The payday-loans-australia.org website features extensive sections about cash loans as well as about bad credit loans. Those sections contain information about the cases in which payday loan borrowing may be useful so as to help consumers make up their mind whether to apply or not. In addition, the website has an FAQ section, which is divided into four different categories covering the various aspects of borrowing and paying the loan back. Consumers can also use the FAQ section so as to check whether they qualify for a loan prior to applying.

Those prospective customers, who need yet additional information about payday loan borrowing, bad credit loans and so on, can visit the news section of the website which features a variety of helpful articles related to payday loans.

Considering that the United States never ratified the Kyoto Protocol and that the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a collaboration effort of nine north-eastern states, has not had much success so far, high hopes are pinned on this regional cap-and-trade system to improve the overall environmental image of the United States. The California ETS covers some major greenhouse gas emitters, such as power plants, refineries and transportation fuel suppliers. As noted on the ARB website, the initial target is reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and a more ambitious long-term goal of achieving an 80 reduction by the year 2050, relative to 1990 levels.

And while the design of the California ETS has been highly praised, it is also one of the main reasons for the different challenges which the cap-and-trade programme is currently facing. On 4 April 2012, Ecosystem Marketplace reported that two plaintiffs wanted to repeal one of the main ARB offset provisions, namely the performance-based offsetting approach for the generation of carbon credits. Ecosystem Marketplace notes that this approach requires one protocol for all projects of a certain type, rather than individual protocols for unique project scenarios, as is the case with the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The performance-based approach was introduced by the voluntary carbon market and according to the Ecosystem Marketplace’s report “Bringing it Home: Taking Stock of Government Engagement with the Voluntary Carbon Market”, compliance regimes around the world are turning to such performance-based approaches so as to make their offsetting programmes more practicable.

So far, the California ARB has adopted four compliance offset protocols, which may be used for the generation of ARB carbon credits. Those protocols include forestry and urban forestry, destruction of ozone-depleting substances and livestock manure digesters, with a view of adding agricultural waste and landscapes to this offsetting protocol catalogue in the future. And yet, those protocols might not be sufficient to ensure the necessary supply of carbon offsets. On 13 April 2012, Bloomberg BNA reported that carbon traders and regulated entities were concerned about a potential shortage of carbon offsets, which in turn would increase the cost of compliance instruments. On the other hand, boosting the supply of carbon offset project should also be done with caution, so as to avoid an oversupply of carbon credits, which is one of the most serious issues that the EU ETS – the world’s most advanced cap-and-trade mechanism – is currently facing.

It is still too early to say how the ARB will respond to those supply concerns as well as to predict the outcome of the potential legal threats to the California ETS. And yet, the results will have important consequences not only in relation to the cap-and-trade programme itself, but also on a broader scale. Currently, there are ongoing discussions about the linkage of the California and Quebec cap-and trade systems with the purpose of creating a bigger carbon credit market, as the legal challenges could potentially slow this process down. In addition, the Californian carbon offsetting experience may turn out to be crucial for the establishing of a future nation-wide carbon market in the US. Bloomberg BNA quotes the California ARB Chairwoman Mary D. Nichols, who suggested at a recent conference that depending on the outcome of the November elections, there could be renewed interest in a national trading programme.

The concerns about the shortage of carbon credits, together with the recent legal challenges for the California ETS are a reminder that having a functioning cap-and-trade system in place comes at a price. It remains to be seen whether the future environmental benefits for the state of California achieved through the programme will justify the costs.

Akamai Technologies is a content delivery network, headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Being one of the biggest Internet companies with a worldwide customer base, the company has always strived to deliver innovative and quality products and services to its customers. The same can be said about its management practices and models. Since 2008 the company has started several initiatives in attempt to address and manage the environmental impact of its operations. Such is, for example, managing the e-waste, which comes in the form of old and obsolete equipment that is no longer needed. With this programme Akamai managed to turn costs into assets (by recycling and reselling equipment with residual value) and limit the damaging effect of electronic waste on the environment. Another part of their sustainability initiative was tracking the carbon footprint in their operations.

