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[BusinessGreen.com > News > Climate Change]
EU inks landmark sustainable logging deal with Cameroon
{EU、カメルンとの取引で空前の持続可能材木搬出計画に署名}
Voluntary Partnership Agreement aims to guarantee wood from EU's largest timber supplier is not illegally felled
BusinessGreen.com Staff, BusinessGreen, 07 Oct 2010
The EU yesterday signed a landmark agreement to license timber shipments from Cameroon, its largest African supplier, in a bid to eradicate illegal logging.
Earlier this year, the EU passed legislation that will from 2012 ban the import and sale of illegally felled timber and the push to tackle imports of illegal timber is being supported by a series of Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPA), which aim to independently certify timber from legal plantations.
Under the terms of Cameroon's VPA, from July 2012, all timber and wood product shipments from the country will have to carry a licence showing that they came from a legal origin if they want to access EU markets.
Cameroon will also establish a national system to ensure legal compliance in timber production, covering wood sold to non-EU markets and on the domestic market, as well as the 80 per cent exported to the EU.
Elvis Ngolle Ngolle, Cameroon minister for forest and wildlife, formally signed the agreement yesterday, bringing to an end three years of negotiations.
The latest agreement follows similar VPAs signed between the EU and the Republic of Congo and Ghana. Six other countries – Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Central African Republic, Liberia and Gabon – are also currently negotiating VPAs with the EU, while and a number of other nations have expressed an interest in preliminary talks.
Andris Piebalgs, European commissioner for development, said countries signing up to VPAs would find it easier to respond to growing demand for sustainably certified timber.
"This Agreement is a major step forward in our fight against illegal logging and will contribute to economic development and poverty alleviation in Cameroon, " he said. "At the same time, [it] responds to the ever stronger expectations in Europe for verified legality of timber products. It will benefit the European consumers because they can be sure that when they buy wood from Cameroon, it is from a legal origin.”
[BusinessGreen.com > News > Management]
Small businesses 'too poor' to reap green benefits
{中小企業、資金不足からグリーン事業で利益を得ることが出来ず}
Survey finds SMEs feel cost of adopting environmental policies is too great, despite recognising commercial advantages
BusinessGreen.com Staff, BusinessGreen, 07 Oct 2010
UK small businesses are claiming they are too strapped for cash to improve their green policies, according to a survey released today.
The research from Lloyds TSB Commercial suggests that while the economic downturn has pushed some firms to adopt environmental initiatives as a method of reducing operating costs, many others are failing to act and as a result are missing out on the commercial opportunities associated with 'green' business models.
Only 38 per cent of the 539 small and medium sized businesses polled had taken steps to analyse the environmental risks faced by their operations. Just over half cited cost as the main barrier to taking action to reduce their environmental impact, with a quarter blaming confusion surrounding environmental legislation for their inaction.
Those that had undertaken measures to reduce their environmental footprint typically implemented policies designed to cut costs by reducing waste levels and saving energy.
Encouragingly, almost half of those surveyed acknowledged that 'going green' would garner a positive reaction from customers. Similarly, improved profitability, staff retention and morale, and the enhanced ability to win contracts were all high on a list of recognised business benefits put forward by respondents.
However, almost 30 per cent admitted they had put environmental improvement plans on hold until they had recovered from of the impact of the recession.
John Maltby, managing director of Lloyds TSB Commercial, claimed that the recession had caused thousands of small firms to think more carefully about their environmental responsibilities.
"It is clear that businesses do seem to recognise the value of improving their green credentials, and the dangers of not doing so," he said. "Coming out of the recession many firms do seem focused on the costs savings to be gained from environmental improvements, but many are being held back because they fear the cost of taking action."
He added that to help small businesses understand and respond to environmental risks and opportunities, Lloyds would establish a network of regional business and environment managers and also stage 200 SME road shows over the next year.
[BusinessGreen.com > News > Renewables]
Gamesa and Northrop team up to build giant 5MW offshore turbine
{スペインの大手発電機メーカー、ガメサ社とアメリカの軍艦製造メーカー、ノースロップ社が5MWの巨大な沖合風力発電所の共同製作で合意}
Spanish wind giant reaches agreement with US naval ship builder to work on prototype offshore turbine, as EU countries move forward with plans for North Sea grid
Jessica Shankleman, BusinessGreen, 07 Oct 2010
Leading wind turbine manufacturer Gamesa has set its sights on providing offshore turbines for the UK's giant Round 3 initiative, after this week inking a deal with America's largest shipbuilder that will see the two firms install a new 5MW offshore turbine off the US coast.
