Month: May 2018

Article 8: Second Life for Tires

gillj7 Circular Economy, Manufacturing , , ,

Article 8: How Michelin is finding a second life for tires

 

I did not think the tire industry was big on recycling but they are. Although it has less to do with them being environmentally conscious and more with the high cost of buying rubber. A lot of the castoffs end up being burned yet it’s still better than being dumped in a landfill. Every year in the U.S. more than 300 million tires are disposed of. Last year, French tire company Michelin bought Lehigh Technologies, whose specialty is turning the end-of-life tires into micronized rubber powder (MRP), which has many functions such as serving as feedstock for the higher performance tires sold by Michelin.

“…Lehigh’s technologies will become increasingly integral to Michelin’s shift toward a closed-loop production cycle that uses fewer raw or virgin inputs, according to the company’s top executive.”

According to the article, 42 million pounds of tires were repurposed into welcome mats last year. With Michelin behind them, Lehigh is interested in exploring non-traditional markets such as plastics, consumer goods, coatings, sealants, construction materials and even car parts. They are looking to expand use of MRP for things like a car headrest, and carpet and flooring. Times is so far the biggest gating factor.

 

Source: GreenBiz

Author: Heather Clancy

https://www.greenbiz.com/article/how-michelin-finding-second-life-tires

 

 

 

Article 7: Water Scarcity

gillj7 Water Use ,

Article 7: Damming evidence: Communities turn to reusing wastewater as scarcity threatens  

One of the biggest problems we face today is water scarcity. Unfortunately, people don’t act until they are punched in the face with the fact there is little to no clean water. Such was the case with Orange County as water scarcity finally pushed them to make huge leaps in environmental innovation. The article outlined many solutions to the problem including, from cheapest to most expensive, smart-meter leak detection, desalination of brackish water (usually in aquifers), wastewater recycling, stormwater capture, reservoirs, and ocean desalination. There are a lot of overdrawn aquifers just sitting waiting to be filled with wastewater to be cleansed and made useable again.

According to the article, many countries such as Canada, Israel, Australia, and New Zealand have rechargeable well fields. Essentially, they recharge aquifers by pumping or draining water into them. Despite dams being the second most expensive option, communities refuse to switch to more long-term options not because of monetary reasons but because of politics. There is also a so-called “yuck factor” involved. People don’t like the idea of using wastewater that had been purified.

We give value to something based on how much we pay for it. Water is perhaps the most valuable source on Earth but if we look at how much it costs, the price does not reflect that value. As I read in an EPA article about water services, there is a perception that water is worth little because we pay little to no money. There are plenty of easy and cheap—or cheaper compared to traditional options out there. But people are stubborn and set in their ways and they don’t act until the issue becomes critical. Thankfully, as more evidence compiles in proving climate change is real, legislations are finally cracking down on those who contribute to the problem. I hope this issue gains some much-needed traction in this period from that.

 

Source: GreenBiz

Author: Jacques Leslie

https://www.greenbiz.com/article/damming-evidence-communities-turn-reusing-wastewater-scarcity-threatens

 

 

 

 

Article 6: Apple, Alcoa, Rio Tinto

gillj7 Manufacturing , , ,

Article 6: Why Apple is getting cozy with aluminum giants Alcoa and Rio Tinto

I am a big lover of Apple. All the electronic products I own are Apple: iPhone, iPod, iPad, MacBook Air. So I was quite happy to read this article. Three years ago, Apple engineers brought together the two largest aluminum smelters in the world, Alcoa and Rio Tinto, as they were looking for way to reduce their carbon footprint. Thus, Elysis was born, a joint venture between Alcoa, Rio Tinto, and Apple to come up with a smelting process that would not only eliminate carbon but produce oxygen. It will not only decrease something negative but create something positive, which is a huge leap forward.

