NEW YORK—The Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Consortium (HSPC) announced that American Standard Brands has joined the Consortium as a Founding Member. A leader in creating high quality bathroom products for the hospitality industry, American Standard’s membership furthers the Consortium’s goals of establishing the Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Index (HSP Index) as the de facto performance measurement solution for the industry.   With more than 4.5 million hotel rooms in the United States, the products that American Standard produces—including faucets, shower systems, furniture, vitreous china fixtures, kitchen sinks, bath tubs, and other plumbing products and accessories—are major investments for all hotels, brands...

TORONTO—Hunter Douglas Contract's GreenScreen Revive fabric received Cradle to Cradle Certification at the Silver level from MBDC. The high-performance roller shade fabric is made with PVC-free polyester using 89 percent recycled Repreve fibers. Each yard of GreenScreen Revive fabric uses 11 post-consumer bottles. To earn Cradle to Cradle certification, GreenScreen Revive had to possess the followingcharacteristics: • Material health: safe and healthy for humans and environment.• Material reutilization: material contains recycled and recyclable content.• Renewable energy use: commitment to use solar, wind, geothermal, or other renewablesources of energy during the manufacturing process.• Water stewardship: ensure clean water leaves the factory after...

TORONTO—In an effort to advance far-reaching strategies for energy efficiency and fossil fuel independence in new and operational buildings, the International Living Future Institute unveiled the Net Zero Energy Building Certification program. The program is linked to the Living Building Challenge, widely considered to be the world’s most stringent and progressive green building program. As with the Living Building Challenge, certification is based on actual performance rather than modeled outcomes. Buildings must be operational for at least 12 consecutive months prior to evaluation. “In the next two decades, we are looking at the disappearance of cheap oil, a scarcity of...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol has published two standards to help businesses measure, manage and report GHG emissions beyond their own operations, including the finalized version of long-awaited scope 3 guidance. The Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) and Product Life Cycle standards were developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). According to WRI, the standards will allow companies to measure and manage the full scope of emissions in their value chain and products for the first time, while helping to move businesses and reporting programs to one harmonized global reporting...

BAA ATOLL, MALDIVES—One of the travel and tourism industry’s most exclusive and prestigious events last weekend drew Hollywood A-listers, top business CEOs, a head of state and senior environmental campaigners together in the Maldives to discuss how to make tourism a benefit rather than a threat to the planet’s environment. The event—the SLOWLIFE Symposium, organized by the luxury resort company Six Senses—drew actors Daryl Hannah and Edward Norton, business leader and entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, the heads of two solar power companies and green thinkers Jonathon Porritt and Tim Smit to Soneva Fushi resort in Baa Atoll, Maldives. They were joined...

ROSWELL, GA.—Kimberly-Clark Professional announced a major step forward in the company’s sustainability efforts through the expanded independent, third-party certification of Kimberly-Clark Professional products by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and EcoLogo. FSC chain-of-custody certification has been expanded to the broad majority of Kimberly-Clark Professional tissue and towel products. FSC is an international, non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests through third-party forest certification and product labeling, which ensures that forest products come from sources that are managed with consideration for people, wildlife and the environment. “We are very pleased to be expanding FSC’s reach with Kimberly-Clark Professional,...

NATIONAL REPORT—While a majority of CFOs are aware that sustainability will profoundly affect their “mainstream” duties, almost one third of them—31 percent—say they are either rarely involved or not involved in sustainability strategy and governance at their companies. This is among the key findings of Sustainable Finance: The risks and opportunities that (some) CFOs are overlooking, a global survey launched by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL). The survey was conducted among 208 CFOs of large companies in 10 countries during the first half of 2011. “The findings of the survey suggest that CFOs can and should take a more energetic role...

PARSIPPANY, N.J.—Wyndham Worldwide, one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, ranks number one in the hospitality industry and among the top 10 percent in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) Global 500 Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index. The Index highlights the constituent companies within the S&P 500 Index which have displayed the most professional approach to corporate governance regarding climate change information disclosure practices. With a carbon disclosure score of 83, this was the first appearance for Wyndham Worldwide on the annual index by the CDP, which represents 551 institutional investors with $71 trillion in assets. CDP commended Wyndham Worldwide for its...

NEW YORK—The Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Consortium announced that BYD has joined the Consortium as a Contributing Member. A global leader in new energy solutions, BYD’s membership in the Consortium will contribute to establishing the new Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Index (HSPI), to set standards for evaluating sustainability practices and purchases industry wide. With more than 4.5 million hotel rooms in the United States, lighting is a critical element of design, which must be integrated throughout the development, redevelopment and renovations processes. “Our goal in joining the Consortium is to help the hospitality industry by establishing sustainability performance criteria that delivers real solutions...

NEW YORK—The Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Consortium announced that Shafer Commercial Seating has joined the Consortium as a Contributing Member. A family-owned U.S. manufacturer of chairs, booths and tables for the hospitality industry for more than 75 years, Shafer’s membership in the Consortium is another important step toward building a new Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Index (HSPI) that will reflect industry-wide sustainability performance standards for all suppliers, large and small. “High quality, comfortable furniture is an essential element of the guest experience for all hospitality providers,” said Randy Shafer, president of Shafer Commercial Seating, Inc.  “Over the past 15 years, we have...