NTR Snags 25MW Castlecraig

13.02.2017

NTR has acquired the 25MW Castlecraig wind farm in Northern Ireland from RES for its NTR Wind 1 fund. The deal, which was first revealed in the subscriber-only newsletter reNEWs, is the third between the two companies.

The £50m project, which will comprise 10 turbines, is expected to be operating by summer 2018. Once operational, Castlecraig will invest in a local benefit fund including the provision of a local electricity discount scheme, which will be operated by RES on behalf of NTR.

NTR chief investment officer Manus O’Donnell said: “We are delighted to announce our third transaction with RES in just over 18 months. “To date, we have sourced 58MW of onshore wind projects through RES.

“They are an outstanding developer and an important partner for us both in project pipeline and in constructing projects on our behalf.” RES head of projects – Ireland Lucy Whitford said: “Castlecraig marks the third collaboration between RES and NTR.

“We are very pleased to be continuing our relationship with NTR, who have a clear focus on investing on renewable energy projects. “We look forward to starting construction and supporting NTR in the management of the wind farm once it becomes operational.”

Castlecraig is the 11th acquisition of onshore wind assets in the UK and Ireland by the NTR Wind 1 fund, bringing total capacity under the fund’s management to just under 200MW. NTR is currently putting together plans for its second sustainable infrastructure fund, which it expects to launch in 2017.

Source: renews.biz

European Smog Could Be 27 Times More Toxic than Air Pollution in China

13.02.2017

london, pollution, zagađenje, — Photo: Pixabay

Much of the air pollution in China comes from natural sources, rather than the burning of fossil fuels that makes up most of the problem in the West.

Smog in Europe and North America could be more than 25 times more lethal than the average air pollution found in Chinese cities, a new study suggests.

In the largest ever study of its kind in the developing world, researchers tested the effects of air pollution on the health of people in 272 cities in China.

They found average annual exposure to fine particles, known as PM2.5, in those cities was more than five times higher than the level recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), according to a paper in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

However they also discovered that it was much less likely to increase the death rate than PM2.5 in Europe and North America.

The researchers, led by Dr Maigeng Zhou, of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, suggested this was because China is affected by large amounts of natural dust blown by the wind from arid areas, while most pollution in the West comes from industry.

They found that for every increase of 10 micrograms of air pollution in a cubic metre of air, the mortality rate increased by 0.22 per cent, discounting deaths from accidents.

Professor Frank Kelly, an expert in environmental health at King’s College London, who was not involved in the study but has studied air pollution in China, told The Independent: “Those relative risks are considerably less than those seen in Europe and the US.

“For premature mortality [in Europe] we are working on a six per cent increase per 10 micrograms.”

That suggests air pollution in Europe is about 27 times more toxic than average air pollution in China.

However Professor Kelly said cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong were likely to suffer from Western-style air pollution.

“The natural dust component there is not of the magnitude that it would dwarf the coal, biomass and fossil fuel signals,” he said.

“That [the lower mortality rate] may be true in certain cities whose pollution is not dominated by local power generation or major traffic congestion.”

Natural dust particles can cause physical damage to the lungs and trigger an asthma attack. Particles of carbon produced when fossil fuels are burned can lead to similar problems but they are also coated with toxic heavy metals, chemicals and volatile organic compounds.

These are able to pass from the lungs into the blood stream where it is thought they cause further damage to the body.

Areeba Hamid, an air pollution campaigner with environmental group Greenpeace, said: “Toxic air causes havoc to people’s health wherever in the world they live.

“We now know fumes from diesel vehicles are a lot more toxic than car companies claimed and this is a big cause of air pollution in Europe and North America.

“These companies have a lot to answer for, but so far they’ve managed to avoid any real accountability.”

The study of cities in China found the average annual expose to PM2.5 was 56 micrograms per cubic metre, compared to the WHO guideline limit for safe air quality of 10 micrograms.

People who were older than 75, had less education or who lived in hotter places were more likely to die.

It is thought people in warmer cities were more likely to spend time outside or leave their windows open, thereby breathing more polluted air, the researchers said.

