achieve scale in going beyond
sustainability.
“We are moving
away from the linear economy of ‘take, make and dispose’ towards the circular
economy,” adds Kranendijk, “As estimated in a new report from the Ellen
MacArthur Foundation this represents an economic opportunity of up to $630
billion per year in Europe or almost 4% of the EU’s annual GDP.”[1]
Since 2008, Desso
has been embedding a Cradle to Cradle® strategy into its business
model, whereby it designs products for disassembly and recycling. The
aim of Cradle to
Cradle® is to redesign the way we make things so that our products
consist of positively defined materials[2]
which can be
recycled on an infinite basis.
In 2010, Desso
received a Cradle to Cradle®
Silver certificate for an entire carpet tile product with its new carpet tile
backing Desso EcoBase®. Due to its innovative composition,
Desso
EcoBase®’s polyolefin-based layer is fully recyclable in Desso’s
own production process.
Carpet tiles with
Desso
EcoBase® backing have reached a level where up to 97% of the
materials are positively defined.[3]
Desso has also
developed a TakeBack™ programme to retrieve used carpets (as long as they don’t
contain PVC) and recycle the materials.
Desso’s goal is
that by 2020 all its products will be designed according to Cradle to
CradleÃ’ principles and a large proportion of the energy
consumed will be renewable.
Stef Kranendijk
will be talking about the company’s sustainability strategy at the Green
Corporate Energy Conference in London on June
27th where he will be interviewed by the environmentalist and author
John Elkington.[4]
[1] The report, Towards the
Circular Economy: Economic and business rationale for an accelerated
transition was launched in January
2012 by Dame Ellen MacArthur, the founder of the Ellen MacArthur
Foundation at the WEF summit in Davos. Stef Kranendijk, CEO of
Desso was one of the speakers at this launch event. A full version of the report
is available at: http://www. ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/
[2] Positively defined = all
ingredients have been assessed as either Green (optimal) or Yellow (tolerable)
according to the Cradle to Cradle® assessment
criteria.
[3] See footnote 2
above.
END
OF PRESS RELEASE
Email to sustain2green from Charlie
Laidlaw
Decline of Indus Valley Civilization due to Climate change: journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science

Share price of Facebook is already touching new low and might drop even further to mach other internet companies on Nasdaq

