… In 2014, the four largest palm oil trading companies signed an agreement to end deforestation, development of peat lands and exploitation of locals not only with their own operations, but also from all of their suppliers. For environmental NGOs, the Indonesian Palm Oil Pledge (as the agreement was named) represented a dramatic advance in their decades-long efforts to protect the Indonesian rainforest from further destruction. One year later the situation appeared to have …
… that this tropical product has taken off in the international market. An invisible component of many products, palm oil can be found in cookies, in chocolates, in soaps, in … most heavily traded edible oil in the world. Golden Agri Resources (GAR) has been in the forefront of this palm oil boom in Indonesia. Founded in 1996 by the influential Widjaja family (operators of the Sinar Mas …
… NY Green Bank (NYGB), New York State’s $1-billion clean-energy fund, and a young new efficiency company named Sealed signed a $5-million loan-financing agreement as a way to broaden the market for home energy-efficiency upgrades. In New York State, those upgrades face two key barriers … cost per project can be too low for significant resources to be dedicated to vetting each one. Plus, the methods of energy-efficiency upgrades have not been systematized enough for …
… financial backing, buy and erect the turbines, and begin generating electricity by 2010. For Walmart de México, becoming the wind farm’s off-taker accomplished a number of important … 18% of the electricity Walmart de México consumed in Mexico in 2010. The wind farm was just one part of the efforts Walmart de México was undertaking in the sustainability area. The … meet ambitious goals, looking to reduce waste in its and its suppliers' operations. In the energy area, the company was hoping to receive 50% of its energy from renewable sources by …
… Harish Hande and the company he founded, SELCO, provide solar electricity for lighting and power to India's poor. For the work of his company, Hande has received numerous recognitions; he is frequently cited as one of the top social entrepreneurs in India and an example for the entire developing world. … the solar equipment and sometimes this meant restructuring activities so that solar energy could power a client’s needs. From his field research, Hande realized early in …
… Infrastructure Bank (RIIB), a quasi-public state entity, sought to bring much-needed clean-energy finance into the state market. This case study describes how this bank set up the … Public Energy Partnership (RIPEP) was temporarily accelerating utility energy-efficiency efforts. The new state leadership created the RIIB. It was built by renaming and restructuring … a number of financial-assistance programs for environmental projects in the state. One of these programs is the EBF, a financing program designed to accelerate …
… In early 2014 Alcoa announced that Ford's F-150 pick-up trucks, the best-selling vehicles in the U.S., would use … with steel makers and for over a century had geared their production to steel components. In addition, aluminum faced competitive threats from other materials. Steel makers … were also increasing their lightweight alternatives for specific automotive components. Given these uncertainties, planners at Alcoa and other aluminum manufacturers faced …
… Like many countries, Australia has a large existing building stock that is responsible for a substantial percentage of its greenhouse-gas emissions. Given that it will take … of greenhouse gases that these buildings emit and reduce their operating costs. While these energy-efficiency upgrades are often cash-flow-positive with the right loans, they have failed to …
… finally produce a workable, global scheme to reduce greenhouse gasses in the environment. Unfortunately, the conference produced little concrete action and most agreed that the final … the growth of the overall market. The Kyoto Protocol was set to expire in 2012 and no one knew what system would replace the current framework. Firms such as the CCC had … as the cornerstone of its long-term business strategy, but the firm was also investing in energy-conscious real estate and private equity to continue its goal of "creating wealth …
… Ash award in policy innovation, the "Nobel of policy," upon the Connecticut Green Bank for its role in "sparking the green bank movement." The Green Bank used financial structuring to attract private capital to clean energy projects in Connecticut. Using transaction enablers and risk mitigants like loan … industry in offering standardized products for consumers, and derisked larger stand-alone transactions. But back in Connecticut, trouble was brewing. A contingent of leaders …