The US arm of the Spanish firm yesterday confirmed it has signed a teaming agreement with Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, to build and install a prototype 5MW offshore turbine at an undecided location off the US coast.
The new machine, dubbed the G11X- 5.0 MW, will be based on Gamesa's existing G10X-4.5 MW platform and will be built by a 40-strong team of engineers in Virginia. The plan is to install the prototype by the end of 2012 before then installing a second prototype in Europe.
The news will revitalise Gamesa's plan to establish itself as a leading player in the Northern European offshore wind market, after discussions between the company and German offshore wind specialist Bard dissolved earlier this year. Gamesa has now decided to venture out alone with its plans for a 5MW turbine.
The company hopes the partnership with Northrop will provide expertise in building technology capable of coping with harsh marine conditions.
"The economies in the offshore market are really about reliability," a spokesman for Gamesa told BusinessGreen.com. "The whole purpose of working with Northrop is to have a partner with a world-class record in building naval ships and know-how in delivering reliable technology for harsh conditions. "
Gamesa is also working on the roll out of another family of offshore turbines boasting up to 7MW capacity, with a view to completing prototype versions by 2014.
The news comes as the offshore wind sector received a boost this week when the Belgian EU Presidency, EU energy ministries and industry met to agree on the need to speed up the development of a new North Seas Offshore Grid.
North Seas countries are expected to now sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on December 2 formally supporting the North Seas Countries’ Offshore Grid Initiative. The MoU will also set out a framework to help solve cross-country questions on current and future grid developments in the North Seas.
"Building this North Seas Offshore Grid is essential to meet Europe's future energy needs – secure electricity supply, free of carbon emissions, at an affordable price- as it will connect Europe with its greatest domestic energy resource, offshore wind," said Marie-Pierre Fauconnier, Belgian director general for energy.
According to the European Wind Energy Association, countries lined up to sign the MoU include Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK.
[BusinessGreen.com > News > Climate Change]
EU inks landmark sustainable logging deal with Cameroon
{EU、カメルンとの取引で空前の持続可能材木搬出計画に署名}
Voluntary Partnership Agreement aims to guarantee wood from EU's largest timber supplier is not illegally felled
BusinessGreen.com Staff, BusinessGreen, 07 Oct 2010
The EU yesterday signed a landmark agreement to license timber shipments from Cameroon, its largest African supplier, in a bid to eradicate illegal logging.
Earlier this year, the EU passed legislation that will from 2012 ban the import and sale of illegally felled timber and the push to tackle imports of illegal timber is being supported by a series of Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPA), which aim to independently certify timber from legal plantations.
Under the terms of Cameroon's VPA, from July 2012, all timber and wood product shipments from the country will have to carry a licence showing that they came from a legal origin if they want to access EU markets.
Cameroon will also establish a national system to ensure legal compliance in timber production, covering wood sold to non-EU markets and on the domestic market, as well as the 80 per cent exported to the EU.
Elvis Ngolle Ngolle, Cameroon minister for forest and wildlife, formally signed the agreement yesterday, bringing to an end three years of negotiations.
The latest agreement follows similar VPAs signed between the EU and the Republic of Congo and Ghana. Six other countries – Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Central African Republic, Liberia and Gabon – are also currently negotiating VPAs with the EU, while and a number of other nations have expressed an interest in preliminary talks.
Andris Piebalgs, European commissioner for development, said countries signing up to VPAs would find it easier to respond to growing demand for sustainably certified timber.
"This Agreement is a major step forward in our fight against illegal logging and will contribute to economic development and poverty alleviation in Cameroon, " he said. "At the same time, [it] responds to the ever stronger expectations in Europe for verified legality of timber products. It will benefit the European consumers because they can be sure that when they buy wood from Cameroon, it is from a legal origin.”
[BusinessGreen.com > News > Management]
Small businesses 'too poor' to reap green benefits
{中小企業、資金不足からグリーン事業で利益を得ることが出来ず}
Survey finds SMEs feel cost of adopting environmental policies is too great, despite recognising commercial advantages
BusinessGreen.com Staff, BusinessGreen, 07 Oct 2010
UK small businesses are claiming they are too strapped for cash to improve their green policies, according to a survey released today.