In their 2018 environmental progress report, Apple stated that 24% of their greenhouse gas emissions come from aluminum manufacturing. Meaning they can eliminate a quarter of their GHG emissions, which is the equivalent of removing 1.8 million cars from the road.

I checked AAPL’s stock for the 11thwhen this article came out and it was about 190 per share. It’s dipped to around 187 in the past few days. Though I believe the drop is related to the class action lawsuit against Apple over the butterfly keyboards of their MacBook’s.

 

Source: GreenBiz

Author: Heather Clancy

https://www.greenbiz.com/article/why-apple-getting-cozy-aluminum-giants-alcoa-and-rio-tinto

 

 

 

 

Article 5: Food Waste and New Consumer Products

gillj7 Agriculture

Article 5: These startups are turning surplus food into new consumer products

We live in a country where perfectly good food is wasted because of cosmetics—it doesn’t pass the beauty test. People have been trained to think if food is ugly it bad. And it has led to countless to a lot of waste as vegetables that look hideous are tossed out and never make it to the stores. I thought we should follow Europe’s example and start selling the “Ugly” vegetables for less. Then I ran across this article and I was intrigued by these individuals who came up with ideas on getting more products and food that’s already been consumed and considered as waste. Some of the companies include:

  • Drexel University Food Lab – America loves avocadoes. And graduates Sheetal Bahirat and Christa Kwaw-Yankson came up with a fruity tasting pink tea made from avocado pits.
  • Lazy Bear Tea – Daniela Uribe founded it with Erik Ornitz and Drew Fink. Lazy Bear Tea sells a drink made from dried cascara and “when steeped in hot water tastes not like coffee but like a smooth black tea” and is sold in more than 30 Boston stores.
  • ReGrained – A certified B Corporation in San Francisco that takes used grains from mid-sized breweries to create snack bars. This provides the breweries with another source of revenue and they can tell their customers about their sustainable cause. It was founded in 2013 by Daniel Kurzrock and Jordon Schwartz.

Two of the biggest issues with the idea of turning the surplus food into a new product are the fears associated with health risks as well as the fact you don’t want to add more ingredients to save one. One way ReGrained has tackled the issue of the fear of being liable for food safety is by partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The job of the USDA was to assure consumers “that ReGrained’s process was operating safely and efficiently.”

 

Source: GreenBiz

Author: Danielle Beurteaux

https://www.greenbiz.com/article/these-startups-are-turning-surplus-food-new-consumer-products

 

 

 

Article 4: Internal Collaboration and Sustainability

gillj7 Leadership ,

Article 4: 4 ways to increase internal collaboration and advance sustainability objectives

It is becoming common place for companies to have sustainability teams. There are many articles and videos highlighting the importance of teamwork and strategies for specific departments of a company. The article had key success factors that were good advice for teamwork in general in the workplace but also suggestions for sustainable teams primarily. Here are the four factors:

Focus on internal engagement using a materiality principle

Try to understand your co-workers’ priorities in other functions and focusing on synergies. Then you can use a materiality assessment to identity the key priorities and create a program “focused on departments with the most potential influence, collaboration potential, and relevant expertise.”

Educate your colleagues about sustainability; but don’t forget to learn from them, too

Don’t treat education as a one-way street. Sustainability teams often think they must raise awareness on issues such as climate change but miss the chance to learn something in return. It is important to understand their goals if you wish to work well together.

Recognize that government that matters, a lot

You cannot fit the issues organizations are facing into one department as they often cross over. This can cause accountability to diffuse which is why it a solid governance structure must be in place. You must care that they “provide clarity over who is responsible for what.”

Understand your corporate culture

To build a company with strong values and a purpose, it is essential to understand the corporate culture to make an effective agent of change.

 

Source: GreenBiz

Article: 4 ways to increase internal collaboration and advance sustainability objectives

Author: Allison Taylor and Elizabeth Best

https://www.greenbiz.com/article/4-ways-increase-internal-collaboration-and-advance-sustainability-objectives