California's Enhanced Consumer Product Safety Regulations (SCP) were finally passed on October 1, 2013. This ambitious and groundbreaking regulation is likely to change market rules and even trigger lawsuits, prompting California product manufacturers, importers, and retailers to take it very seriously. This precedent-setting regulation, which aims to drive green chemistry initiatives in California, has drawn significant attention from stakeholders, especially given Washington's slow progress in reforming the crucial federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and California's large market size. A draft of SCP's priority products will be released before April. The definition of SCP consumer products adopts the definition of consumer products in California's Sanitation Safety Act 25251: "Products used for personal purposes or as a result of using, carrying, or renting parts of a product." Parts used in assembling products are also considered consumer products, but pharmaceuticals, medical devices, dental restoration materials, food, and pesticides are not. The California Enhanced Consumer Product Safety Regulations focus on four key steps: – Identifying candidate chemicals –

Unable to significantly reduce carbon emissions, the US government encourages energy conservation to mitigate its negative environmental impact. Consequently, the US has spent approximately $4 billion annually on energy-saving equipment over the past few years. According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), China's investment in energy conservation in 2013 was almost one-third of the global total, reaching $4.3 billion, surpassing the US for the first time. Global energy conservation spending totaled $14.9 billion in 2013, a 5% increase from 2012. BNEF indicates that the energy conservation market in Asia and Europe will continue to grow until 2020, while North America will shift its focus from hardware to software in order to identify key energy-saving measures from grid data. China currently has nearly 250 million smart meters installed, compared to the EU's projected increase from 55 million to 180 million by 2020. Source: CleanBiz.Asia (2014-02-19) (Compiled by PIDC)

Coca-Cola, a multinational corporation that has always prioritized economic efficiency, saw its fortunes change in 2004 when it lost its lucrative business license in India due to severe water shortages. Global droughts depleted the water resources needed for Coca-Cola's soft drink production, leading to escalating financial losses over the past decade. Today, Coca-Cola is forced to accept the view that climate change is a serious economic disruptor. "Increasing droughts, more unpredictable changes, and once-in-a-century floods every two years," says Jeffrey Seabright, Coca-Cola's Vice President of Environment and Water, listing recent climate issues. These problems have also disrupted the supply of sugarcane and sugar beets, as well as citrus fruits needed for juice production. "When we consider the most needed ingredients in our formulations, we see these events as threats to the company's normal operations." Coca-Cola's experience reflects a new trend in the perceptions of American business leaders and mainstream economists. Global warming is now seen as a destructive force that will lower GDP, increase food and commodity costs, disrupt supply chains, and exacerbate financial risks. Due to supply chain disruptions caused by extreme weather, Nike, a multinational corporation with over 700 factories in 49 countries worldwide, has publicly expressed its stance on global warming. In 2008, floods forced Nike to temporarily close four factories in Thailand. Because the production of sportswear relies on cotton, the company faced challenges in production.

In 2013, green homes accounted for 23% of the overall US residential construction market, and it is projected to grow significantly to about one-third of the market by 2016. According to a survey conducted by McGraw Hill Construction dating back to 2006, green building development has not been affected by the housing market downturn in recent years; on the contrary, it has grown against the trend. Construction companies specializing in green building are more competitive and less likely to be eliminated by the market than those unfamiliar with energy conservation, carbon reduction, or green homes. Based on the current growth trend of green homes, total construction revenue in 2016 is projected to grow from $36 billion in 2013 to between $83 billion and $105 billion. These figures are from a large-scale survey of green home builders and renovators presented by McGraw Hill Construction at the National Association of Home Builders International Builders’ Show. The survey also indicates that the increase in green homes is due to: –

Ocean enthusiasts and fashion lovers have joined forces for "The Vortex Project," a new opportunity to transform ocean plastic waste into fashionable denim apparel. The project, named after the "Pacific Trash Vortex," known as the world's largest landfill, focuses on recycling plastic waste from coastlines and the ocean, enhancing its reuse to produce yarn, fabrics, and other consumer products. One of the project's sponsoring partners, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, partnered with eco-friendly apparel company Bionic Yarn to launch "The Vortex Project" at the American Museum of Natural History during New York Fashion Week this month. Addressing over 300 fashion industry figures and media representatives, Ocean Keeper's Secretary Paul Watson stated, "Plastic is suffocating the ocean and marine life at an unprecedented rate. Straws, single-use plastic bags, plastic rings from six-pack beverage containers, bottle caps, and other plastic waste either entangle marine life or clog their digestive systems, leading to the death of these beautiful creatures. We hope this project will open up many meaningful opportunities for collaboration in the future." The "Whirlpool Project" will involve Ocean Keeper's Association in collecting, developing, innovating, and advocating for innovation, and will collaborate with Ocean Keeper's Association chapters around the world to launch...