They also speculated that less well educated people might have poorer access to health care or experience poorer environmental health conditions.

Source: independent.co.uk

IEA Executive Director Meets with Greek Minister for Environment and Energy

13.02.2017

IEA Executive Director Dr Fatih Birol met today in Athens with the Greek Minister for Environment and Energy, George Stathakis, to discuss the energy sector transition and the outlook of global energy markets.

Minister Stathakis shared the good progress Greece has made in increasing the share of renewables in the power sector and highlighted the importance accorded to energy efficiency and the positive impact it can have on overall economic development.

Dr Birol agreed with minister Stathakis that the IEA will conduct its regular 5-year in-depth review of the energy policy of Greece in 2017. The review will assess all of the energy policies of Greece, including those that are relevant for energy security of the country, and its ambition to reduce the carbon footprint of its energy sector. It will therefore have a special focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency. The report is scheduled to be published in the fall of 2017.

Dr Birol confirmed that the IEA stands ready to offer its expertise and international best practice to support ongoing energy sector reforms and was pleased to receive Minister’s Stathakis confirmation of his participation in the November 2017 IEA Ministerial Meeting in Paris.

Source: iea.org

OPEC Secretary General Meets with TOTAL Chairman and CEO Patrick Pouyanné

13.02.2017

OPEC Secretary General, HE Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, met with Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of French oil and gas company TOTAL SA, during a high-level meeting Tuesday at the company’s headquarters.

Mr. Barkindo exchanged information with Mr. Pouyanné on the recent landmark decision of 30 November 2016, and the subsequent Declaration of Cooperation between OPEC and participating non-OPEC producers reached on 10 December 2016. He also described the extensive bilateral consultations that had taken place in the lead-up to these historic decisions – the first of their kind in decades – which aimed at restoring balance in the oil market.

In his comments, Mr. Pouyanné, who has been CEO of TOTAL SA since 2014, provided a synopsis of the company’s strategies and view of the oil market. He commended OPEC’s achievements, together with other producing countries, and reiterated the necessity of these accomplishments for sustainable market stability in the medium- to long-term.

Mr. Pouyanné also expressed appreciation for OPEC’s initiative to visit TOTAL SA following their recent bilateral meetings in various international policy platforms, and efforts to engage in closer cooperation with international oil companies, in the interest of the global oil industry.

Senior officials and analysts from both TOTAL SA and OPEC held discussions on the prospects for energy and oil, with a focus on supply and demand, refining, gas and renewables, and climate change. They also addressed future challenges in the energy sector under various scenarios.

Both parties agreed to continue such interactions regularly at both expert- and high-levels, with a view towards enhancing ongoing energy dialogue and cooperation.

Source: opec.org

Sona Boost for Renewable Energy Body

13.02.2017

South Africa’s main renewable energy industry body said on Sunday it was confident the country’s renewable power programme would soon be back up to speed after President Jacob Zuma showed support for the sector in his State of the Nation speech.

“Eskom will sign the outstanding power purchase agreements for renewable energy in line with the procured rounds,” Zuma told Parliament in his speech on Thursday.

The South African Renewable Energy Council (Sarec) said the president’s statement was a clear sign of support for the renewable energy programme.

“We now look forward to the identification of PPA (power purchase agreement) signature dates, so South Africa’s well-oiled independent power procurement programme process can continue, and so that construction of the next set of renewable power plants can begin,” Sarec’s chairperson, Brenda Martin, said.

Eskom spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe said: “What the president said last night is not different from what Eskom has been saying all along.”

Source: iol.co.za

UK Offshore Wind ‘Will Lower Energy Bills’ More than Nuclear

13.02.2017

Offshore windfarms could provide cheaper power than Britain’s new wave of nuclear power stations, a leading figure in the wind industry has claimed.

