Eco-label Cleaning Products – a Breakthrough for the Uk’s Cleaning Industry

Clean and green cleaning products,whether used in a washing machine, a mop bucket or the kitchen sink, all contain cleaning agents that help to strip away grime. After flushed down the drain, many detergents cause undue harm to nature. By contrast, cleaning products with the Eco-label do the same job while causing minimal environmental harm.

Eco Cleaning Products Advantage:

guarantee effectiveness — the products are tested by independent laboratories for quality; are labelled with clear guidelines for safe, effective and efficient use; and contain fewer hazardous chemicals.

By following the Eco-label range, you get products that tread gently on the environment throughout their life cycle, from the creation of the chemicals themselves, to their packaging, to their disposal . Simply said, Eco-labelled cleaning products are better by nature.

The Eco-label cleaning supplies range represents a breakthrough for the UK’s cleaning industry and will help to address the increasing problem of toxic chemicals entering the ecosystem from the cleaning industry.

The range which boasts several unique products, including a multipurpose detergent, glass cleaner, cleaning chemicals, and handwash/ hand cleaners will appeal to companies, contractors and distributors who are increasingly concerned with the environmental impact of cleaning regimes.

The eco-label is recognised throughout Europe as a top-level award scheme for products that provide first class performance with minimal environmental impact.

Detergents and cleaning products that carry the eco-label flower icon achieve high levels of biodegradability and are independently certified to prove they are greener, yet still perform as well as other leading brands.

The hope is “that now there would be more companies within the cleaning industry taking steps to address their notorious environmental impact.”

The green ecolabel products are colloid cleaners, based on micelle technology.

Colloid cleaners use electrically charged micelle molecule structures to separate and trap dirt, lifting it from the surface to which it adhered without the ability to redeposit.

The range of products is compliant with both current and future legislation, including the European Biocidal Products Directive which will come into effect under the REACH Directive to ensure that a high level of protection for humans, animals and the environment is provided.

To ensure demand for the eco-label range of products is met, the companies should actively seek distribution partners on a national level.

GE Energizes the Electric Car Battery Industry with A123 (part 2)

GE leverages its experience in bringing new technologies to market quickly and cost efficiently with the lithium-ion battery manufacturer A123 Systems.

Demand for Green Eco-Cars Adding Auto Industry Jobs

As consumer demands for electric cars increase, so will jobs in green technology. The last five years have seen the auto industry handing out more pink slips than applications and even though it is agreed that the auto industry will most likely never return to its pre-recession employee numbers, the increasing popularity of environmentally friendly vehicles will see some jobs return.

According to information from Des Rosiers Automotive Consultants, in 2001, it there were 199,218 Canadians working in the auto industry. In 2009, a 7 per cent drop to 133,375 was noted and in April of 2010, there were an estimated 123,829 Canadians employed by the industry.

The Electrovaya Mississauga, Ontario plant is currently hiring engineers to help produce the lithium-ion batteries that run these green, eco-machines. Gitanjali DasGupta, manager of Electrovaya’s electric vehicle division says, “Every auto company is looking to green their fleets, to electrify their fleets. (The industry) is truly making a very structural shift. Electrovaya is an enabler of that and one of the key beneficiaries of that.”

Due to high expectations in the demand for green cars, Linamar Corp, which is Canada’s second largest manufacturer of auto parts in Guelph, intends to hire as many as 1,300 people by the end of 2011. Linda Hasenfratz noted in a recent interview that these numbers are the result of the consumer’s demand for the manufacturing of solar energy parts as well as to build more fuel-efficient cars.

Carlos Gomes, automotive economist at Scotiabank feels, “The next generation of jobs in the Canadian auto industry won’t come from the big automakers’ assembly plants, but from suppliers that develop innovative new technologies. I think that is one of the key trends going forward, especially because we now have legislation in place that requires the automakers to improve their overall fuel efficiency,” Gomes said.

The employment boost from the demand in green technologies won’t be felt until around 2015. “Certainly there will be an advantage from green (technology), but that’s not going to be instantaneous. We don’t expect to see massive impacts from green for some time,” says Bill Pochiluk, president of industry research firm AutomotiveCompass.

In April 2010, the Canadian and U.S. governments made a joint announcement regarding the new auto standards which include an increase of 40 per cent on fuel-efficiency and a 25 per cent reduction of greenhouse emissions within the next six years. These new compliances will put a strain on older cars that are still on the road, but putting in some environmentally friendly repairs in an attempt to upkeep is cheaper than altogether replacing your car.