The research from Lloyds TSB Commercial suggests that while the economic downturn has pushed some firms to adopt environmental initiatives as a method of reducing operating costs, many others are failing to act and as a result are missing out on the commercial opportunities associated with 'green' business models.
Only 38 per cent of the 539 small and medium sized businesses polled had taken steps to analyse the environmental risks faced by their operations. Just over half cited cost as the main barrier to taking action to reduce their environmental impact, with a quarter blaming confusion surrounding environmental legislation for their inaction.
Those that had undertaken measures to reduce their environmental footprint typically implemented policies designed to cut costs by reducing waste levels and saving energy.
Encouragingly, almost half of those surveyed acknowledged that 'going green' would garner a positive reaction from customers. Similarly, improved profitability, staff retention and morale, and the enhanced ability to win contracts were all high on a list of recognised business benefits put forward by respondents.
However, almost 30 per cent admitted they had put environmental improvement plans on hold until they had recovered from of the impact of the recession.
John Maltby, managing director of Lloyds TSB Commercial, claimed that the recession had caused thousands of small firms to think more carefully about their environmental responsibilities.
"It is clear that businesses do seem to recognise the value of improving their green credentials, and the dangers of not doing so," he said. "Coming out of the recession many firms do seem focused on the costs savings to be gained from environmental improvements, but many are being held back because they fear the cost of taking action."
He added that to help small businesses understand and respond to environmental risks and opportunities, Lloyds would establish a network of regional business and environment managers and also stage 200 SME road shows over the next year.
[BusinessGreen.com > News > Renewables]
Gamesa and Northrop team up to build giant 5MW offshore turbine
{スペインの大手発電機メーカー、ガメサ社とアメリカの軍艦製造メーカー、ノースロップ社が5MWの巨大な沖合風力発電所の共同製作で合意}
Spanish wind giant reaches agreement with US naval ship builder to work on prototype offshore turbine, as EU countries move forward with plans for North Sea grid
Jessica Shankleman, BusinessGreen, 07 Oct 2010
Leading wind turbine manufacturer Gamesa has set its sights on providing offshore turbines for the UK's giant Round 3 initiative, after this week inking a deal with America's largest shipbuilder that will see the two firms install a new 5MW offshore turbine off the US coast.
The US arm of the Spanish firm yesterday confirmed it has signed a teaming agreement with Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, to build and install a prototype 5MW offshore turbine at an undecided location off the US coast.
The new machine, dubbed the G11X- 5.0 MW, will be based on Gamesa's existing G10X-4.5 MW platform and will be built by a 40-strong team of engineers in Virginia. The plan is to install the prototype by the end of 2012 before then installing a second prototype in Europe.
The news will revitalise Gamesa's plan to establish itself as a leading player in the Northern European offshore wind market, after discussions between the company and German offshore wind specialist Bard dissolved earlier this year. Gamesa has now decided to venture out alone with its plans for a 5MW turbine.
The company hopes the partnership with Northrop will provide expertise in building technology capable of coping with harsh marine conditions.
"The economies in the offshore market are really about reliability," a spokesman for Gamesa told BusinessGreen.com. "The whole purpose of working with Northrop is to have a partner with a world-class record in building naval ships and know-how in delivering reliable technology for harsh conditions. "
Gamesa is also working on the roll out of another family of offshore turbines boasting up to 7MW capacity, with a view to completing prototype versions by 2014.
The news comes as the offshore wind sector received a boost this week when the Belgian EU Presidency, EU energy ministries and industry met to agree on the need to speed up the development of a new North Seas Offshore Grid.
North Seas countries are expected to now sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on December 2 formally supporting the North Seas Countries’ Offshore Grid Initiative. The MoU will also set out a framework to help solve cross-country questions on current and future grid developments in the North Seas.
"Building this North Seas Offshore Grid is essential to meet Europe's future energy needs – secure electricity supply, free of carbon emissions, at an affordable price- as it will connect Europe with its greatest domestic energy resource, offshore wind," said Marie-Pierre Fauconnier, Belgian director general for energy.
According to the European Wind Energy Association, countries lined up to sign the MoU include Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK.
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