Speaking to the the Guardian, Hugh McNeal, the chief executive of trade body RenewableUK, said he expected that offshore windfarms would secure a deal with the government lower than the £92.50 per megawatt hour agreed with EDF for £18bn Hinkley Point C.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it [offshore wind] cleared Hinkley prices,” he said of the bidding for a £290m-a-year government subsidy pot in April. The auction is under a scheme known as contracts for difference, which offer generators a guaranteed price for their electricity above the wholesale price. A 35-year deal with EDF was agreed last year.

McNeal, a career civil servant who joined RenewableUK from the now abolished Department of Energy and Climate Change last year, was upbeat about the future of offshore wind.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt about the political commitment of any party, apart from perhaps Ukip, to offshore wind. I think it’s got an incredibly healthy future,” he said.

Construction of offshore and onshore windfarms in the UK was responsible for €12.7bn (£11bn) of investment in 2016, or nearly half the year’s financial activity for new wind power in the EU.

The industry has also been buoyed by recent figures showing the price of offshore wind power had fallen by nearly one-third since 2012 to £100/MWh, a crucial milestone as the government will only continue to subsidise the technology if costs go down.

But McNeal said the decision by ministers to end onshore windfarm subsidies had been hard for the industry. The building of new turbines on land is expected to largely grind to a halt after next year.

Green energy subsidies are paid through energy bills, but MPs said last week that government efforts to communicate the impact on consumers had been “shambolic”. McNeal said he found the focus solely on the cost of new low-carbon power “a little bit odd” given the other factors driving energy price rises.

Three of the UK’s big six energy suppliers have announced price increases as their costs have risen, the bulk of which are higher wholesale prices. “We are perhaps a little bit overexposed to global markets over which we have no control, which fluctuate over time,” McNeal said.

Government officials should do more to spell out all the costs of energy to consumers, he added. The impact of renewable energy subsidies on bills has previously been broken down, but the effect on bills from subsidies to coal power stations for providing backup power, for example, are not.

However, McNeal defended the Conservative party, arguing it was unfairly derided as anti-renewables. “We have to actually just look at what’s been achieved,” he said.

“I’m not saying to you that there isn’t a challenge around the [Conservative] onshore wind manifesto commitment; of course there is. But the record is still a pretty remarkable one.”

Renewable energy supplies one-quarter of Britain’s electricity, he said, compared with a marginal amount before the 2010 general election, when the first of three Conservative-led governments came to power.

McNeal would not be drawn on whether Labour’s energy policy, which is pro-renewables and pro-nuclear, but would ban fracking for shale gas, was credible. But he said questions of energy supply should be depoliticised.

“I don’t think it’s my job to tell any party what its energy policy should be. Let’s just take the heat out of all this,” he said. “I just don’t think it does anyone any good to be in public fighting between different forms of technologies.”

Despite saying last year that new onshore windfarms in England were “very unlikely”, McNeal suggested the technology would come back because it was so cheap. “I don’t think onshore is done at all. I think onshore wind has a terrific future in our country,” he said.

McNeal said he was confident that wind power in the UK would thrive after Brexit, even though the industry’s growth had so far been driven in part by binding EU renewable targets for 2020.

“The idea that we need a separate European package [of support] – that would be the crucial thing that would drive our industry – we don’t need that now,” he said, adding that the sector would win on market terms.

Source: businessgreen.com

Humans Causing Climate to Change 170 Times Faster than Natural Forces

13.02.2017

Researchers behind ‘Anthropocene equation’ say impact of people’s intense activity on Earth far exceeds that of natural events spread across millennia.

For the first time, researchers have developed a mathematical equation to describe the impact of human activity on the earth, finding people are causing the climate to change 170 times faster than natural forces.

The equation was developed in conjunction with Professor Will Steffen, a climate change expert and researcher at the Australian National University, and was published in the journal The Anthropocene Review.

The authors of the paper wrote that for the past 4.5bn years astronomical and geophysical factors have been the dominating influences on the Earth system. The Earth system is defined by the researchers as the biosphere, including interactions and feedbacks with the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere and upper lithosphere.

But over the past six decades human forces “have driven exceptionally rapid rates of change in the Earth system,” the authors wrote, giving rise to a period known as the Anthropocene.