India's Onshore Wind Energy potential is 3000 GW
A study is pegging Indian potential for wind power at 3,000 GW. C-WET estimated
Indian wind farm potential at 49,000 MW at 50 m Hub Height and increased to 100
GW subsequently at 80 m Hub Height.
"Scientific and research work carried out by Indian wind industry expert Jami
Hossain (Chief Mentor & Co-founder WinDForce) has inspired scientists at
Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory (LBNL) to challenge assessments of the
Chennai based government agency CWET, on the potential for wind farms in India.
Hossain in his paper, published in the international renewable energy journal
Renewable Energy, presented his findings on the assessment for potential for
windfarms using Geographical Information System Platform," read a media
s t a t e m e n t i s s u e d b y Wo r l d W i n d E n e r g y A s s o c i a t i o n ( W W E A ) .
After re-assessing the land that can be used for wind power development, so as to
take into account previously excluded lands, Lawrence Berkeley has come to the
conclusion that the true potential of wind energy in India is between “20 and 30
times higher than the current official estimate of 102 GW.”
It was previously thought that only 2 per cent of lands in windy areas could be used
for putting up wind power projects.
Lawrence Berkeley found after the study that a lot more land was available even
after excluding lands with low wind speeds, lands with slopes greater than 20
degrees and elevation higher than 1,500 metres.
The study looked at wind speeds at heights of 80 metres, 100 metres and 120
metres.
8
www.windforce-management.com
Enabling High Efficiency and Reliable Wind Power Projects
The study found that 1,629 sq.km of area is available for putting up wind turbines at
heights of 80 metres with PLF more than 25 per cent.
“The main importance of this study, why it's groundbreaking, is that wind is one of
the most cost-effective and mature renewable energy sources commercially
available in India, with an installed capacity of 15 GW and rising rapidly,” says
Berkeley Lab scientist Mr Amol Phadke, who authored the report.
“The cost of wind power is now comparable to that from imported coal and natural
gas-based plants, and wind can play a significant role by effectively addressing
energy security and environmental concerns.” The study has come to the attention
of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy also.
Source:
"Reassessing Wind Potential Estimates for India: Economic and Policy Implications" can be downloaded at:
http://ies.lbl.gov/node/473
Please visit http://www.windforce-management.com/ for more details
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) will soon allow other names like .Apple, .Paris etc. to be registered
.jpg)
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Options in Agricultural Sector
The agriculture sector and its remarkable advances during the middle of 20th century is considered to be the basis for securing the food supply of a rapidly expanding human population especially in the developing countries that was enjoying the fruits of industrial revolution reflected in there improving socio-economic status. The impetus received by the agriculture sector through the green revolution was however lost in the new wave of economic liberalization and rise of service sector during the final decade of last century. Agriculture sector has been increasingly marginalized from the development focus of governments and has become stagnant as a result. Whilst the world population continues to grow and is expected to grow at the rate of about 2% per annum , the area under agriculture has remained constant at about 38% of total arable land for the last twenty years
To read more, please click the download link below
http://www.emergent-ventures.com/insights/climate-change-mitigation-and-131.html?type=insights
Changi Airport gets ISO 14064-1:2006 Certification for Carbon Footprinting
Changi Airport gets ISO 14064-1:2006 Certification for Carbon Footprinting
Changi Airport Group Singapore Pte Ltd (CAG) was accredited with ISO 14064-1:2006 certification for accounting and reporting its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. It has received the ISO 14064 accreditation from Bureau Veritas Certifications. CAG was assisted by Emergent Ventures International (EVI) throughout its GHG emission accounting cycle for conducting the GHG accounting exercise and preparation of the assessment report as per the ISO 14064-1 standards and Airport Carbon Accreditation scheme requirements.
Recognizing the threats and opportunities presented by anthropogenic climate change to its business, CAG took this voluntary initiative to calculate and report its GHG emissions. EVI helped CAG calculate the GHG emissions inventory for Passenger Terminals 1, 2, 3, Budget Terminal and other air-side operations for the period of July 2010 to June 2011. The GHG inventory included all facilities which are owned and operated by CAG whereas emissions from facilities operated by contractors, tenants and other third parties were excluded from the inventory. Moving forward, CAG also intends to apply for Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) certification by Airport Council International (ACI).
Changi Airport is the seventh busiest international airport in the world and a major air hub in Asia. Presently, CAG serves some 100 airlines flying to over 210 cities in about 60 countries and territories worldwide.
Emergent Ventures International (EVI) is one of the world’s leading climate change and clean energy advisory companies. EVI helps businesses, governments and international agencies understand risks and opportunities associated with climate change through its carbon, sustainability and clean energy consulting services.
More information on the project and approach is available at http://www.emergent-ventures.com/changi-airport-group-singapore-pte-ltd-cag. ###
FE-EVI Green Business Survey 2011-12
FE-EVI Green Business Survey 2011-12
In order to gauge the awareness of Indian businesses in the areas of climate change, Emergent Ventures India partnered with The Financial Express in 2008 to initiate the FE-EVI Green Business Survey.
Since then, businesses have been surveyed on their actions to adopt sustainability into their processes.
This year’s survey rates the performance of Indian companies on key sustainability parameters. The assessment areas are:
· Climate Change and Environment
· Natural Resources management
· Stakeholder Engagement and CSR
· Corporate Governance and Disclosure
The survey evaluates corporate action over the last three years. Sustainability assessment and disclosure standards like those of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) were also studied and key aspects were adapted for this survey so that the results are comparable in the global context.
Top 500 companies (revenue-wise) of India were chosen for this year’s survey. A total of 73 companies across 20 sectors have participated, making it a hugely successful affair.
FE-EVI Green Business Leadership Awards-2012
Emergent Ventures : A glimpse at last year's award ceremony! 1. Dr Kalam's speech- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92fqifw6LLQ&feature=youtu.be 2. Award Ceremony- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zYk77dY5Do 3. Panel Discussion- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEmixaug_mo&feature=youtu.be
FE-EVI Green Business Leadership Awards 2010-11
youtube.com
This is the third edition of 'FE-EVI Green Business Survey'. The 2010-11 survey seeks to measure the real impact of actions being carried out by Indian Business on climate change and sustainability. Data from the survey will...
John Boehner who is the Leader of House Republicans has already said that this year they will again try to limit the White House over debt ceiling

Pre-Season Planning and In-Season Planning is important for retailers to keep a track of how the various plans are working

Australia is the happiest and Turkey is at the bottom in the Paris based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) happiness ranking
.jpg)
Olympus settles lawsuit with former CEO Michael Woodford in London

Toyota Prius is the world’s best selling hybrid car. It is third most popular vehicle in U.S. behind Toyota Corolla and Ford Focus
Toyota Prius is the world’s best selling hybrid car. What
has surprised car analysts is that Prius has become the third most popular vehicle
in U.S. Top selling car is Toyota Corolla and the next is Ford Focus. What
makes Prius unique is that it is a hybrid car. See this video from Bloomberg.
Creating a Wish list to decide on what products needs to be sold in the market an important feature for the retail