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Shape-shifting robot plane offers safer alternative for maritime rescue
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Race car driver shows talent before Infineon crash
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Arizona set to become center for algae-based, biofuel industry
Researchers are a few years away from reducing dependence on foreign oil.

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New Partnership Continues Green Industry, College Connection

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Fuel Economy Dispute Looms Auto Industry

Automakers face their biggest challenge in 16 years as the Senate taps efficiency rules. As the dispute between automakers and lawmakers continues, the industry becomes increasingly gloomy. Vagueness and rage loom like dark clouds trying to blur the entire system.

The dispute…

The drive to hike fuel efficiency standards obtained a dramatic step forward likened to the performance of EBC Redstuff last Tuesday when a Senate committee approved a 40 percent raise over the next decade. Democrats vowed to hold a full Senate vote sometime next month on the bill. The latter mandates all auto manufacturers to increase the average fuel economy of their vehicle fleets to 35 miles per gallon by 2020 and this is a move that the automakers denounced as unrealistic.

The bill was unanimously approved by the Senate Commerce Committee, making it the first fuel economy bill to pass that hurdle since 1991. The move prepares the stage for a major dispute over new rules that could cost automakers tens of billions of dollars.

In the past six months, automakers have seen the ground shift beneath them on fuel economy because of fluctuating gas prices, the war in Iraq, calls for energy independence, and increasing concerns about climate change. These factors dragged away supporters who have long helped Detroit automakers fight for tougher standards.

Dave McCurdy, the head of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a trade group that represents the General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., DaimlerChrysler AG, the Toyota Motor Corp. and other automakers, called the bill unrealistic and unattainable. “They really are more interested in political statements and posturing at this stage of the game,” said McCurdy, a former congressman. “I don’t see serious legislating going on. This is not the end game. This is the first inning and there’s a lot left to be played.”

How serious is it?

To gauge how serious the fuel economy dispute has become, the credit ratings service Standard & Poor’s said that automakers face a long term threat to their balance sheets as the European Union, Japan and the United States consider proposals to reduce emissions and boost fuel efficiency. In a report, S&P said regulations “pose a real risk to global automakers financial performance, particularly as some are already under pressure from razor-thin margins.”

Senators from rural states like Alaska, Idaho and North Dakota have upturned course in recent months and signed on to mandatory fuel economy raise, notwithstanding the fact that Detroit automakers say those requirements could threaten their ability to produce large vehicles, including pickups popular in rural states.

All at once, Detroit automakers’ political clout has declined as they focus on their restructure plans that involve plant closures, job cuts, while the United Auto Workers’ (UAW) sway among Democrats softens with its waning ranks.

The best hope of both foreign and domestic auto manufacturers may be in unity. This is the advice delivered in private by Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn, the powerful chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Dingell is sure to come under more pressure to act on fuel economy, albeit his intention to propose a broader bill that would require other industries to do their part to limit the emission of greenhouse gasses.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said last Tuesday that the lower chamber would vote on a fuel economy proposal before the end of the year. A number of senators have laid the blame for Detroit’s troubles on the companies’ successful lobbying efforts to obstruct fuel efficiency raise.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Meanwhile, automakers are struggling to bolster their environmental credentials. GM said Tuesday that it had become the first automaker to join the U.S. Climate Action Partnership – a coalition of businesses and environmental groups calling for more action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Ford and DaimlerChrysler said that they may also join.

Automobiles account for 20 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, which have been linked to global warming. Improving fuel economy is considered one of the best ways to reduce emissions. Automakers warn it will be very expensive, however, if not impossible, to meet the proposed fuel economy mandates. They say it could add as much as $6,000 to the cost of every vehicle and force them to abandon some market segments, especially big vehicles, the most profitable for Detroit.

Environmentalists and lawmakers reject that argument. Joan Claybrook, the head of Public Citizen, which supports higher fuel economy standards, mocked the approved bill for not requiring “any real or significant improvement in fuel economy. It is also much lower than what manufacturers could easily achieve with the wide variety of technologies available to them.”

On improving the bill…

The committee also reinstated the fuel economy credit automakers get for manufacturing flexible fuel vehicles that run on E85 or other alternative fuels. “We’re trying to make the bill better,” said Mike Stanton, the chief lobbyist for the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers. If Congress wants to set an arbitrary number, it should set an “off ramp” that lets regulators waive increases if they prove infeasible, he said.