“Human activities now rival the great forces of nature in driving changes to the Earth system,” the paper said.

Steffen and his co-researcher, Owen Gaffney, from the Stockholm Resilience Centre, came up with an “Anthropocene Equation” to determine the impact of this period of intense human activity on the earth.

Explaining the equation in New Scientist, Gaffney said they developed it “by homing in on the rate of change of Earth’s life support system: the atmosphere, oceans, forests and wetlands, waterways and ice sheets and fabulous diversity of life”.

“For four billion years the rate of change of the Earth system has been a complex function of astronomical and geophysical forces plus internal dynamics: Earth’s orbit around the sun, gravitational interactions with other planets, the sun’s heat output, colliding continents, volcanoes and evolution, among others,” he wrote.

“In the equation, astronomical and geophysical forces tend to zero because of their slow nature or rarity, as do internal dynamics, for now. All these forces still exert pressure, but currently on orders of magnitude less than human impact.”

According to Steffen these forces have driven a rate of change of 0.01 degrees Celsius per century.

Greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans over the past 45 years, on the other hand, “have increased the rate of temperature rise to 1.7 degrees Celsius per century, dwarfing the natural background rate,” he said.

This represented a change to the climate that was 170 times faster than natural forces.

“We are not saying the astronomical forces of our solar system or geological processes have disappeared, but in terms of their impact in such a short period of time they are now negligible compared with our own influence,” Steffen said.

“Crystallising this evidence in the form of a simple equation gives the current situation a clarity that the wealth of data often dilutes.

“What we do is give a very specific number to show how humans are affecting the earth over a short timeframe. It shows that while other forces operate over millions of years, we as humans are having an impact at the same strength as the many of these other forces, but in the timeframe of just a couple of centuries.

“The human magnitude of climate change looks more like a meteorite strike than a gradual change.”

Gaffney and Steffen wrote that while the Earth system had proven resilient, achieving millions of years of relative stability due to the complex interactions between the Earth’s core and the biosphere, human societies would be unlikely to fare so well.

Failure to reduce anthropological climate change could “trigger societal collapse”, their research concluded.

Source: theguardian.com

Photo: ISS/NASA

Caffè Nero Teams Up with Bio-Bean and First Mile to Turn Waste Coffee Into Fuel

13.02.2017

coffee-beans — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Caffè Nero has revealed details of a scheme to recycle coffee grounds from 122 of its London stores to make low-carbon fuel.

The scheme, which was formally announced late last week but which has been running since July 2016, sees recycling specialists First Mile pick up coffee waste from Caffè Nero stores and take it directly to coffee recyclers bio-bean’s Cambridgeshire factory to be turned into biomass fuel for boilers and woodburners.

By July 2017 – when the scheme will have been in operation for a full year – Caffè Nero calculates it will have helped repurpose 218 tonnes of used coffee grounds, producing enough fuel to heat 435 homes for a year.

“We are always looking at ways to improve our recycling so we are very excited to be working with First Mile and bio-bean on this initiative and will seek to extend it beyond Greater London,” Matt Spencer, commercial director at Caffè Nero, said in a statement. “We are committed to doing our bit to help address the recycling issues we all face today.”

The coffee giant said its partnership with First Mile allows the waste to be transported directly to bio-bean, rather than via an intermediary depot, helping to avoid 125,000 road miles in the first year of the scheme.

The news of the partnership follows an announcement from Costa in December that bio-bean now receives coffee waste from 850 of its cafes nationwide, amounting to 3,000 tonnes of waste coffee grounds annually.

Alongside the production of ‘coffee logs’ for woodburners and biomass pellets for biomass boilers, bio-bean is also working on a system to turn the oils from coffee waste in to biodiesel for vehicles. Experiments suggest one tonne of coffee waste could produce enough renewable fuel to fill four cars.

Source: businessgreen.com

European Wind Energy Investment Breezes Past Record-Breaking €27bn Milestone

10.02.2017

The growing dominance of renewables in the European power industry was underlined yesterday with the release of a new report showing how renewable energy accounted for 86 per cent of all new EU power installations in 2016.