In most companies and industries the carbon footprint reflects the energy consumption and the operational costs. So, by tracking and analyzing the footprint companies can find a way to optimize the expenses for energy and other operational costs. Additionally, such optimizations lead to carbon footprint reduction, which makes the business greener and more environmentally responsible. Historically, energy had been a small part of the operational costs of a typical tech company, but the picture has changed in recent years, with the rise of the energy prices. Akamai states that carbon foot print management has helped in accumulating enough data to successfully identify opportunities both to improve operational efficiency and to lower costs.

Carbon footprint reduction is a clear indication of more efficient and optimized operations. But it also has one added benefit. Reduced carbon footprint means that your business have better public image and more customers are likely to find your products and services attractive. In times of increasing environmental awareness, “green” is a quality stamp. And the greener your business is the better. Consumers prefer using services and buying products of companies, which have proved time and again their environmental responsibility. Such behavior is easily understandable, since by spending their money on green products, consumers pay their contribution to the environment. It’s the simplest thing that anyone can do, but it’s also consumers’ biggest strength. You’ve heard the expression: consumers vote with their wallets. In this case, they will always choose to vote “green”. And that’s why initiatives like Akamai’s sustainability programme can also have great marketing and PR effect, in addition to being great business management practices.

The bottom line is that carbon footprint management is a valuable model for your company for many reasons. With its help you can find opportunities for crucial savings and optimizations, while ensuring good reputation and public image. And on top of that you are preserving our planet. It’s yet another reason to try achieving carbon footprint reduction.

Carbon footprint refers to the amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities and is usually expressed in an equivalent of tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2). Carbon footprint calculation is useful for individuals and organisations to conceptualise their personal or organisational impact in contributing to global warming. In this order, carbon footprint reduction is a method of fighting climate change. What is more is that this green effort is also an effective marketing tool that can be used by businesses to improve their image and increase customer loyalty.

No doubt the colour of the 21st century is undeniably green. It seems every business, government, marketing strategy and product line includes an eco-friendly component, from new cars to crisps packages. Large companies as well as small businesses try to improve their corporate image and societal acceptance by different green initiatives. And this does not come as surprise considering the fact that sustainability has been shown as an effective marketing strategy. In fact, it is estimated that 56 per cent of the people are more loyal to brands that can show, at a glance, credible evidence of environmental effort.

Many companies have already taken action against the threats of climate change and in favour to their corporate image. Almost every business field has its “green” representatives. Usually they are bigger brands and organisations which use more than one method of demonstrating their environmentally-friendly behaviour regarding manufacture processes or business practices. Many of these companies choose carbon footprint reduction as a green initiative which includes a wide range of measures that support their green reputation. A good example of such a company is PepsiCo.

PepsiCo is represented by two similar brands — Lay’s potato chips in the United States and Walkers crisps in the United Kingdom. And while they may have similar logos and packaging, a subtle difference sets them apart – only one of them reduces its carbon footprint and uses this practise as a successful advertising tool. Each bag of Walkers crisps carries a label which shows the greenhouse gas emissions created by producing each bag of crisps – from growing the potatoes, to production, transportation and the final disposal of the pack. This carbon label initiative is in result of the collaboration between PepsiCo and Carbon Trust, a British-government-funded non-profit organisation that works with businesses and the public to transition to a low-carbon economy.

With Carbon Trust assistance, in March 2007 Walkers became the first food brand in the world to display carbon reduction label and start carbon footprint reduction practices which include reducing electricity and gas consumption, introducing new technology, educating front-line employees to be more energy-aware, switching to 100 per cent British potatoes to lower food miles, running their delivery trucks on biodiesel and driving in the most fuel efficient way. All these initiatives led to a significant carbon reduction. At the beginning of its environmental efforts, Walkers made a commitment to reduce its carbon footprint by three per cent by 2009. Having in fact achieved a seven per cent carbon reduction which equals to 6g of CO2 emissions per standard bag of crisps, and an overall saving of 4,800 tonnes of CO2 emissions, Walkers has now committed to reducing its carbon footprint even further.

By developing this carbon footprint reduction label, Walkers and other companies following its example, have shaped the future marketing war over the environmental sustainability of consumer goods and services. The reality is that we are entering an age when consumers at the grocery store will count not only calories but also carbon, and every company willing to provide transparent information about their products’ carbon footprint and take action to reduce it will gain significant societal acceptance and monetary benefits.

