An Evaluation of Ecolabels, Standards & Certifications in the Chemical Industry

In recent years, ecolabels, standards and certifications (ESCs) have been increasingly utilized to signal a product’s environmental and socially responsible profile, both in the business-to-business and business-to-consumer spheres. The growing demand for this sustainability information from consumers, retailers, and governments has put pressure on the suppliers to provide qualitative and quantitative data on products’ environmental footprint. A multi-national chemical company and the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources team have collaborated to conduct this master’s project, An Evaluation of Ecolabels, Standards & Certifications in the Chemical Industry. The purpose of this project is to provide a strategy for multinational chemical companies to better engage their customers in the marketplace in a way that supports the transfer of sustainability information throughout the value chain. The student team engaged with stakeholders in sustainability reporting, studied a number of ecolabel schemes, and developed a survey addressing members of the home and personal care industry to learn from their experience and priorities. Results of the survey indicate that home and personal care manufacturers expect to double the percentage of their products labeled with an ESC in the next five years. Manufacturers use ESCs on finished products to differentiate, and to increase market penetration and perception of product quality. The main barriers to this use of ESCs are the lack of accredited raw materials and supplier information. The R&D department is most often the agent pursuing ingredients labeled with an ESC and the most important decision-making factors influencing procurement are unsurprisingly, performance and price. Suppliers of ingredients to home and personal care manufacturers can use valuable ESCs as a short-term measure to communicate the ingredient sustainability information, but given the ongoing development of the ESC marketplace, businesses throughout the value chain should continue to collaborate with stakeholders and watch for trends.Master of ScienceNatural Resources and EnvironmentUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90877/1/An_Evaluation_of_Ecolabels,_Standards_and_Certifications_in_the_Chemical_Industry[1].pd

Female Malacosoma americanum selection of oviposition sites

General EcologySelection of an appropriate oviposition site is critical in the life cycle of semelparous organisms because larvae rely entirely on their host without the benefit of parental care. To maximize fitness, females may demonstrate preference for a suitable host when ovipositing. Malacosoma americanum females oviposit mostly on Prunus serotina. In order to test whether preferences exists between trees, and identify which variables might influence this choice, data was gathered on the relative number of egg masses and tree characteristics. A Chi-squared test allowed for the rejection of a random scenario and a stepwise linear regression identified significant correlations between tree characteristics and relative number of egg masses. Females preferred to oviposit on trees with a smaller surface area to volume ratio, trees that stood further west, and were in close proximity to a conspecific with a smaller DBH. A discussion follows on the evolutionary benefits to the offspring as a result of these preferences.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/61461/1/Barjum_Berger_Lambropoulos_Hickner_2008.pd