Category Archives: Sustainability

The impact of natural gas extraction on steel mills

Posted on March 28, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (March 26, 2012) describes the doubling of steel tubes, pipes etc in the last two years – thanks to the demand from natural gas extraction facilities across the US. But the abundant supply … Continue reading →

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Nike’s knit shoe design and global supply chain impact

Posted on March 28, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (March 19,2012) describe the flyknit shoe design by Nike – whose upper is knit from thread as one piece, thus saving 35 parts and 66 % less waste. The reduced labor intensive assembly also makes US … Continue reading →

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Green jobs in the US Economy

Posted on March 28, 2012 by aviyer2010

The New York Times (March 22, 2012) describes a US government report that claims that there were 3.1 million green jobs in the US economy. Green jobs were defined as those involved in activities that either decrease energy consumption or … Continue reading →

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The forest food chain and noise pollution

Posted on March 28, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (March 26, 2012) describes the impact of noise pollution on the forest food chain consisting of pinyon pine trees and their pinyon nuts, scrub jays, mice and hummingbirds. Noise pollution seems to drive … Continue reading →

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The Jones Act of 1920 and today’s gas prices

Posted on March 18, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (March 11,2012) describes the impact of the 1920 Jones Act, that mandates use of US carriers, with US built ships and employing US cargo, for domestic cargo transport by sea. Thus, US oil … Continue reading →

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US low manufacturing wages and global supply chain impact

Posted on March 18, 2012 by aviyer2010

 An article in the Wall Street Journal (March 17,2012) describes manufacturing wage rates in Indiana of $12/hour with no unions in Muncie, IN, compared to twice that rate in Caterpillar’s Canadian plant. The impact – closure of the Canadian plant … Continue reading →

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California’s Supply Chain Transparency Act and Enforcement

Posted on March 6, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (Feb 27,2012) describes the California Supply Chain Transperancy Act requiring retailers with more than $100 million in sales to ensure that their supply chains do not involve slave labor. But  the article reports allegations of slave … Continue reading →

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Sustainable chemicals sourcing at P and G

Posted on February 9, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the website Sustainable Brands (http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/articles/procter-gamble-developing-sustainable-chemicals-biofuel-company) describes Proctor & Gamble’s use of Zeachem, a cellulosic biorefinery manufacturer that uses raw material from poplar and agricultural residues and uses natural bacteria that produce no Co2 during fermentation. The consumer … Continue reading →

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Mexico’s gain at China’s rising cost expense ?

Posted on February 6, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (Feb 6, 2012) describes data that trains and trucks carried 9 % more freight last year from Mexico to the US, while container traffic from Asia dropped 0.2 %. As we have heard … Continue reading →

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Regulating copper in brake pads at the state level

Posted on February 6, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (Feb 3, 2012) describes a proposal that requires that automobile brake pads decrease the copper content to less than 5 % by 2021 in Washington and less than 0.5 % by 2025 in California.  … Continue reading →

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