A buyer and a planner in a retail organization need to work very closely to avoid inventory pile up and waste

Buyer in a retail industry helps in defining styles. They also work on color ranges and other attributes like green and sustainable products

Bill Gates will meet Akhilesh Yadav who is the Chief Minister in the state of Uttar Pradesh to discuss various issues like healthcare, immunization, would be mother care and nutrition

Various parameters are considered for assortment planning like store attributes, product attributes, store or POS history, demographics data

Retailers and brands like Victoria’s Secret , Walmart etc. are trying to garner as much support on various social media platforms like facebook, twitter, Google + etc.
Most of the major retailers
and brands are trying to garner as much support on various social media
platforms. The most popular one are Victoria’s Secret followed by Walmart.
Campalyst has also compiled an infographic which gives more information on
this.

Infographic by Campalyst
Monday, May 28, 2012
Seasonal profiling for products at an item store level would be important to determine the selling patterns
Seasonal profiling for products at an item store level would
be important to determine the selling patterns. The systems should also help to
plan for sales, inventory and product movements. The software helps the company
to do a reconciliation of top-down matching with the financial goals.
Retails Stores struggle to decide what kind of sizes they need to store. The need to stock right kind of sizes is important.
Retails Stores struggle to decide what kind of sizes they
need to store. The need to stock right kind of sizes is important. There are
softwares which allow organizations to work on the problem. This will also help
the organization to avoid situations of busted sizes , overstocks, transfer and
markdowns. The stores will receive products of right sizes which sell in the
market.
Farmers in developing countries like India use are slowly beginning to use Social networking to exchange information among each other using platforms like Reuters Market Light, and Iffco Kisan Sanchar

Boom of the shale gas exploration in various parts of the world like the North America has helps the farmes of cluster beans in countries like India
The boom of the shale gas exploration in various parts of
the world like the North America has helps the farmers of cluster beans in
countries like India. The gum which is extracted from the cluster beans is used
for the hydraulic fracking or fracturing. The Indian farmers primarily from Rajasthan grow 80% of the
world’s cluster bean. They are making good money out of it.
Whispering-Winds, Inc.: manufacturing a line of small rugged wind generators & are looking for a few established “Alternative Energy” companies that are interested in becoming "regional stocking distributors"
Whispering-Winds, Inc: We are manufacturing a line of small
rugged wind generators & are looking for a few established “Alternative
Energy” companies that are interested in becoming "regional stocking
distributors".
As a distributer you would have; an
Exclusive Protected Territory, Distributer Pricing & Receive all sales leads
generated in your territory.
We manufacture three models of wind
generators; 500 watt, 1,000 watt & 2,000 watt.
If you would like more information
about becoming a distributer, please let us know and how we can contact you to
discuss your interest in person or by phone.
Judy Dong, Marketing Manager, Whispering-Winds,
Inc., judy@whispering-winds.co
The Paiter Surui, a Brazilian tribe in the Amazon who last month received approval for the first-ever indigenous-led REDD project
A developing situation you might want to follow : Email sent by Kelli Barrett, Ecosystem Marketplace
It involves the Paiter Surui, a Brazilian tribe in the Amazon
who last month received approval for the first-ever indigenous-led REDD
project. The Surui Forest Carbon Project is designed to generate carbon credits
by saving endangered rainforest from loggers, and while most of the world
welcomed the event, illegal loggers see it as a threat to cheap supplies of
timber. They have deluged the tribe with death threats on the one hand and
offerings of bribes and even weapons on the other.
Last week, tensions escalated when tribal leaders confronted
loggers, and credible death threats were issued against key members of the
tribe. The tribe then took the unusual step of asking the Brazilian federal
police to intervene.
We have received conflicting and unconfirmed reports of what,
exactly, is happening, and have chosen to withhold details until we know for
sure what is going on. But we have also posted this brief story that tells you
what little we do know already, and will post more details as they become
available:
This is, obviously, a developing story – and one we hope will
be resolved quickly and peacefully. We will be providing updates as we receive
them, and encourage you to check our site for the latest developments.
Hazardous material spills are a frequent occurrence in any EH&S professional realm of responsibility, regardless of the size of your corporation: Enviance
Hazardous material spills are a frequent
occurrence in any EH&S professional realm of responsibility, regardless of
the size of your corporation. With state regulations enforcing the reporting of
spills with significant fines, it is imperative that organizations streamline
their processes for recording and reporting spills.
By leveraging workflow capabilities in your
Environmental Management Information System (EMIS), you can easily develop an
effective process flow that ensures accountability and meets inspection
requirements.
Take a look at how a utility company with a
large number of spills has overcome spill management recording and reporting
obstacles to achieve zero fines to-date.
You will learn more about:
• Designing an effective spill incident
workflow process and recording system
• Automating a spill management
process with EMIS capabilities
• Improving the decision making process with
a spill incident management system
Don't let spills and their reporting
requirements be a common source of frustration in your organization. Learn new
ways to streamline and automate your spill management process, reducing
headaches and fines.
Please forward this to others who may
be interested.
This email was sent to: sustain2green@sustain2green.
|
How Desso aims to spread the cradle-to-cradle philosophy worldwide

