CBIA Survey

The Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA) conducted a survey of CT businesses regarding sustainability practices. 397 companies responded, which sounds like a good response even without knowing the total number of surveys sent out. The results show that many companies are taking steps to be more sustainable and/or recognize the value in doing so.

Here are a few results from the survey (the margin for error was +/- 5%) :

- Have you implemented energy cost saving efforts: 62% yes to 38% no

- Are green business practices helpful for attracting a younger workforce: 56% no to 46% yes

- Would you implement green practices if they benefited employee health: 96% yes to 4% no
(Of course, had costs been factored into the question somehow, the results would not have been as clear-cut.)

- Would you adopt green business practices if there were economic incentives for doing so: 78% were somewhat or very likely, with the rest being less so.
(Seems like another clear-cut question in the absence of other information.)

These kinds of surveys are pretty common currently. A 2007 WPP survey queried customers rather than businesses. Changes in numbers versus a 2006 survey are mentioned. It would be interesting to see a similar comparison over time in the business survey results.

How meaningful are such surveys? Consumers are more likely to say they would purchase green products than to actually purchase them. Likewise, businesses might express interest in implementing green practices to benefit employee health, for example, but then never go about doing so in practice. The surveys are positive indicators, but should be viewed cautiously.

Some information about the companies participating in the CBIA survey reveals they represent a number of different industries, sizes, and ownership structures. No mention is made of how the businesses were selected other than that the surveys were emailed. See http://www.cbia.com/green for more information.

Compostable Cup

Coffee from a New London, Connecticut shop came in this biodegradable cup and grip. Click on the image for a closer look. Cradle-to-cradle adherents might applaud the notion of throwing the cup on the ground once it is empty, or would the recycled paper that it is made from, with its dyes and chemicals give them pause?

Aritificial Turf from Recycled Tires Releases Gases

Recycled tire crumbs found in athletic field artificial turf were recently found to release into the air significant amounts of four volatile organic compounds. So this is the kind of thing the cradle-to-cradle camp worries about. The tires were never intended to end up in artificial turf.

The study was sponsored by Environment and Human Health, Inc., a non-profit aimed at protecting people from environmental harm, and it was conducted by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, a state government agency. The report can be found here. Though it is fairly technical, it is interesting to read about the testing procedures. For instance, the crumbs are heated to 140° F, which the authors claim is not unrealistic for them to reach while in direct sunlight on a hot day. In a test to determine whether the harmful gases leach into water, the crumbs are placed in water and agitated for 18 hours. Not being an expert, it is difficult to assess the danger. These are not field tests. Is the amount of the gases being released significant? How dangerous are these compounds? Probably the key message is that more study is warranted. And that is what CT’s attorney general Richard Blumenthal is proposing.

Local E-cycling

Connecticut (USA) recently enacted a law aimed at reducing electronics waste. It places the burden of “e-cycling” on manufacturers who will have to register with the state Department of Enviromental Protection (DEP), paying an annual fee used by the DEP to administer the program. No OR content here, but see the posts pertaining to clsc, and the bit about Cisco in the INFORMS roundtable post.

Link to the bill, worth a closer look.

A little more depth on the business angle from this informative Hartford Business Journal article. In the past, state plans like this have either charged the manufacturer with the costs of recycling the electronics they produce, or charged the consumer by adding a fee to the retail cost of the item. The latter is alarming to retailers. I’m wondering if retailers are more vocal in a Statehouse than manufacturers, since they are more local.