In the beginning of April 2012, the Carbon Trust, a UK-based non-profit group announced the results of a new study aimed at finding out the extent to which tomorrow’s consumers are concerned about climate change and will for that reason favour brands which invest in carbon offsetting. The research questioned over 2,500 young adults aged 18-25, in Brazil China, South Africa, South Korea, the UK and the USA on their awareness about carbon footprint reduction and its impact on their perceptions of brands and companies.

The study results show that young adult consumer awareness is the strongest in China, where 83 percent of the questioned individuals responded that they would be more loyal to a brand if it was reducing its carbon footprint and moreover, 60 percent of the Chinese young adults who took part in the research stated that they would stop buying a product if the manufacturer did not commit to carbon footprint reduction. 81 percent of the questioned Brazilian young adults on the other hand said that companies should be obliged to provide a proof for their carbon footprint reduction policy.

The research indicates that there will be growing future demand for new low carbon products, considering that both Brazil and China are major emerging economies and for that reason their spending power is likely to grow. This means that companies willing to sell products and services on those markets will have to incorporate carbon offsetting practices into their manufacturing processes and, most probably, use third-party verification standards to prove that to consumers. In addition, across all markets, on average a third of the young adult consumers have responded that they are prepared to purchase a product which is more expensive, provided that it has a lower carbon footprint.

As for the product categories which can do most to reduce their carbon footprint, according to young consumers, electronics take the first place, followed by healthcare brands and then clothes retailers and manufacturers. In the context of these results, it is no wonder that the Swedish fashion clothing company H&M has decided to launch new eco-conscious range with clothes made from more sustainable materials. On 12 April 2012, BusinessGreen reported that H&M was planning to use only sustainable cotton by the end of the decade, as part of an effort to reduce the environmental impact of its supply chain. In addition, in 2012 the company will introduce clothes labelled with climate-smart care instructions.

Those recently announced initiatives are part of the H&M’s business concept, as the company releases annual Conscious Actions Sustainability Reports, covering the H&M’s progress in making its products and operations more sustainable. As noted on the company’s website, the H&M’s customers are increasingly showing an interest in sustainability, which has prompted the company to add a sustainability value to its products. Given the results of the Carbon Trust research, the H&M measures and corporate sustainability values are likely to appeal particularly to their young adult customers.

Consumers have always been a powerful force and as such have a strong impact on markets and companies. And considering the increasing environmental awareness among young adults, investing in carbon footprint reduction may become a must for businesses and companies willing to attract the consumers of tomorrow.

By offsetting its carbon footprint, FedEx will not only mend the environmental damage that it causes via the shipping services it provides, but will also support investments in low carbon development projects. These projects reduce or remove carbon emissions from entering into the atmosphere and thus help reverse the effects of global warming. But beyond its environmental impact, FedEx may be making a positive impact on its bottom line as well.

With its newly launched carbon footprint reduction initiative, the shipping company joins in the ranks of corporations which have long recognised the benefits of going carbon neutral. In fact, some of North America’s leading brands last month teamed up and pooled resources for a joint carbon footprint reduction venture. Among the environmentally responsible brands which decided to take charge and clean up their business act were Comedy Central, National Geographic, AllPack, Aveda, Clif Bar, eBay, Presidio, Esurance, Eileen Fisher, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Brighter Planet, ABR, Inc., Ben & Jerry’s, RLP Capital, Carlisle & Co., The Brick Companies, Credit Union, Touring Green, College of the Atlantic, Pax World, Designtex, Reverb and Vital Choice. The brands agreed to buy carbon credits from US-based carbon offset developer NativeEnergy and to provide critical funding for several emission reduction projects. Among the carbon offset projects which will benefit from the project are: a landfill gas-to-energy project in Oklahoma, a Pennsylvania-based a farm methane reduction project and a renewable energy initiative in Iowa.

In a press release NativeEnergy President Jeff Bernicke said: “By becoming Project Supporters, these businesses have made a substantial commitment to generating cleaner energy and materials…Each company has already incorporated a number of sustainability initiatives into their operations. Together, they are taking another effective step in addressing their carbon footprints.”