Desso is a committed early adopter
of Cradle to Cradle, and we would be delighted to provide you with material:
either an exclusive (non-promotional) article on the issues, or to put up a
senior executive for interview.
How Desso aims to spread the cradle-to-cradle philosophy worldwide
- The chief executive of the Dutch carpet company puts the circular economy at the heart of achieving a sustainable future
Enter the whirlwind that is Stef Kranendijk. If anyone can make yarn types and non-synthetic binding sound interesting, it's the chief executive of Desso, a Dutch carpet maker. He travels the world talking to packed audiences about his company's manufacturing processes.
Kranendijk's appeal lies in his evangelical passion for 'cradle-to -cradle'. "The idea [of cradle-to-cradle] is to use such pure materials that you can endlessly recycle in a safe way," he enthuses.
It's the ultimate in closed-loop thinking. The brainchild of US architect William McDonough and German chemist Michael Braungart, cradle-to-cradle is framed around designing products with natural components that can be continuously recovered and reused.
A good example is Ford's Model U concept car. Made from environmentally benign materials, it boasts everything from soya-based polyurethane foam seats to a car roof made from a corn-based biopolymer. Post-use, the car can be disassembled and either returned to the earth or rebuilt.
As a model for production, "circular" is the way Kranendijk likes to describe it. He sees it fitting into a big picture: "You go from a linear economy system where you produce waste for landfill or incineration, to one in which you make your products from materials that you can endlessly recycle."
The environmental benefits are self-evident. Less raw material use means less use of the planet's dwindling resources. Cradle-to-cradle also prioritises natural fibres and chemicals over petroleum-based equivalents. That's a tick in both the climate change and toxicity boxes.
Cradle-to-cradle's financial profile is none too shabby either. The Ellen MacArther Foundation recently commissioned McKinsey to run the numbers.
The results of the study were, in Kranendijk's own words, "flabbergasting". The report showed that if cradle-to-cradle took off, then the net material cost savings for European manufacturers could amount to as much as $630bn per year by 2025. And that's only the "sweet spot" sectors that represent less than half of GDP from EU manufacturing industries.
Future-gazing is all well and good, but what about the here and now? Desso's own recent story provides solid evidence that cradle-to-cradle is more than just a fanciful eco-imaginary.
Since 2007, when an asset management firm that Kranendijk co-owned bought the carpet manufacturer, Desso has shifted all its research and design on to a closed-loop footing. In four years, the carpet manufacturer has managed to cut its carbon emissions by 43%. Over the same period, the European market share of its carpet tile business has jumped by 8% to 23%.
The real proof came last year, when Kranendijk and his investment colleagues got a lucrative offer from a Dutch investment firm. Desso's green credentials had caught the investor's attention, says Kranendijk. But it was the numbers that sealed the deal. Under the Dutchman's watch, Desso's profitability had increased from 1% to 9.5%.
"We try to prove that putting sustainability in the heart of your strategy will actually deliver better results," he states.
Of course, sustainability alone doesn't swing it in the marketplace. Products need to be functional, high-quality, and price-competitive, too.
"Thirty years ago, when products were environmentally friendly, you could almost see that they were because they were so ugly. So the challenge is to combine cradle-to-cradle products with stunning design."
For that reason, Desso structures its corporate strategy not just around cradle-to-cradle, but creativity and functionality, too. The three are not mutually exclusive, Kranendijk insists. Far from it, in fact. "You can't have one without the other", as he puts it.
He cites the example of a carpet design called AirMaster. Developed by Desso's in-house design team, the patented technology is eight times more effective in capturing and retaining fine dust than conventional hard flooring.
"This is a straightforward innovation that we would never had thought of if we hadn't gone cradle-to-cradle as a company."
Refinity provides a similar illustrative case of how a cradle-to-cradle approach can unleash eco-innovation. This new separation technique enables Desso to separate the yarn and other fibres from the carpet backing, thereby producing two main material streams that can then be recycled.
Around three-fifths of Desso's carpet tiles are now made from fully recycled yarn. Kranendijk wants all the company's products to be 100% recyclable or biodegradable by 2020.
The company is making good progress on its carpet tile range, but there is still work to do in its woollen carpet and artificial grass businesses. Making wool totally biodegradable, for example, presents a technological challenge.
Desso can count some early wins. For example, it has developed a natural latex to replace the unsustainable stuff on which its wool carpets and synthetic grass used to be stuck. The company is also mixing its wool with yarn made from bamboo and wood because of their natural anti-bacterial properties, thus allowing Desso to do away with adding nasty germ-killing chemicals.
Cradle-to-cradle has yet to catch on big time, but it is gaining ground. Joining Kranendijk in trumpeting the concept is Ian Cheshire, CEO of Kingfisher. Furniture maker SteelCage, shipping firm Maersk, Dutch life sciences company DSM and the chemicals giant Dow Chemical are some of the other notable converts to the cause.
As far as getting the idea into the mainstream, governments could certainly do their bit to help. Kranendijk confesses that "one day" he'd like to see an EU directive on the theme.
Yet he's wary about legislation too early. He may be the cradle-to-cradle club's most vocal advocate, but he's not naïve. He knows that "some multinationals" will cry foul, arguing that the idea threatens their competitiveness with the rest of the world.
The cradle-to-cradle philosophy is slowly generating interest in policy circles all the same. Joke Schauvliege, the Flemish environment minister, did much to integrate the idea into EU's Environment Council policy during Belgium's EU Presidency back in 2010. Just a month beforehand, she'd toured one of Desso's factories.
Kranendijk was ready with some advice for her. "If I were you, I'd make sure that you put cradle-to-cradle as the stamp on your policy", he recalls telling her. "And that's exactly what happened."
As persuasive as Kranendijk undoubtedly is, the cradle-to-cradle concept is not without its doubters. Some experts have queried how practicable and scaleable it is across all production chains, for instance. Technical issues also surround some of the finer points of the for-profit certification process established by McDonough and Braungart.
There is no deterring the Desso chief executive though. His mind is made up. If we want a sustainable future, then cradle-to-cradle is the way to go: "My conviction is that those companies that integrate this into the centre of their strategies will be the winners. Those that don't will be stuck in the middle or lose." And who said carpet making wasn't riveting?
Stef Kranendijk will be a panelist at Sustainability 24 on Wednesday 23 May. Click here to register for Sustainability 24, a 12 hour live broadcast brought to you by Accenture and Guardian Sustainable Business that will help set the agenda for sustainable business
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Emailed to Sustain2Green by: Charlie Laidlaw
Don't Hate on 8 : Microsoft Windows' Game Changing Plan
Don't Hate on 8 : Microsoft Windows' Game Changing Plan
SpaceX has successfully launched the dragon capsule to be sent to the International Space station. The docking of the capsule with the International Space station was successful. SpaceX is founded by Elon Musk.