Trade body WindEurope’s annual report revealed how wind commanded the largest share of the clean energy market, accounting for 51 per cent of all new power installations last year as 12.5GW of new capacity was added across 28 EU member states.

The industry also set a new record for investment in wind energy projects, with €27.5bn invested as a 39 per cent increase in offshore wind investment more than offset a 29 per cent decline in investment in onshore wind farms.

Overall European wind capacity reached 153.7GW, with wind energy meeting 10.4 per cent of Europe’s electricity needs last year.

Germany topped the league table for the most new capacity, securing 44 per cent of the EU total, while France, the Netherlands, Finland, Ireland and Lithuania all enjoyed record years.

Giles Dickson, chief executive at WindEurope, said the impressive performance underscored wind energy’s position as “a mainstream and essential part of Europe’s electricity supply”.

“It is also a mature and significant industry in its own right, now providing 330,000 jobs and billions of Euros of European exports,” he added.

However, he warned the outlook for an industry that is increasingly cost-competitive with fossil fuels was being complicated by a lack of policy clarity for the sector beyond 2020.

“With all the talk about the transition to low-carbon, things should be looking good long-term for the wind industry in Europe – but they’re not,” he argued. “Government policy on energy across Europe is less clear and ambitious than it was a few years ago. Only seven out of 28 EU Member States have targets and policies in place for renewables beyond 2020. The transition from feed-in tariffs to auctions has been less smooth than we hoped. We still have dysfunctional electricity markets that are not fit for renewables. And we’re lacking long-term price signals to support investment.”

Source: businessgreen.com

New Project in South Africa to Produce Renewable Energy from Organic Waste

10.02.2017

PRETORIA, South Africa – A project aiming to transform organic waste from agriculture and agro-processing industries into renewable energy and organic fertilizer, which in turn will accelerate the development of the biogas market in South Africa, was launched today by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Pretoria. The US$4.22 million project was funded by the Global Environment Facility and raised US$41.88 million in co-financing.

“The project will help micro, small and medium enterprises in South Africa address the need for reliable and affordable energy supply and the challenge of managing organic waste streams. In particular, it will promote market-based deployment of low-carbon technologies for energy production, which is in line with UNIDO’s mandate of promoting inclusive and sustainable industrial development,” said Alois Mhlanga, who manages this project at UNIDO.

In addition, Mhlanga highlighted that the project will help create new and green jobs and support agricultural development through the generation and use of organic fertilizer from the biogas systems.

The project’s launch event was attended by more than 80 delegates from the public and private sectors in South Africa, as well as representatives of multilateral, bilateral, and non-governmental organizations.

During the opening ceremony, Walid Badawi, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations Development Programme, commended UNIDO’s active role in promoting inclusive growth and decent work as well as sustainable development in the country, which are two of the focus areas indicated in the United Nations Strategic Cooperation Framework in South Africa.

Zaheer Fakir, Chief Policy Advisor at the Department of Environmental Affairs, expressed his appreciation of the support provided by UNIDO and GEF. He highlighted the commitment of the Government of South Africa to ensure the success of the project as it brings about multiple benefits to the country and is in line with the national development priorities.

Mark Tiepelt, Chairperson of the Southern Africa Biogas Industry Association, highlighted the important role of biogas as a renewable energy resource in the energy supply mix of South Africa.

Source: unido.org

Solar Inverter Supplier of the Year 2016

10.02.2017

ABB in India was nominated ‘Solar Inverter Supplier of the Year 2016’. The award was presented as part of the first Solar Today Awards at Intersolar India 2016.

ABB has been working in the area of integrating renewables into the grid with proven and pioneering solutions in the solar and wind energy spheres. This capability was recognized at Intersolar India 2016 when ABB India was presented the ‘Solar Inverter Supplier of the Year’ award as part of the first Solar Today Awards 2016.

An independent jury chose winners based on data published by a leading consultancy and knowledge services provider in the Indian renewable market, also evaluating the installed base and customer feedback.

