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November 20, 2020
Council of the International Green Purchasing Network (IGPN) voted to accept the application of TCO Development for Advisory Broad Member.
The TCO Development drives the development of IT products towards sustainability, provide deep and profound experience of sustainable procurement both in government and individual consumers globally. As a new member of IGPN advisory broad, TCO Development expect to bring its expertise and provide advice which support in a collaborative way to IGPN future development.
IGPN chair CHEN Yanping, welcomed the engagement of TCO Development, “Both two organizations have mission to achieve sustainable consumption and production transition. The participation of TCO Development could put vibrant energy to IGPN through its long-term strategies on environmentally friendly products/service and green purchasing. To become an IGPN member reinforces TCO Development commitment to green purchasing”.
The IGPN now has a network working across different countries and areas promotes green purchasing around the world, through its members who take the initiative in implementing green purchasing towards sustainable consumption and production.
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November 19, 2020
Go green! Save Mother Earth! These are some of the phrases we have heard over the years as Malaysians become more environmentally conscious and, as a result, buy more eco-friendly products.
The transition to a green circular economy is taken seriously by both the people and the government. Malaysia needs an economy that is able to grow and benefit its people without increasing the negative impact on the environment and putting pressure on natural resources. The Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) blueprint is emphasised in the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) as one of the focus areas that will help the country achieve green growth and transition towards a more inclusive development trajectory.
The SCP blueprint is implemented through the Government Green Procurement (GGP) project. The 2½-year project focuses on the role of the government as a key catalyst in creating a green market for products and services.
GGP refers to the acquisition of products, services and work in the public sector that takes into account environmental criteria and standards for protecting the environment and natural resources and minimising or mitigating the negative effects of human activities. The 11MP has stated the target for 20% of selected groups of products and services in government procurement to be green procurement by 2020.
The government's long-term action plan is to have 100% procurement of selected product groups by 2030. With the federal, state and local governments involved in GGP, there will be an increase in demand for green products and services and this will spur industries to meet green requirements.
Notably, the SCP blueprint is also in line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 12 (UN SDG 12): Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
Launched in 2013, the GGP initiative in Malaysia started with five ministries involved in a pilot programme. From only six product categories initially, 40 product and service categories have now been identified and selected in the implementation of GGP.
Manufacturers and providers of other green products and services that are not on the list are encouraged to participate as long as they meet the green criteria.
A product or service that meets local and international environmental standards will be given the MyHIJAU mark. MyHIJAU is Malaysia's official green recognition scheme endorsed by the Ministry of Environment and Water.
Another commitment from the government is the Green Technology Master Plan, which aims to facilitate the National Transformation (Transformasi Nasional 2050 or TN50), an initiative to position Malaysia among the top countries in the world in economic development, citizen well-being and innovation by 2050.
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November 17, 2020
December 3rd,2020– the webinar of “Ecolabelling in B2B – the Greening of Public Procurement”. An in-depth look at international green procurement and how ecolabels are integrated into the implementation of sustainable purchasing programs. Experts will illustrate how ecolabels promote GPP, attendees will learn how purchaser collaboratives and forums are strengthening the demand for ecolabelled products and services.
The webinar will be hosted by Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN), supported by International Green Purchasing Network (IGPN) and China Environmental United Certification Center (CEC), which is one of important webinars along with GEN 2020 AGM activities.
Register at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hQBtLzYQQH-Es5LT6PCtlQ
See in details:
https://www.globalecolabelling.net/assets/Documents/Ecolabels-in-B2B-Webinar-2.pdf
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November 11, 2020
[The Guardian, 13 October 2020] Former Bank of England governor Mark Carney has said banks should link executive pay to climate risk management, as part of efforts to align the finance industry with Paris climate goals.
Speaking at the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative roundtable on Tuesday, the former central bank boss said lenders should – at the very least – be transparent over whether or not pay is being tied to climate targets.
He said banks must “have some interim objectives and targets that are disclosed. Ideally a governance process that’s clear in terms of … specific board-level governance and responsibility around managing climate risks and opportunities. Ideally, [there should be] some compensation link to that as well, or at least disclosure about whether it is there or not.”
While a number of major banks have announced net-zero climate pledges in recent months, few have made explicit commitments about how executive remuneration might play a part in keeping lenders accountable.
HSBC and Wall Street giant JP Morgan both revealed climate pledges last week. HSBC committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, linked to the loans and services it provides to clients. It came days after JP Morgan made similar pledges, saying it would push clients towards aligning with the Paris agreement, which is meant to limit temperature rises to 1.5C and avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis.