Corporate carbon footprint reduction initiatives, such as the one FedEx has undertaken, can be a powerful marketing strategy, which can increase revenue and bring in more investor dollars. It is for that reason that an increasing number of companies are taking environmental issues to heart and are making them an integral part of their corporate responsibility target sheets.
Research shows that going green can help corporations gain serious advantage over the competition and can help them attract more consumers. In fact, WPP companies Cohn and Wolfe, Landor Associates and Penn Schoen Berland last year conducted a comprehensive consumer survey, the results of which showed that consumers were becoming increasingly protective of the environment when it comes to choosing among competitive brands. Buyers were more willing to support green companies even if that meant spending more money on a product or a service. Some 95 percent of respondent consumers in the survey said they were willing to pay a higher price for a green-classified product, and 88 percent said that in evaluating different brands the level of corporate environmental awareness and the scope of sustainability practices that the brands showcased were of utmost importance.

Consumers aren’t the only ones who take note of corporations’ green efforts. Investors also evaluate the environmental impact a company makes. A study by UK-based insurance and financial services company Ecclesiastical Investment Management found that six out of 10 investors showed interest in providing capital for ethical initiatives, including environmentally friendly projects, if their independent financial advisor discussed such options with them. This means corporations can strategically use their carbon footprint reduction programmes to lure in new investor capital if they publicised their green initiatives in a way that catches the attention of financial advisors and decision makers.

As we can see, going carbon neutral can bring in many business advantages. It’s therefore important for companies like FedEx which are going that extra mile to show their environmental responsibility to also learn how they can reap the optimal benefits of going green.

A SIPP is a type of personal pension (PP), so it is subject to exactly the same contribution limits and tax rules as for personal pensions. The difference in the two types of pension rests mainly with the wider investment options available to a SIPP, when compared to a personal pension. Accordingly, the decision on whether to opt for a SIPP over a standard personal pension depends on how wide-ranging you want your investment to be.

Unlike a personal pension, SIPP enables you to choose from a great selection of investment products. This includes shares traded on the Alternative Investment Market (Aim) and Plus Markets, as well as futures and options, hedge funds, commercial property, such as offices, shops, industrial units, agricultural land and timberland. Some of these SIPP investment options involve higher risk while others are rather considered as low risk investments. For instance, land-backed income producing assets such as forestry are low risk investments which provide long-term, stable growth with minimum risk involved. And while investing in forestry is not possible through a standard personal pension scheme, with SIPP, retail investors can rely on the long-term growth of their green investment. Thus, SIPP-approved investments appeal to individuals seeking flexibility and an array of options for their retirement planning, including low risk investments where achieving control over your personal pension pot is possible, and what is more, where the risk factor can be reduced to a minimum.

But flexibility is not the only advantage SIPPs offer to retirees. Another point worth emphasising is that in recent years there has been a significant development of the pensions market. While in the past SIPP investments were considered as expensive retirement products compared to traditional personal pensions, SIPPs can now be used to build investment solutions which compete head on with personal pension investments in terms of price. This has been a key driver for their growth, as for most investors cost is the biggest if not the single driver.

The evolution of SIPP providers is another important dynamic to the SIPPs vs. PP debate. The increase in SIPP popularity has in many ways mirrored the popularity of SIPP investment platforms. Low cost, online solutions have allowed advisers to build bespoke investment solutions. It is worth bearing in mind, however, that not every SIPP provider offers the full range of investments, so you must choose the right one for your requirements carefully. At one end you will find the ones linked to stockbrokers, where you can buy and sell funds and shares, while at the other, there are providers that are geared up to take alternative SIPP investments, such as real estate or forestry.

Overall a SIPP is a form of personal pension scheme which gives you the freedom to choose and manage your own investments. What is more SIPP is a pension vehicle for people who desire more control over their funds, allowing them to decide which investments are appropriate to them specifically, rather than their investments being managed within a pooled fund chosen by a third party. So, if you find those specifics advantageous and you believe a SIPP investment would work better for you than a traditional personal pension, then whether to SIPP or not to SIPP should no longer be a dilemma for you.