U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Detroit, has been aggressively lobbying his colleagues, but expressed dissatisfaction with the final bill. “It’s got major problems,” Levin said. The committee had made some improvements,” which represent a few little steps in the right direction, but there’s a long road.”

The United Auto Workers and the trade group that represents Detroit automakers sent strongly worded letters to a key Senate committee on Monday urging members to reject a bill that would considerably increase fuel economy standards. Alan Reuther, the UAW’s legislative director, told committee Chairman Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, that the compromise bill drafted by the committee’s leadership “is much more extreme” than a measure initially proposed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

Reuther warned that the compromise bill could force automakers to close plants and slash tens of thousands of jobs, primarily those of union members. “The new proposal that will be considered by the committee contains absolutely no mechanisms to prevent this unacceptable economic and human toll by helping struggling auto manufacturers,” Reuther wrote.

In its letter, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents the General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., DaimlerChrysler AG and the Toyota Motor Corp., also called the bill “extreme” and said it could force manufacturers to offer vehicles that don’t match what consumers want in terms of performance, features and costs. “If higher standards make vehicles less attractive to consumers, vehicle sales will drop, negatively impacting auto dealers, suppliers, automakers, and the U.S. economy,” the alliance wrote.

Report of Chinese Automobile Industry under International Financial Crisis, 2009

The International financial crisis in 2008 has seriously affected the global automobile industry. Four largest automobile companies lost their previous prosperity and looked for breakout to save them. There is no exception for Chinese automobile industry, which is still in its rising period.

 

In 2008, the yields of Chinese automobile were 9.3451 million, increased by 5.2% of last year. But the growth speed decrease by 16.8% of last year. The total automobile sales volumes reached to 9.38 million, rising by 6.7% compared with 2007, but the growth speed declined by 15% compared with 2007. There was a sharp reduction in the profits of Chinese automobile manufacturers. 

 

In 2008, FAW Volks, Shanghai Volks and Shanghai GE stood the top three sales volumes respectively in Chinese automobile market. However, the independent brand, such as Chery, dropped in market shares, totally accounting for only about 25.92% in the whole automobile sales volumes.  

 

In order to promote the development of Chinese automobile manufacture under international financial crisis, Chinese government approved the Revitalization Plans of Automobile Industry in January of 2009. The major contents concluded: reducing the purchase tax of passenger automobiles with low emissions; offering purchase subsidy policy to specific targets so as to promote automobile consumption; advancing Mergers and acquisitions among automobile industry; supporting Chinese automobile manufacturers to develop independent innovation and technical reform; driving the development of electric powered automobiles and its crucial accessories; supporting Chinese automobile manufacturers to develop independent brands; speeding up the export base construction of automobile and accessories.

 

Compared with the international automobile patterns, China is getting to be the manufacture center and cost center. Under the existing circumstances, Chinese automobile manufacture has an advantage of low cost compared with the developed countries. However, various costs are rising in Chinese automobile industry. As far as accessories are concerned, China has no advantage in the high quality accessories. The medium quality accessories have been developed in recent years. China has to compete with India and Vietnam in the low quality manufacture, such as batteries and tires etc.

 

From the part of Chinese automobile industry, international financial crisis is not only challenges but also opportunities. Chinese automobile market has a huge development potential in the fields of Mergers and acquisitions, accessories and new energy automobiles. 

 

The analysts of our company cooperated with some experts in Chinese automobile industry to write this report, with the purpose of helping the domestic and international persons to tide over, discover opportunities in Chinese market, and cope with the challenge from international financial crisis.

 

Readers can obtain more following information in this report:

- Productions and Sales of Chinese Automobile Industry

- Imports and Exports of Chinese Automobile Industry 

- Favorable Elements for the Development of Chinese Automobile Market

- Unfavorable Elements for the Development of Chinese Automobile Market

- Prediction on the Sales Volumes of Chinese Automobile, 2009-2012

- Influences of International Financial Crisis on the Local Automobile Manufacturers in China

- Influences of International Financial Crisis on the Foreign Funded Automobile Manufacturers in Chinese Market

- Import and Export Trends of

- Sales Targets of Major International Automobile Enterprises in China, 2009

- Short, Medium and Long Term Influences of Revitalization Plans of Automobile Industry on Chinese Automobile Industry

- Subsistent Opportunities of Chinese Automobile Industry under International Financial Crisis

  

If you are interested in this report, please visit Report of Chinese Automobile Industry under International Financial Crisis, 2009 to get details

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Conservatives Call for More Electric Cars
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