“ABB has a market share of 40 percent in the solar inverter market in India. This award is a testimony to our leadership position, underscored by our diverse portfolio across the solar photovoltaic (PV) value chain manufactured at our facility in Karnataka. It recognizes our next level capabilities in supporting the achievement of the solar power generation milestone of 100 GW by 2022, set by the National Solar Mission,” commented KN Sreevatsa, Local Business Unit Manager, Power and Electric Vehicle Infrastructure in ABB’s Electrification Products division.

ABB is a leading global supplier of solar PV inverters. ABB solar inverters range from 2 kW to 2 MW and are optimized for residential rooftop usage as well as cost-efficient multi-megawatt power plants. They improve reliability, efficiency and are easy to install. Plant management solutions, including environmental management, software tools and lifetime support, are also part of the portfolio.

In India, ABB began manufacturing solar inverters at its state-of-the-art Nelamangala factory in 2012. To double local manufacturing capacity and consolidate ABB India’s position in the market, a new solar inverter factory was inaugurated at Nelamangala in September 2016. This expansion followed earlier milestones achieved last year when ABB became the first company in the country to double the solar inverter installed base to 2 GW within the short span of five months.

Other landmark solar inverter projects by ABB in India include the world’s first fully solar powered airport, the world’s largest single rooftop solar project, the world’s longest canal top solar project, solar electrification of schools and solar installations at all of India’s major airports.

ABB is a pioneering technology leader in electrification products, robotics and motion, industrial automation and power grids, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally. Continuing more than a 125-year history of innovation, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization and driving the Energy and Fourth Industrial Revolutions. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 135,000 employees.

Source: abb.com

Website on Energy Efficiency in Households Launched

10.02.2017

A consulting company “Enova” from Sarajevo, in cooperation with the organization Habitat for Humanity from Bratislava, with the financial help from the USAID, has launched a website on energy efficiency in households, with a focus on collective housing. This was announced yesterday.

Source: fena.ba

Shell Fuel Stations in U.K., Netherlands to Add Electric-Car Charging

10.02.2017

Both Royal Dutch Shell and France’s Total plan to add charging stations, with Shell having already selected some potential locations.

Certain Shell fuel stations in the U.K. and The Netherlands will offer electric-car charging later this year, Shell’s John Abbott said in a recent interview with the Financial Times.

Total told the Financial Times that it is “studying the viability” of installing charging stations at locations in its home market. Interest in electric-car charging represents one way oil companies are acknowledging the growth of electric-car sales, which will ultimately reduce demand for oil.

Shell’s Abbott said battery-electric power won’t overtake internal-combustion vehicles as the dominant form of propulsion for “decades,” and that Shell sees charging stations as a potential new business opportunity. While drivers are waiting for their cars to charge, they may “want to have a coffee or something to eat,” he noted.

Indeed, most of the revenue made by operators of individual fuel stations comes from concessions, not from the fuel itself. Many public charging stations are already located at restaurants, shopping malls, supermarkets, and other places where users are expected to linger.

Electric-car charging at gas stations has been considered before by other parties. Besides investigating electric-car charging, Shell and Total are also part of the newly-formed Hydrogen Council. The organization is made up of 13 companies—including several automakers—and plans to promote the use of fuel cells for both transportation and energy.

At the council’s first meeting last month, members pledged a combined $10.7 billion investment in vehicle and infrastructure development over the next five years.

Source: greencarreports.com

Energy Efficiency Receives Major Boost at the Western Balkan 6 Summit in Skopje

10.02.2017

European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Commissioner Johannes Hahn signed an agreement in the amount of 50 million euros with international financial institutions (EBRD, EIB and KfW) at the Western Balkan 6 energy ministerial in Skopje yesterday. The grant will assist Western Balkan 6 governments in preparing or upgrading their energy efficiency laws, support energy efficiency measures, help municipalities to attract private investment in the public sector and, finally, provide incentives to soften the investment burden on consumers.