To strengthen environmental protection and improve economic efficiency, the City of Vancouver in Western Canada has partnered with GreenMantra, an Ontario-based environmental technology company, to develop a technology that uses recycled plastic bottles as raw material to extract waxy granules to prevent asphalt aging. It is estimated that approximately 400 kilograms of waste plastic raw materials can be converted into a large amount of waxy granules, enough to pave at least four road sections, becoming an important material for warm mix asphalt paving technology. Experts say that warm mix asphalt is an energy-saving and environmentally friendly new road material and technology with advantages such as emission reduction, energy saving, easy mixing, easy compaction, and reduced aging, and is becoming increasingly popular in North America. It is understood that previous road paving used hot mix asphalt, which required heating the asphalt to a high temperature of around 150 degrees Celsius during construction, consuming energy and producing large amounts of odor and greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, warm-mix asphalt is about 3% more expensive than traditional hot-mix asphalt. However, due to soaring energy prices, the cost of warm-mix asphalt is expected to decrease in the future. Increased market demand will attract more environmental technology companies to invest in production and research, which is anticipated to create local economic and employment opportunities. The Vancouver city government stated that to achieve its goal of becoming the "Greenest City 2020"—that is, to become the world's most environmentally friendly city by 2020—the city government has formulated a green city action plan, and future road paving projects in Vancouver will gradually switch to warm-mix asphalt.

When people think of water, most think of drinking water. However, we also need water to grow crops, generate electricity, manufacture clothes, mine coal, and so on. In short, water is a major driving force for economic development. Currently, 97% of China's electricity production requires water daily; therefore, without water, there is no electricity. Between 2010 and 2030, China plans to add 1.2 terawatts (1 terawatt = 1 billion kilowatts) of hydropower, which is higher than the current combined installed capacity of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Coal plays a dominant role in China's energy structure. To reduce carbon emissions, China plans to reduce the proportion of coal in its energy structure from 70% to 55%, but this will increase China's coal-fired power generation by approximately 450 gigawatts (1 gigawatt = 1 million kilowatts), more than double India's current power generation. Coal has always received significant attention in air pollution discussions, but few people know about its destructive impact on water resources. Coal mining consumes large amounts of water and also pollutes water resources. 95% of China's coal mining requires significant amounts of groundwater. Studies show that mining one ton of coal in Shanxi Province depletes 1.07 cubic meters of groundwater. 70% of China's coal comes from Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Hebei, potentially exacerbating groundwater pollution in the North China Plain. Worse still, 53% of China's coal reserves are located in water-scarce areas, and 30% in water-stressed regions. Mining and cleaning one ton of coal requires 24 bathtubs of water. In 2011, the largest coal-producing provinces in China produced...

Palm oil is widely cultivated in tropical regions of Asia, Africa, and South America; however, 85% of the world's palm oil products come from Malaysia and Indonesia. In 2011, Indonesia produced 9 million tons of palm oil, ranking first in the world. Over the next 10 years, the Indonesian government plans to double its production and actively develop peatlands along the tropical rainforest coast. Recent research has finally confirmed the relationship between oil palm production and greenhouse gas emissions, making this decision by the Indonesian government highly significant globally. Unlike other scientists who measure greenhouse gas emissions from palm oil, two graduate students from Tohoku University in Japan, Fatwa Ramdani and Masteru Hino, focus solely on greenhouse gas emissions in Riau province, rather than considering the entire country of Indonesia. Both tropical rainforests and peatlands provide important ecosystem services, such as providing habitats, clean air and water, and even carbon storage. However, peatlands are undoubtedly the world's champions in carbon storage. Peatlands are typically damp and muddy, requiring a long time for any dead organisms to decompose. Carbon extracted by plants from the atmosphere is stored indefinitely in dead or living cells. However, whenever the ecosystem is disturbed or altered, the stored carbon is released. Between 2000 and 2012, Riau province's peatlands were subjected to large-scale encroachment by 137 multinational corporations and 2 publicly listed companies. The natural forest cover in Riau province plummeted from 63% in 1990 to 22% in 2012.

Scientists have discovered that microplastics in the ocean can seriously harm the health of marine worms (sea worms), a species at the bottom of the food chain, through ingestion, further impacting the overall marine ecosystem. Microplastics may be composed of polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride, or polystyrene. Because of their small size, they are difficult to filter out by current wastewater treatment processes and thus enter the ocean. Since the 1960s, microplastics smaller than 5 millimeters have been accumulating in the ocean, and these microplastics are now among the most common solid pollutants on Earth. Species at the bottom of the food chain are food for other species and play an indispensable role in the food chain. When sediment contains high concentrations of microplastics, and these species ingest them, will it harm them? Two UK studies published in the journal *Current Biology* explored the impact of these invisible microplastics on species at the bottom of the food chain. A study conducted by the University of Exeter in the UK using sea worms found that sea worms foraging in highly polluted waters ate less and had less energy. A study from the University of Plymouth has revealed for the first time that worms ingesting microplastics also consume pollutants and additives, impacting their health and biodiversity. Many other organisms exhibit similar foraging behaviors to worms, such as starfish, sea cucumbers, and fiddler crabs, and these organisms may also be affected in a similar way. There are three categories of microplastics: the first is the plastic raw material "nurdles," which, when melted, can be made into larger plastic objects or used to manufacture...

