July 28, 2008 - Though many opportunities to cut climate emissions in the supply chain either cost little or pay for themselves over time, most companies still don't factor emissions reduction into purchasing decisions, a new study finds.

July 22, 2008 - Baosteel, China's largest iron and steel conglomerate, has pledged to source its operational materials from suppliers that have been certified under the ISO 140001 environmental management system.

July 15, 2008 - Wal-Mart has joined WWF's Global Forest & Trade Network, pledging to phase out illegally harvested timber from its supply chain and buy more wood products from credibly certified sources.

July 2, 2008 - Wal-Mart has pledged to buy more of its produce from local farmers in a bid to cut shipping costs and support local economies.

June 20, 2008 - The Chipotle burrito chain has pledged to source 25% of at least one in-season produce item within 200 miles of the restaurant that will serve it, Associated Press reports.

June 18, 2008 - EPEAT-certified green electronics sold in 2007 will save buyers nearly $4 billion dollars over the products' lifecycles, according to a new report from the Green Electronics Council.

May 14, 2008 - Starbucks says it aims to power all of its stores with 50% renewable energy and incorporate green building standards into all new-store construction by 2010.

May 5, 2008 - Unilever says it will begin using certified-sustainable palm oil in its products later this year, with the aim of converting entirely to sustainable sources by 2015.

April 29, 2008 - American Apparel has placed an order for 30,000 pounds of organically farmed, less-polluting cotton from California.

April 22, 2008 - Busch Entertainment - operator of major U.S. theme parks including SeaWorld and Busch Gardens - is quietly retooling its entire foodservice operations to use biodegradable food containers and tableware made from organically farmed materials such as corn and bamboo, Chicago Tribune reports. The company is targeting a full conversion to biodegradable dishware throughout its ten-park chain by the end of 2009.

April 18, 2008 - Concessions giant Aramark has joined the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program to ensure that the seafood it serves comes from sustainable sources. The aquarium will work with Aramark on a new set of guidelines to purchase sustainable seafood for its U.S. foodservice operations, including businesses and school cafeterias, sports and entertainment facilities, and parks.

April 8, 2008 - Foodservice operator Sodexo is re-outfitting its 6,000 U.S. sites with a new computer-controlled dishwashing system that maximizes operational efficiency. The Ecolab Apex technology saves water and energy by optimizing the number of dishmachine racks that must be washed at each foodservice site.

April 7, 2008 - FedEx Kinko’s and Staples are making significant progress in their paper purchasing, while OfficeMax has been doing the least to back up its green spin with concrete actions, according to a new report from ForestEthics and Dogwood Alliance. The environmental groups took out a full-page ad in USA Today last week highlighting the latest edition of their "Green Grades" report card on paper sourcing policies in office products industry.

April 2, 2008 - Attention IT managers: It may be time to cozy up to your company's purchasing department. As more businesses adopt green procurement policies, these executives will have an increasing role in selecting IT equipment and vendors based on environmental performance, according to Forrester's "Five Green IT Trends That Will Impact the IT Infrastructure and Operations Professional."

March 27, 2008 - Commercial printing supply firm Unisource has launched a free online tool to help customers select environmental preferable paper for their catalogs, brochures, and other custom print jobs.