Barclays announced plans to shrink its carbon footprint to net zero by 2050 earlier this year and Lloyds committed to halving the amount of carbon emissions it finances through personal and business loans by 2030.
Neither HSBC nor Lloyds were immediately able to confirm whether executive pay was linked to their climate targets when contacted by the Guardian on Tuesday.
JP Morgan said the bank would be announcing its methodology in the spring, and that it has not ruled out linking pay to climate pledges.
NatWest Group confirmed that decisions on pay for its top executives – including chief executive Alison Rose – do take climate targets into consideration. The bank has pledged to fully phase out coal financing by 2030 and is aiming to “at least halve” the climate impact of its lending activity by the end of the decade.
Barclays’ annual report shows that reducing global carbon emission is one of 16 criteria that helps determine around 20% of executive bonus pay.
However, Johan Frijns, director of BankTrack – an organisation that monitors the financial sector – said executive pay was just one way that bankers should be encouraged to avoid a climate catastrophe. “It would be a severe mistake to try to steer bank decision-making on reducing their climate impact solely through getting the right financial incentives or disincentives in place for individual bankers.
“If internal motivation to stop financing climate destruction were that shallow we wouldn’t stand a chance. That said, tying executive pay to, say, delivering a credible phase-out plan from the fossil fuel industry, or achieving a steep decline in financed emissions, may well knock a few heads together,” Frijns said.
Carney is himself a former Goldman Sachs banker, having worked at the Wall Street firm for 13 years before moving into central banking, first as deputy and then governor of the Bank of Canada, before taking the top job at the Bank of England in 2013. He left in March just before the Covid-19 crisis hit the UK.
Carney was one of the world’s best-paid central bankers with remuneration of £882,885 including pension benefits and a housing allowance from the Bank of England during the last financial year.
He recently joined Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management as vice-chair and global head of environmental, social and corporate governance and impact investing.
Learn more at Guardian News Center
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November 5, 2020
[The Independent, 14 October 2020]Some of the world’s biggest plastic producers, including Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, are joining a drive for a new international treaty to tackle plastic pollution in the sea.
The push comes as a report highlights how discarded plastic equivalent to the weight of about 60,000 blue whales are dumped into oceans each year – more than 11 million tonnes.
The drinks businesses, which last month were slated in research on plastic pollution, backed the call by environmental charities for a UN treaty urging governments to negotiate a global agreement on plastic pollution.
Nearly 30 businesses, also including Danone, H&M, Mars, Nestlé, Tesco, and Unilever have backed the call, which is the first such collective corporate action, and organisers are urging more private companies to join.
A resolution to start negotiations on such a treaty is expected to be tabled at the next session of the UN environmental assembly in February.
According to the UN itself, plastic waste kills up to a million seabirds and 100,000 sea mammals, marine turtles and countless fish each year.
Plastic remains in the ecosystem for years, harming thousands of sea creatures every day.
Lost and discarded fishing gear accounts for 10 per cent of all marine litter and continues to kill turtles, seabirds and marine mammals as well as fish.
One study found plastic in every marine turtle examined, 59 per cent of whales, 36 per cent of seals and 40 per cent of seabird species.
The organisations behind the plea to the UN – WWF, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Boston Consulting Group – issued a report saying a global agreement setting out goals, action plans and binding targets are needed to truly tackle the problem on a global scale.
The document says the global volume of plastic entering the ocean is forecast to triple over the next 20 years.
WWF’s Living Planet report last month revealed that the destruction of nature has led to a 68 per cent average drop in global wildlife populations since 1970, and that nowhere in the ocean is entirely unaffected by humans.
Paula Chin, a sustainable materials specialist at WWF, said: “Nature is in freefall, and plastic pollution continues to be one of the most visible signs of the environmental crisis. This is a global problem that demands a global solution.”
Dame Ellen MacArthur, founder of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, said: “We have seen important steps taken by businesses and governments in addressing plastic pollution over recent years. More than 500 organisations have signed the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, setting clear targets to achieve a circular economy for plastic in which it never becomes waste or pollution. But voluntary initiatives alone are not enough.”
The Changing Markets Foundation last month accused Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Nestlé of “hypocrisy” as its report claimed they had made public pledges to cut plastic use while undermining sustainability reforms through lobbying groups and trade associations. It said many companies had “aggressively opposed” or attempted to delay legislation designed to tackle the plastics crisis.
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