discussion

Structure for the discussion:

1)     1) Chair: Welcome + introduction

2)      2)What we’re going to talk about in our presentation:

-opinion Louise

- opinion Davit

-opinion Laurens

-opinion Brecht

(depending on who’s the chair)

By example which specific side of social responsible investments where going to work out

3)     3) What has been done already (so it’s necessary that we all look up one research article and one article from the popular press (as told in the lesson) and point out some key things you think are useful in the presentation and paper)

+ summarizing and perhaps dividing by chair

4)     4) What has to be done: by example the dividing of the tasks, which research articles are worth working with,..

+summarizing by chair

5)      5)Chair: giving the specific tasks and ending

Brecht

We account for everything. Including our products.

In the past the computer company Apple didn’t jump on the train of socially responsible investment, but now they have made a u-turn. A month ago they stepped out of the Chamber of Commerce, the biggest employers’ organization of US, because the Chamber was against the plans of Barack Obama to lower the emission of greenhouse gasses.

They also became very transparent in their handling of products and the greenhouse gasses the production needs. On the site you can find all the information about Apple and their care for the environment under the slogan “We account for everything. Including our products.”

This doesn’t need to be a surprise, now days the subject of socially responsible investment and care for the environment is very hot. Apple obvious tries to bring attention to them so they have extra publicity. But it is also a fact that the people of today have attention for companies that have an SRI-policy.

Laurens Traens

South Korea Planning Massive Off Shore Wind Farm

As Wind energy is currently covers a mere 1.5% of global electricity generation.  Asian countries see the future in Wind energy. South Korea is investing a huge amount of $8.3 billion in Korean peninsula taking a time period of ten years.

Currently Hyundai Heavy Industries and Samsung Heavy Industries and few other industries  are interested to volunteer for production of wind turbines.

According to MKE (Ministry of Knowledge Economy) this project will build 500 wind turbines producing 2,500 megawatts of energy a year. This is sufficient to light up 3.5 million residents for a full month. If it works they are going to increase the amount of wind turbines with 180 by 206 and 300 more by 2019.

MKE’s director Kang says that it would satisfy the need of growing demands of alternative energy market. He also says that other countries will notice Korean technology and apply the advanced technology exhibited by Korea.

MKE itself isn’t providing all the funds. They are hoping that private companies will invest together with them to complete the requirement of $8.3 billion. MKE will only fund 0.3% of overall cost of the project. But the ministry is hopeful that Korean shipbuilders would be interested in investing for the resources.  They believe that it is the answer for country’s cash cow when it comes to mainstream technology.

Davit Melik-Shahnazaryan

00801541

http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/south-korea-off-shore-wind-farm/

Sustainable printer chooses for environment and social effort

The printing office Wils in Sint-Amands has received the certificate for sustainable printer from the province Antwerp.

The sustainability of the business is not only linked with the technical aspects, like energy, paper and water reduction, but it is also linked with social impact. When they are looking for new workers they first give the opportunity to people who come from poor social environments. Also one of the main reasons for their social responsible investing is that they don’t want to harm the community: No noise, no dirty emission, and no nasty smell.

Another import aspect of the sustainability is the commercial value of it. With their eye for the environment they attract new customers and they get media attention.  So they can grow and do more for the environment and the community.

I hope this is an example for other companies to care more about the environment, because with the care they can move more people and they have more publicity, what normally leads to more success.

Laurens Traens

Bonuses can be a good thing - if they're linked to carbon emissions

Now days the remuneration in some companies is not only depending on the earnings per share but it also depends from sustainability indicators.

Like in the American utility supplier company Xcel Energy the bonus is depending from how low is the carbon emission. Xcel has chosen for this regulation because: "Xcel believes strongly in providing long-term incentive opportunities that deliver awards on the achievement of specific performance goals linked to the success of the company and its long-term strategy in the core utility business. These include financial and environmental goals."  (Xcel spokeswoman Patti Nystuen). A quarter of the remuneration is based on metrics related to carbon dioxide emissions, and safety. The other 75 % is based on the financial result.

This sort of regulations is the result of shareholders advocacy. Because of the fact that shareholders can put pressure on the board they can choose for sustainability. They can make shareholders resolutions where they set objectives for the environmental and social care.

But it is a pity that just a little group of companies has a policy like that. Only a third of the European companies succeed in committing remuneration to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance. Now it is the challenge to bring in this sort of resolutions in other companies.

Laurens Traens

This doesn’t fall out of the sky just like that

This week Unilever launched a sustainability plan and that just 1 month  after that Procter & Gamble, their big competitor, came out with a big plan for more respect for the environment. The big question: Are they really concerned with the environment or is this a fashion phenomenon? There by I also want to refer to the post The half of the Belgian companies see “sustainability” as a fashion phenomenon

Sabine Denis, the director of Business & Society thinks that companies like Unilever really care because the come with a big global plan.” That isn’t a plan that you make in one week, this costs years of work.”  Anyway for a company like that it is impossible to do greenwashing  (pretending like they care of the environment). There are too many pressure groups that are watching them, probably they have consulted the groups to have some feedback on their plan.

I think that it is a good trend that big companies like Unilever or Procter & Gamble come out with this sort of plan, it is companies like them that can make the real different for the environment. They have the real power to influence the smaller companies and the different governments.

Laurens Traens

French energy giant Total sets up new solar panels production line

The energy giant, Total, will build a new photovoltaic( PV)

panels production and assembly facility. This will be situated at Composite Park in the north-eastern region of Moselle, in France.

The start-up of the construction is planned for the beginning of 2011 and they expect to have a capacity of 220,000 PV panels per year. On the top of that, the project foresees that around 80 jobs will be created in the area.

 For Total, this is not their first project in the green energy. They have been in the solar energy business since 1983. For example with the companies Photovoltech and Tenesol, where Total has more than 50% of the shares. But with the construction in France, Total wants to position itself within the entire photovoltaic solar chain.

Louise Oosterlynck