Saturday, May 26, 2012
In the retail industry the consumer insights are key for deciding what product goes into what stores. A good allocation system can do various what if analysis and decide on the right strategies

Friday, May 25, 2012
Buying and assortment management help the retail firms to sell what the local market need. They try to create an assortment of products which are required by the local population.
The buying and assortment management help the retail firms
to sell what the local market need. They try to create an assortment of
products which are required by the local population. The pre-season analysis
consists of sales profiling, promotions and price planning and intelligence. The
process also helps to improve and supply chain productivity and work on point
of sale productivity.
Enterprise Planning systems optimize the planning process for retail organizations. The planning for items can be done on attribute hierarchies.

Thursday, May 24, 2012
Protecting our Atmosphere for Generations to Come
Protecting our Atmosphere for Generations to Come
“… The year 2012 marks the 25th anniversary of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The theme for this year’s celebration “Protecting our Atmosphere for Generations to Come” emphasizes the extraordinary collaboration and environmental benefits achieved by the world’s governments through the operation of the Montreal Protocol.
The phase-out of controlled uses of ozone depleting substances and the related reductions have not only helped protect the ozone layer for this and future generations, but have also contributed significantly to global efforts to address climate change; furthermore, it has protected human health and ecosystems by limiting the harmful ultraviolet radiation from reaching the earth…”
Quote from the letter of Mr. Marco Gonzalez, Executive Secretary, Ozone Secretariat, on the subject of the preparations for the upcoming International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, 16 September 2012. Click here to read more > http://bit.ly/xFoDMs
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