Renewable energy think-tank Beyond Zero Emissions (BZE) has released its response to the government’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) legislation as it was recommended by the CEFC Expert Review in April 2011. The $10 billion CEFC was announced by the Australian Government as part of the Clean Energy Future Package to invest in firms and projects utilising renewable energy, energy efficiency and low-emissions technologies, as well as manufacturing businesses that focus on producing the inputs required. [ + ]

Cardia Bioplastics is pleased to announce that it has signed a deal with US packaging company Sealed Air Corporation. The Melbourne-based company will supply its Biohybrid sustainable resin to produce the film for Sealed Air’s Fill-Air R5 inflatable packaging, enforcing Sealed Air’s environmental commitment to renewable and recycled content, plus reduced, re-used and recycled product. [ + ]

Hunter-based invention Granex will soon be powering and heating The Forum Sports and Aquatic Centre at the University of Newcastle’s Callaghan campus, thanks to a $770,000 grant from the Australian Solar Institute. [ + ]

FMSA recently completed an environmental retrofit of its office building in North Melbourne, which included installation of three 85 kW Yanmar gas powered air conditioning systems. This helped to reduce its energy usage and energy costs while improving the efficiency of its building. [ + ]

A leading Queensland quarry operator has demonstrated that extractive industries and local ecosystems can successfully co-exist, through clever and sustainable practices. Hanson Australia has been recognised as a leader in the field, collecting the state industry’s environmental innovation award for its site rehabilitation program at Wolffdene Quarry. [ + ]

Australian agriculture directly accounts for 10% of the country’s overall greenhouse gas emissions and a new research collaboration called the Methane Research Cluster aims to reduce that impact. The research team aims to address one of the key contributors of methane emissions - burping livestock. [ + ]

To get back on track, the manufacturing industry should focus on R&D and innovation, including renewable resources and building materials, and build a market in these areas. These comments were raised by Graham Larcombe, Director of Strategic Economics Group, who spoke at the ‘Sustainability in manufacturing’ forum during National Manufacturing Week in May. [ + ]

In order to meet continued pressures being placed on commercial and government organisations to conserve fresh water supplies, Sydney International Airport, Terminal 1 (T1), created an environmental planning strategy to design and construct a water treatment plant in order to recycle its wastewater and reduce its dependency on fresh water. [ + ]

Municipal waste management company Berliner Stadtreinigung (BSR) and chemical company BASF have successfully completed a joint pilot project involving the use of organic waste bags made of the biodegradable plastic Ecovio FS. The bio-based bags meet European standard EN 13432 for compostable plastics, and in accordance with the amendment to the German Organic Waste Regulations at the end of 2011, they can be used to collect organic waste. [ + ]

There is potential to store large volumes of Australia’s precious fresh water underground, to offset climate change, avoid evaporation losses and meet national water needs into the future, leading water scientists say. Following a major national scientific workshop in Canberra, researchers in the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training (NCGRT) say that managed aquifer recharge - the injection or infiltration of excess surface water into underground aquifers - could help secure the nation’s water supplies for an uncertain future. [ + ]

As the WSAA searched for more ways to service its customers, it decided that the Technology Approval Group (TAG) was the answer. [ + ]

Roofing materials that double as solar panels and can also moderate the temperature of buildings are among the next-generation building products being developed at UNSW. [ + ]

The packaging industry wants to fight food loss more effectively. Simple, decentralised packaging machines for emerging markets can improve food security, while the ‘throwaway’ mentality in western industrialised nations can be combated with smart packages. [ + ]

The carbon tax will come into effect on 1 July 2012 and the big question is, how will the tax affect confidence and spending, particularly in the first few months of introduction? Businesses will need to start planning and preparing for the anticipated increase in operating costs the tax will bring. [ + ]

In a climate where consumers and businesses are feeling pressured to meet new sustainable energy targets, Fuji Xerox Australia is way ahead of the pack. The company’s Eco Manufacturing Centre, recently relocated to Rosehill, proves, through the remanufacturing of parts and an eco-friendly building, that a commitment to the environment can pay off. [ + ]