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Copyright(c)2007 Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All editorial content and graphics on this Web site may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the copyright owner. |
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Nikkei Ecology |
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February 2008Cover Story - Part 1 Supply chain of growing “conscience” First year of “environmental value” distribution era Environmental value Connecting people who take action and people who invest through quantifying “conscience” Emission right Manufacturing products that appeal to consumers’ conscience, such as carbon offset New Year’s cards and eco shopping bags Green certificate JTB and Sony provide consumers with items that make it easier to use natural energy Eco-point DENSO introduces an eco-point system for its employees, aiming at changing their behavior through the joy of collecting points Eco-money The number of customers drastically increases at Ichiban Hanten, thanks to Atom currency - a community currency that reinvigorates local communities and environmental activities Certification system As the ecological conservation value is divorced from products, Saraya works to obtain certification for its products through the RSPO Certification System for Sustainable Palm Oil Cover Story - Part 2 With the beginning of the first commitment period, efforts to achieve reduction targets set in the Learn about Technologies First Step in Technology [Natural refrigerant] As regulations on refrigerant tighten due to worsening global warming, CFC is being replaced with natural refrigerant such as CO2 Natural Energy [Desalination of seawater via temperature differential] Facilities that use exhaust heat from plants to desalinize seawater are becoming a reality, with the final goal of desalination using seawater temperature differential 3R [PC with reused parts] Used LCDs are reused to produce low-cost single-board PCs Learn about Environmental Laws Re-introduction: Easy-to-Understand Environmental Law [Act on the Promotion of Effective Utilization of Resources] 3R activities are promoted, targeting 69 items in 10 industries Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law Q & A Observe three basic principles when issuing a manifest – manifests are often handled wrongly This Month’s Environmental Law The law that requires environmental consideration when concluding contracts takes effect, and the Top Runner Standard is revised Easy-to-Understand REACH – Part 4 Matters that chemical and material manufacturers as well as trading firms need to bear in mind Trend and News Environmental Policy for 2008 Environmental Policy Tax relief of two yen per one litter is not likely to push down the retail price of biofuel Measures against Global Warming NGOs play an important backstage role at COP 13 held in Measures against Global Warming In the post-Kyoto era, farmland may become a carbon sink by the proper management of rice straws and other measures, reducing 7.7 million tons of CO2 Biodiversity Corporations urgently form collaboration networks in an effort to achieve the 2010 target CSR Education First CSR examination to be held in Measures against Global Warming Outline of domestic CDM system finalized, enabling companies to use acquired emission rights in the calculation of greenhouse gas emission Measures against Global Warming UNIQLO cuts CO2 emissions generated from its plastic shopping bags by 60% with the use of new technology, which is spreading as an effective way of reducing environmental impact Asbestos The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications advises the five ministries and agencies concerned to improve their asbestos measures, which have been lax to date CSR Frontline Developing nations are concerned about the delay of the issuance of ISO 26000, while a challenge to reach consensus through multi-party dialogue continues Thoroughly implement CSR procurement to protect corporate brands because “I didn’t know” is no excuse Learn about Environmental Issues Truth and False of Environmental Science [Rooftop greening] Is rooftop greening effective in mitigating heat island effects? Junko Edahiro’s Eye-opening Facts on Environmental Terms in English [global compact] Threats Waiting around the Corner Global warming blocks God’s path – “Omiwatari,” a phenomena caused by expansion and contraction of ice in Suwa Column Yoshiyuki Tomino, anime director Analysts Teach How to Evaluate Green Stocks (new series) Sharp’s solar cells may become one-trillion-yen business in the next ten years/Emission right price for this month Front Runner (new series) Hiroyuki Sato, Executive Director and Secretary General, Green Purchasing Network Contemplating with Environmental Thought - Part 8 “Art market,” a utopia Cuisines of People in the Tohoku Region who used to eat rice cakes once every five days THE ROOTS - [Fuel-efficient tires] The innovation made once in 20 years breaks a sense of stagnation in the company Report Recycling Business Entrepreneurs in Local Communities (new series) [Takeei] Toward an integrated company of used construction material recycling Inside-Out [Is dioxin an issue of the past? – Part 4] Defoliant residue abandoned without being noticed WorldWatch Institute Switch to a farming method in harmony with nature to stop soil erosion in farmlands From Business Week Surprising candidate for a raw material for biofuel ECO Seminar Challenges to ISO (new series) [KES – Part 1] Revitalize environmental activities with the use of eco-efficiency index New Environmental Study [Sustainable coffee farming] As a part of an effort to conserve biodiversity by coffee farming, CI and Starbucks work together to create the “Conservation Coffee Best Practices” Key Word U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change/Ice thermal storage World Trend From The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works passes a bill on anti-global-warming measures, which aims at a 19% reduction from 2005 levels by 2020 From EU Hardly hit by a surge in grain prices, biogas business suffers stagnant growth From 80% of companies surveyed call for tightened emission regulations, while 10% do not intend to take anti-global-warming measures From Standby power consumption of consumer electronics, which cannot be ignored, is estimated to account for 20% of all household power consumption in 2010 From Tax reform utilizing market mechanism aims at both CO2 reduction and expanded employment From The Energy Conservation Law is revised, encouraging energy conservation businesses through tax incentives |
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