… all the more likely by the ravages of climate change) or a sudden decline in the commodity price of coffee can drop them below subsistence to hunger. Even in good times, growers have little incentive to improve their operation – they have minor contact with the roasters or customers and no knowledge of how their crops get translated into the … circle” that draws the grower, the roaster, the barista and customer together. Growers with better knowledge of the market will work to improve their crops or experiment with new …
… At the end of 2010, Jifan Gao, Trina Solar’s founder and chairman, wondered how his company could expand its presence in the United States market. In the previous five years, Trina, a company with manufacturing and headquarters in Changzhou, China, had managed to grow rapidly by … passing from a seller’s to a buyer’s market. At the same time, the oversupply was pushing prices down further so that “grid parity” – the point at which solar power could compete …
… campaign took off in 2010, when the organization targeted a GAR customer, Nestlé, with a report and a provocative video that went viral on social media sites. Nestlé quickly bowed to the demands of Greenpeace and dropped GAR as a … a GAR customer, Nestlé, with a report and a provocative video that went viral on social media sites. Nestlé quickly bowed to the demands of Greenpeace and dropped GAR as a …
… it manufactured components, including filters, turbochargers, and aftertreatment, used with its own engines and with the systems of other manufacturers. The components and engines were all designed to … dollars, many other manufacturers had bowed out of the diesel market, leaving Cummins with a major market opportunity. Given its heavy R&D expense, Cummins had to find ways to …
… The road to SELCO’s success, however, has not always been smooth. Hande cofounded SELCO (with Neville Williams) in 1995 to sell and service photovoltaic (PV) systems in his home … from its mission to help the poor. As the company was recovering from this move, the price of solar panels spiked and sales declined. Investors put pressure on Hande to lay off employees and contract the organization. With the help of the World Bank’s commercial finance arm, the International Finance …
… in 2003 by a group of students who wished to see the dining halls serve more organic food. With support from the university, they started a pilot project to introduce local, seasonal … the menu of one of Yale's undergraduate residential colleges. The experiment was a success with both students and dining hall staff, and helped inspire the Yale Dining Hall to move … sources (though the vast majority of the food comes from sources other than the Yale Farm). Within a few years the founding group had expanded beyond the dining hall menu issue and had …
… oil, it is in our cookies, our shampoos, and is used as a biofuel. As a versatile plant with efficient, high yields, oil palm, and the oil derived from it has become a … plantations. This land use change plays a major role in driving global climate change , with deforestation accounting for 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Much of the deforestation related to palm oil has occurred with companies and individuals setting fire to the landscape. In 2015, fires raged for …
… in the U.S., would use aluminum1 rather than sheet steel in the truck bed and cab. Starting with the 2015 model year, the F-150 would be the first mass-market vehicle to be built with major body construction from aluminum. Alcoa spent $300 million expanding its Iowa … Aluminum was already more expensive than steel, and increased demand could drive aluminum prices even higher. Furthermore, automakers had long relationships with steel makers and for …
… 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 … reversed. Leading figures in the government of Indonesia were calling upon the companies to withdraw their pledge. And the 2015 fire season was the worst in nearly two decades, as … percent of Indonesia’s palm oil was grown by an estimated 3.5 million smallholder farmers. With government support, Indonesia had established infrastructure to mill, refine, and …
… enacted a series of laws promoting the use of alternative fuels in gasoline, beginning with ethanol from sugarcane. This meant that the national oil company PEMEX had to find ways … as 8% of the vehicle fuel blend at the pump, the maximum amount that could be incorporated without requiring changes to vehicle internal combustion engines and station pumps. Brazil … the fuel, up to 5.6% by volume. PEMEX had to adhere to two basic constraints in setting the price: by law, PEMEX could not subsidize the purchase price of ethanol, and there could be …