On November 4, 2013, the European Commission adopted a recommendation to amend the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (94/62/EC) to reduce the consumption of thin plastic shopping bags. The overall goal of this recommendation is to encourage EU member states to take measures to reduce the consumption of thin plastic bags less than 0.05 mm (50 micrometers) thick. While the EU does not have legislation regulating the production and use of plastic bags, some member states have introduced measures to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags. These measures vary, ranging from pricing and agreements with retailers to promotional campaigns. Currently, plastic bag waste remains a significant environmental problem affecting the EU and the world. Assessments by the authorities show that plastic bag usage varies across member states, making it difficult to set reasonable reduction targets for all. Therefore, the European Commission proposes that the revised directive should include broader targets, requiring member states to take measures to reduce the consumption of thin plastic bags less than 0.05 mm thick. However, member states can set their own targets and decide on the most appropriate measures to achieve them. The revised Directive 94/62/EC will specify the types of measures member states can take, such as economic measures like fees or levies, and market restrictions, including national reduction targets and limits. Any measures taken by member states must comply with EU law, particularly the provisions of the Treaties on Internal Market Quantitative Limitations.

A study by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has found high levels of lead in coffee brewed by some espresso machines. The institute is currently evaluating feasible testing methods to measure the amount of metal released from food contact materials during the coffee-making process. BfR believes that acidic descaling products may be the cause of lead release from metal parts of espresso machines. Source: Chemical Watch (December 6, 2013) (Compiled by PIDC)

Amazon.com, one of the world’s largest online retail platforms, announced that its “Frustration-Free Sustainable Packaging Initiative” has effectively reduced the use of hard plastic clamshells and twist ties. Because overly rigid or excessive packaging materials can cause frustration and anger among consumers when opening their packages—and increase the consumption of natural resources—Amazon decided five years ago to promote the concept of sustainable packaging. When the initiative first launched, only 19 products participated. However, after five years of effort, more than 200,000 product packages have now been redesigned using easy-to-open, recyclable materials. This not only reduces consumer frustration during unboxing but also minimizes the negative environmental impact of packaging waste. Amazon has partnered with more than 2,000 manufacturers, including major global brands such as Fisher-Price, Mattel, Unilever, Seventh Generation, Belkin, Victorinox Swiss Army, and Logitech. Together, they promote the use of smaller, recyclable cardboard boxes that protect contents while reducing packaging waste. To date, Amazon has sold more than 75 million products with sustainable packaging.

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has published its first unified technical specification for notebook computer chargers, which the international standards organization says will "significantly reduce" e-waste. This IEC unified DC charger specification for notebook computers, IEC Technical Specification 62700: DC Power supply for notebook computer, is expected to be officially launched in early 2014. Billions of external chargers are produced and sold globally each year. Notebook computer chargers typically weigh around 300 grams, sometimes even reaching 600 grams. Because these chargers vary by brand or model, incompatible chargers become waste when consumers buy new computers. Alternatively, given the short shelf life of electronic information products today, once a product is discontinued, the inability to purchase a compatible charger renders a still-usable computer useless. The IEC estimates that e-waste related to chargers for various electronic information and communication products exceeds 500,000 tons annually. This new IEC technical specification covers many key aspects of external chargers for notebook computers, including connectors and plugs, safety, compatibility, performance, and environmental factors. This specification will allow consumers to...

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a press release on December 2nd, stating that in the first half of fiscal year 2013 (October 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013), it prevented a total of 6.1 million non-compliant or dangerous consumer products from entering the U.S. market. The CPSC used a pilot targeting system based on risk assessment methodologies to analyze data provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to identify high-risk consumer goods and determine which shipments to inspect. In cooperation with Customs and Border Protection, the CPSC inspected 12,435 imported products in the first half of fiscal year 2013, determining that 678 of them did not comply with federal mandatory consumer product safety regulations or were unsafe for public use. Of these intercepted non-compliant products, children's products accounted for 86.7% (588 out of 678 products), but only 19.7% by number (1,201,922 out of 6,095,106 items). The remainder were non-children's products. Of the 588 children's products seized by authorities, 335, or 57.0%, had excessively high lead content. 56, or 9.5%, contained banned phthalates; 48, or 8.2%, lacked traceability labels; and 32 (5.4%) were toys and other products with non-compliant small parts. Other violations included failure to comply with appropriate safety regulations.