Governments, rural communities, land owners, foresters, farmers and investors in the sustainable resources industry now have clear guidelines on how business should be conducted to ensure all stakeholders related to forestry and agriculture assets can have their interests protected.

As a plantation management company and investor in sustainable resource projects, the guidelines offer Asia Plantation Capital a benchmark of good business practices and corporate ethics that we aim not only to meet, but to surpass.

But the guidelines are not just about ensuring investors, seeking a return on their capital, treat the environment and rural communities fairly and with respect. The guidelines also acknowledge that to achieve food security for a growing global population and to provide a sustainable supply of agroforestry products, we need more private sector investment into the agriculture and forestry sectors. Legal and ethical investment whether it is in the form of acquiring or leasing land, and other contracts relating to the management, harvesting, and sale of agroforestry products should be protected. That protection, the guidelines state, should be enforceable under national and international law.

Only under a system of secure tenure rights can businesses and investors be encouraged to make responsible long-term investments in these resources, thus increasing sustainable agricultural production and generating higher incomes for poor rural communities.

Asia Plantation Capital commits to keeping our side of the bargain; to manage sustainable plantations, to train and pay our local plantation staff fairly, to conduct business with suppliers and customers ethically and at a fair price. We welcome the clarity the Committee on World Food Security has provided regarding the guidelines. This clarity and endorsement can only help encourage investment into the agriculture and forestry sectors and we confidently look forward to expanding our business further across Asia and Africa in the months and years ahead

For more information on Asia Plantation Capital and our portfolio of plantations please contact:

Mike Young, CFA
Fund Advisor & Senior Analyst
Asia Plantation Capital
Email: michael.young@plantationcapital.co.uk

Tel Office: +44 20 3239 2215 Tel Mobile: +44 7851 478539

Asia Plantation Capital has emerged as one of the most successful plantation operators over recent years and has successfully acquired and established plantations across Asia.

For once, the fast-food giant is a large egg and pork customer – it uses hundreds of millions of eggs and tens of millions of pounds of pork annually – which alone could be enough to grow the market for cage-free production and put non-cage-free suppliers in a very disadvantageous position. In this situation more farms would be forced by the market to go cage-free too.

Another potential effect of the Burger King cage-free switch is that there could be a substantial drop in the production costs of cage–free eggs and pork. Large-scale purchases by big fast-food chains like Burger King can cause a price drop, which would make it easier for smaller restaurants to buy cage-free production too.

It remains to be seen whether other big fast-food companies will follow Burger King’s example, as no official statements are yet made. But with one fast-food giant already committed, it seems that cage-free farms are open for agricultural investments.

The payday-loans-uk.org article points out that unfortunately not all jobs provide people with a medical insurance and even when they do, not all medical insurance policies are thus designed so as to cover the cost of medication. In consequence, people often need to pay for medicines and medical care themselves. Naturally, if unforeseen medical expenses come at a time when a person is strapped for cash, turning to a payday loan service might be the much-needed solution especially considering that getting a bank loan may not be appropriate on account of the long application and approval procedures. The website commentary also reminds UK consumers that payday loans are easily available to people with bad credit score as well, as long as the applicant in question has a paying job.

In its commentary, payday-loans-australia.org notes that when it comes to illnesses, time is of the essence and that is why payday loans can come in handy. Applying for a payday loan is really quick, as is the payday loan approval procedure, meaning that consumers will quickly have cash available so as to make the necessary medical purchases or to pay for the medical treatment in question.

Medicinal products, therapies, doctor’s appointments, emergency room visits and so on can sometimes be quite costly; for that reason it is important that people have an alternative that they can consider especially if their paycheque will not come quick enough and borrowing money from relatives and friends is not an option.

Nevertheless, payday-loans-australia.org notes that people should not make a decision to resort to a payday loan lightly. And yet, if a person has a paying job, then he or she would be able to pay the loan back on time. In any case, payday-loans-uk.org advises consumers to pay the loan back as quickly as they can.

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Green Spiral Media is a company operating a number of leading information websites for short-term financing. The websites in question work with several trusted payday loan providers so as to offer quick and convenient cash loans to those who might need them. In addition, Green Spiral Media works to keep its customers informed about the latest news, developments and trends in the field of payday loans.