The funds will be channeled through the Regional Energy Efficiency Programme (REEP) for the Western Balkans, which is run in cooperation with the Energy Community Secretariat. REEP support is customized to the countries’ needs in terms of technical support, investment incentives and a dedicated lending facility set up by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the “Green Economy Financing Facility”.

Janez Kopač, Director of the Energy Community Secretariat, said: “By combining its unique technical and legal expertise with its advocacy power, the Energy Community Secretariat is able to play a bridging role between the countries, the European Commission and the financial institutions. We are proud to be the trusted partner of both the countries and the EBRD in the REEP programme.”

Source: energy-community.org

IKEA Cooks Up Kitchen Made from Recycled Plastic Bottles

09.02.2017

IKEA has further expanded its portfolio of green products with the launch this week of a new range of sustainable kitchen fronts made using recycled plastics and wood.

The KUNGSBACKA range has been manufactured from recycled PET bottles and reclaimed wood.

Around 25 half litre PET bottles are used to make the plastic foil that coats the range’s wooden kitchen fronts.

IKEA said the range had been developed in order to create a “sustainable kitchen without compromising on quality, design or price”.

The new products will be available from this month in matte-look anthracite with new colours planned for the coming months.

Anna Granath, product developer at IKEA, said the move was part of a wider push to use more recycled materials in the company’s products.

“What we do at IKEA has a big impact on the environment due to the large quantities we produce so by using recycled materials, we can create products which are more environmentally-friendly and sustainable,” she said in a statement. “Our ambition at IKEA is to increase the share of recycled materials in our products so we are looking into new ways to re-use materials, such as paper, fibre, foam and plastic, so that we can give them a new life in a new product.”

David Vine, IKEA UK and Ireland kitchens business leader, hailed the move to turn “everyday waste into beautiful furniture”.

“At IKEA we are very conscious of the impact of waste, knowing that plastic bottles take up to 1,000 years to decompose and that 70 per cent of all PET bottles end up in either landfill or worse in our seas and oceans, is of concern,” he said. “Today, 90 per cent of waste created in the kitchen is recycled but few think about the kitchen itself, we hope that the launch of this range will help people to think about the materials that are in their home furnishings and create a more sustainable home setting.”

The launch is part of a long running push from IKEA to deliver more sustainable products and curb its environmental impact. The multinational retailer has previously switched its entire lighting range to energy efficiency LEDs and has announced a multi-billion Euro investment plan to source clean energy for its operations.

Source: businessgreen.com

Schneider Electric Boosts its Contribution to Circular Economy Alongside 32 other Major French Companies

09.02.2017

AFEP, the French Association of Private Companies, presented its report to Minister Ségolène Royal and Secretary of State Christophe Sirugue, entitled “Circular economy trajectories: 33 companies boost their contribution through 100 commitments”, at the Circular Economy Conference held on February 1st at the Ministry of the Environment, Energy and the Sea.

AFEP member companies are playing an active role for several years now in the challenge of the circular economy. The report details concrete actions taken by these companies across more than 18 different business sectors based on all the drivers of the circular economy (recycling, sustainable procurement, eco-design, responsible consumption, industrial and territorial ecology, economics of functionality, extension of useful life).

Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management and automation, confirmed four commitments for the period 2015-2017:

Eco-design of all its offers by incorporating key dimensions of circularity for each new product development (e.g. lifespan, repairability, upgradability, ability to be retrofitted or dismantled, recyclability of components, etc.);

Promotion of its ecoFITTM services, which consists of retrofitting Schneider Electric products and those of other brands. These services help to return equipment to its optimum performance thus extending its lifespan;

Enhance and promote transparency regarding product “circularity” information, aiming to make 75% of its revenues from products with a full life cycle analysis and specific instructions covering product end-of-life management, both accessible to its customers and partners digitally around the clock;

Reduce waste generation, maximise its reuse or second life (over 90% recovery and recycling rate) under satisfactory safety conditions and to achieve “zero landfill” for waste. Target of 100 industrial sites by the end of 2017, with efforts continuing.

To find out more: www.afep.com

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