Source: www.pg.com

Our commitment begins with P&G’s Purpose, Values and Principles, in which Sustainability is embedded, and manifests itself in a systemic and long-term approach. We strive to make our actions matter.

In 2007, P&G established five strategies for Sustainability and set goals to be achieved by 2012. In March of 2009, in recognition of the progress we’ve made so far and to emphasize our commitment to achieving even more significant wins, we increased each of our goals. It’s a part of P&G’s culture to continuously raise the bar, and our work in Sustainability is no exception.

A summarized report of P&G’s Sustainability Program is in the link below:

http://www.pg.com/en_US/downloads/sustainability/reports/PG_2009_Sustainability_Overview.pdf

Source: www.ge.com

In May 2008, we announced our goal to reduce our freshwater consumption by 20 percent from a baseline of 2006 to 2012. During the year, we have developed tools for our sites to assess, identify, and quantify costs and benefits of implementing water reduction projects. Our first water reduction Kaizen blitz event was conducted at our Global Research Facility in Niskayuna, New York, with very favorable water reduction and cost benefits identified. We plan on using this approach at other targeted locations during the remainder of 2009 to identify more opportunities.

Since 2006, we have collected water consumption data for those sites across our businesses meeting a criterion of more than 15 million gallons annually of water consumed. Water consumption data includes water used for potable, process, and sanitary purposes as well as non-contact cooling waters (NCCWs) from freshwater sources. We adjust the data each year to reflect acquisitions and divestments.In 2008, water use from these sources was 0.2 percent higher than our 2006 baseline. An increase in non-contact cooling water offset a 10.8 percent reduction in water use for potable, process, and sanitary purposes. This increase was due to a project at one of our largest water using sites to better quantify water use. The project, utilizing GE Sensing Ultrasonic Flow Meters, identified that water use at the site was substantially higher than originally estimated and had increased 11 percent since 2006.

As a result, we are evaluating significant reduction opportunities at this site and across all of our businesses.

Source: www.koreaherald.com

Samsung Group said Tuesday (May 11,2010) it will spend 23.3 trillion won ($20.63 billion) on new businesses including solar cells, rechargeable batteries for eco-friendly cars and LED technologies by 2020.

A pedestrian walks in front of the Samsung Electronics Co. headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, on Friday, March 19, 2010. Bloomberg

The group said in a statement on its Website that Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee and CEOs of Samsung affiliates discussed the investment at a meeting on Monday.

Korea’s top conglomerate expects the investment on eco-friendly and healthcare businesses to create 45,000 jobs and 50 trillion won revenue, the group said.

Source:  www.sony.net

Sony established its Green Management 2010 mid-range group environmental targets, which will run through fiscal year 2010, in fiscal year 2006. These targets guide the Sony Group in its efforts to help prevent global warming, recycle resources, ensure appropriate management of chemical substances and address a broad range of other complex environmental issues.

Since the 1990s, Sony has focused on a variety of activities, such as developing environmentally conscious products, reducing the environmental impact of its sites and promoting product recycling. In 1998, Sony formulated its first set of mid-range environmental targets (Green Management 2002), which has undergone subsequent annual revisions. In 2006, Sony launched Green Management 2010, new mid-range targets outlining the challenges facing the Sony Group between then and fiscal year 2010.

When setting targets for Green Management 2010, Sony gave full consideration to the conclusions drawn from its review of Green Management 2005, as well as to legislative trends that could affect the Sony Group in the medium to long term. Consideration was also given to the concerns of investors, environmental nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and other stakeholders regarding Sony and the direction of its business over the next five years. As a part of these activities, Sony exchanged opinions with several environmental NGOs, according to specific themes such as prevention of global warming and natural environmental conservation.

Sony also had three basic goals in mind when setting the targets, which were to aim high as a cutting-edge, global corporation, set targets for reductions of absolute greenhouse gas emissions and other sources of environmental impact, and create global challenges for the entire Sony Group.

Green Management 2010 encompasses general indicators, as well as individual targets. The general indicators, comprised of greenhouse gas and resource indices, are set to determine the environmental impact of the total life cycle of the Sony Group’s business activities, products and services, to the maximum possible extent. The indicators are also used to monitor Sony’s performance of the individual targets set to reduce environmental impact throughout the business cycle. The various elements of each of these indices were chosen based on such criteria as seriousness of environmental impact and controllability. Sony will continue to monitor eco-efficiency and evaluate the progress of environmental efforts and use the results to revise its various initiatives and targets.

Green Management 2010’s individual targets cover Sony’s entire business cycle, from the procurement of parts to the manufacturing, use, disposal and recycling of products. For example, to contribute to the prevention of global warming, targets have been set for absolute reductions in greenhouse gas emissions at Sony Group sites throughout the world. At the same time, by including targets for controlling operating power consumption, as well as for ascertaining and reducing energy consumption during transport, Sony aims to gradually reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing, transporting and using Sony products. Green Management 2010 also outlines a broad range of other targets pertaining to, among others, communicating effectively with Sony’s diverse stakeholders about environmental issues, promoting partnerships with other companies and encouraging education on the subject of conservation.

Source:  www.shell.com

Contributing to sustainable development for us means helping meet the world’s growing energy needs in economically, environmentally and socially responsible ways. It is the right thing to do, and it is good for our business.

In practice, our contribution to sustainable development is about helping deliver benefits and reduce impacts. This approach covers both what we produce and how we produce it.

It is about our products:

We help deliver benefits by providing the modern energy that people need to prosper, and help reduce energy’s impacts by producing more cleaner-burning natural gas, for example, or working to build a transport biofuels business.

It is about our operations:

We work to build projects and run our facilities in ways that create lasting social benefits, for example by:

• employing local people;
• using local contractors and suppliers, and
• setting a good example through our business practices and ethics. 

We work to reduce environmental and social impacts at our operations by:

• safeguarding the health and safety of our employees and neighbours;
• reducing disruptions to the community;
• lowering our emissions,  including greenhouse gases;
• reducing our impact on biodiversity, and
• using less energy, water and other resources to produce the energy the world needs for development. 

It is also about our people:

Using their expertise, creativity and skill to compete successfully and help meet the energy challenge. This requires a mindset – or a different way of thinking about our day-to-day business – that includes balancing our short and long-term interests, and integrating social and environmental concerns into our decision-making. It’s how we do business and, since 1997, has been embedded in our Business Principles.

Source:  www.lge.com

LG Electronics is well aware that joint efforts are essential to the reduction of hazardous substances in product. Through its Green Program. LG Electronics purchases environmentally friendly raw materials and parts. LG Electronics and its partners vow to provide environmentally conscious products to customers and take environmental responsibility as a global company in the global market. The Green Program aims to:

• Comply with national and global hazardous substance-related regulations and provide environmentally friendly products to customers.
• Prevent the use of hazardous substances reduce environmental loads and improve environmental performances from raw material and part production phase.
• Realize that LG Electronics and our suppliers are environmental conscious.

The Green Program has – since January 2005 – targeted domestic and overseas firms supplying LG Electronics with products, parts parts, raw materials, and supplemental materials. To get a Green Program certification, a company must score more than 80 points, including compulsory 42 points. Also, Green Program consists of Environmental Management System, Environment-related Substance Management System and Materials and Product Management System. The criteria are shown below.

Table 1. LG Electronics’ Green Program certification criteria

Target firms must submit related documents for review and certification as described in the link:

http://www.lge.com/about/environment/images/Manuals_for_PreparationEnvironmentalRegulations_en_v3.0.pdf