Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) is gaining much importance in many industries due to pressure from the government and environmental consciousness among the customers, to gain competitive advantage. We have compiled a list of Green Supply Chain studies to assist you in your efforts to address these issues. The green supply chain studies we spotlight cover the following topics: the role that the logistics and transport sector plays in reducing emissions; the effects of ISO 14001 certification on the promotion of green supply chain management (GSCM), research on interest and implementation of green supply chain initiatives; a quantitative picture of current sustainable supply chain practices and plans; a measurement and quantification of how companies are managing the complexities of supply chain demands, distribution costs and environmental concerns; key drivers of sustainable supply chains;a new integrated supply chain model that takes into account sustainability parameters such as CO2 emissions reduction, reduced energy consumption, better traceability and reduced traffic congestion;best practices for companies looking to green their supply chains ; an outline of the supply chain green initiatives currently implemented or planned in manufacturing, warehousing and distribution;survey of sustainable packaging policies ;a look at the growing role of procurement organizations within sustainability efforts institutions of higher learning; a categorization of research and practice in purchasing, manufacturing, outbound, and reverse logistics dimensions;a framework for measuring the “green-ness”of green supply chain initiatives, the business case for green supply management initiavies, research on the debate by empirically evaluating the relationship between EMS and GSCM practices.

Earth Day – April 22, 2010 will see someone awarded the Carbon 14 Environmental Award worth $50,000. If you are making our oceans cleaner, conserving our energy, reducing our carbon footprint, getting involved in environmental causes or, doing anything at all to help our environment you have a chance to win.

Sustainable Life Media launched their first online Sustainable Brands Boot Camp on Friday. Leading the first webinar, “Introduction to Opportunities in Sustainable Innovation”, was Gil Friend, President/CEO of Natural Logic and author of The Truth About Green Business. Friend spoke on sustainability focused design innovation and how companies can remain competitive in the midst of today’s environmental challenges. Friend provided valuable and practical recommendations on how companies can incorporate sustainability within their innovation process.

Al Gore delivered the keynote address to green building professionals at the Greenbuild conference. He praised the leadership of the USGBC for bringing real change to the marketplace. He also urged the crowd to take responsibility for expanding green building globally and to call out greenwashing.

As the discussion continues on the true impact of emissions on climate change, many companies are reevaluating the internal impacts pending legislation may have on costs. For the first time, businesses are evaluating emissions as a waste stream that will be part of total lifecycle cost.

Today, Newsweek launched a ranking of the greenest companies in America in its current issue and Hewlett-Packard took top honors. The Newsweek Green Rankings is the first-ever report based on companies’ actual environmental footprint, policies and practices. The twelve-page report in the September 28 issue, features a green ranking of America’s 500 largest publicly-traded companies as measured by revenue, market capitalization and number of employees. On Newsweek.com, users can search and sort the data in several ways, analyze the detailed methodology of the study and submit and review comments.

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and Ceres, a US coalition of environmental and investor groups, today called for submissions to the ninth-annual Ceres-ACCA North American Awards for Sustainability Reporting. The purpose of the awards program is to acknowledge and publicize best practice in reporting on sustainability, environmental and social performance by corporations and organizations and to provide leadership to those companies that are publishing or intend to publish sustainability reports.

Last week, Sierra Magazine named the nation’s top 20 “coolest” schools for their efforts to stop global warming and operate sustainably.     The magazine’s September/October cover story spotlights the schools that they believe are making a true impact for the planet, and marks Sierra’s third annual listing of America’s greenest universities and colleges. [...]

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Restaurant Associates (RA) recently unveiled their Green Dining Best Practices, which is a comprehensive set of science-based recommendations for environmentally friendly foodservice. In a National Restaurant Association survey of trends for 2009, environmentally friendly equipment and sustainable practices topped chefs’ lists of hot trends and top cost-savers.