Andrew Sibley - Desso

The Greeks called it Helios, the Romans Sol and, despite forming over 98% of the solar system, it is technically a Yellow G2 Dwarf, one of over 100 billion other stars in the universe.

Every second it converts about 700 million tons of hydrogen into about 695 million tons of helium and five million tons of energy, generating 386 billion billion mega Watts.

It takes light from the Sun about eight minutes to reach Earth or 1.3 seconds for reflected light to bounce from the Moon, and without it we would be in a cold and dark place and, without photosynthesis, unable to grow food. We couldn’t exist.

The Sun’s generosity is a good place to start in looking at today’s environmental imperatives of climate change and resource depletion, because the Sun’s energy is the only resource that is replenished every day. Everything but the Sun’s energy is finite.

In every other respect, we live in an eco-system that is closed; what we take, make and waste, we waste forever – and that’s the fundamental challenge facing manufacturing industry. When its resources are gone, they’re gone for good, and so too our capacity to make new things.

It was that realisation that created the modern environmental movement, which in many ways can be dated from the 1992 Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit. This was an unprecedented UN conference both in size and the scale of its concerns. The Conference Secretary-General, called it a “historic moment for humanity.”

The Summit’s message was that only a complete transformation in our attitudes and behaviour would bring about the changes necessary to safeguard the environment. It also coined the phrase “eco-efficiency.”

This, so it was believed, would transform industry from a system that takes, makes, and wastes into one that integrates economic, environmental and ethical concerns. Essentially, eco-efficiency means doing more with less.

Eco-efficiency has been the guiding principle ever since. For many companies, it has meant assessing manufacturing and distribution processes and then finding ways to minimise their impacts on the environment – for example, by reducing waste or energy consumption. Eco-efficiency has achieved enormous environmental benefits.

More than anything, it has brought the environment into sharp focus, bringing with it a shared sense of our impact on the world around us. In a few short years we have collectively recognised the challenges of resource depletion and climate change and, as individuals, families, companies and governments are doing something about it.

But eco-efficiency doesn’t have all the answers because, effectively, it’s about being “less bad” and believing it to be inherently ethical. The Earth’s resources, except solar energy, will still run out, although at a slower rate. Eco-efficiency buys us time, nothing more.

But a new environmental theory is gaining traction; a theory that suggests that, rather than make the wrong things less bad, we instead make products that are right. The name of this theory is Cradle to Cradle^®.

It was heralded in a book, ‘Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things’ by the German chemist Michael Braungart and American architect William McDonough. Published in 2002, its central premise is that products should be conceived from the very start with intelligent design and the intention that they would eventually be endlessly recycled in their entirety as nutrients.

The refinity process, which separates the yarn from the backing so that both can be reused.

Cradle to Cradle^® looks at the Earth’s resources as either biological nutrients that are useful for the biosphere, or technical nutrients that are fundamental to the technosphere, the systems that comprise industrial processes. It’s a theory that draws heavily from nature’s example; in nature, nothing is wasted: everything is reused in closed loops, over and over.

It’s a perspective that sees old products as nourishment: foodstuffs that can be disassembled and used to make new products, eliminating waste from the manufacturing cycle, because every old TV, carpet or washing machine – and everything else – will have been designed for disassembly and reuse.

Braungart and McDonough state that when designers employ the intelligence of natural systems – for example, the effectiveness of nutrient recycling, or the abundance of the Sun’s energy – they can create products, industrial systems, buildings, even regional plans that allow nature and commerce to fruitfully co-exist.

It is no less than a manifesto for the transformation of human industry through ecologically intelligent design; a positive agenda that says that, if we learn from nature, the manufacturing sector can be truly good. Time Magazine has called it “a unified philosophy that – in demonstrable and practical ways – is changing the design of the world.”

The scale of the environmental challenge is particularly significant in the flooring industry. Statistics from the USA suggest that carpeting is replaced on average every seven years, despite usually having a guaranteed life of between ten and 25 years. That means that a lot of perfectly good carpeting is thrown away every year, because it’s faded or just feels dated.

According to a UK study carried out for the Contract Flooring Association, about 500,000 tonnes of carpet is thrown out in the UK every year. One estimate suggests that in the developed world some 2% of landfill waste is made up from old carpeting. Multiply those statistics across the world and you can sense the scale of those wasted resources, when much of that material could be used again.

In 2007, Desso entered into partnership with the Hamburg-based Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA – http://www.epea.com), the brainchild of Cradle to Cradle^® co-founder Michael Braungart. EPEA encourages companies to assess their activities on sustainability, recycling, waste management and energy use – and make improvements throughout.

We have worked with EPEA to first identify the “material health” of each component in our products; assess how each component can be recovered and recycled in a process of “material reutilisation”; assess energy and water usage and, lastly, examine our policies on social responsibility and fair labour practices. We intend that all our products will be designed and produced according to Cradle to Cradle^® design principles by 2020.

For example, we have introduced EcoBase^® – a carpet backing that can be entirely recycled back into carpet backing, and we are introducing Take Back™ programmes to ensure that products can be recycled according to Cradle to Cradle^® principles.

That in itself introduces a new concept alien to most manufacturing industries – the concept of a product of service. Instead of the current paradigm in which goods are bought, owned and disposed of, products containing valuable technical nutrients will be reconceived as new products that new consumers will wish to purchase.

In that manufacturing scenario, consumers would effectively buy the service of that product for a certain period and then, at the end of its useful life, the manufacturer would take it back, take it apart and reuse its nutrients to make new products. Yes, we would still be in the business of selling products but, unlike now, we would retain responsibility for those products – to the end of their useful lives and beyond.

From a manufacturing perspective, that doesn’t mean making products more durable or designed to last longer. It doesn’t mean asking consumers to make do with their mobile phones or TV sets for longer, because consumption is bad. Cradle to Cradle^® makes planned obsolescence good; it makes consumption good. It merely asks us, the consumer, to buy new products from companies committed to the most sustainable closed loop manufacturing methodologies.

There are obvious benefits for all of us. First, it makes good business sense because, without waste, companies save money from having to source valuable new resources and, second, with nutrients being constantly recycled, it diminishes the need to extract any more new materials. That really does change the design of the world.

The challenge for manufacturing industry is to find that elusive balance between people, profit and the planet – the Triple Bottom Line that is at the heart of the environmental agenda. But too often, using the eco-efficient model, we have ended up concentrating on profit, with social or ecological considerations coming second.

Cradle to Cradle^® allows us to use the Triple Bottom Line as a strategic design tool and perhaps, as Braungart and McDonough suggest, turn that matrix on its head and consider corporate strategy as being about a Triple Top Line – a new starting point from which to design products and processes.

The Sun provides us with that starting point, an energy source capable of providing all our energy requirements many times over. It simply requires us to look at our manufacturing processes in a different way: to make best use of the Sun’s abundance to make products circulating in endless closed loops.

It’s nothing less than industrial re-evolution but, as Albert Einstein said, if we are to solve the problems that plague us, our thinking must evolve beyond the level we were using when we created those problems in the first place.

The choice is obvious: reduce our impact on the environment. Doing that can actually open up a whole new world of opportunity. Unfortunately for us all, the problem of illegal dumping is exceptionally large and extremely complex; that it would take tremendous effort, time and money to combat it. Andrew Mangan, executive director at the US Business Council for Sustainable Development (US BCSD) knows something we all need to learn. All crisis are opportunities. The crisis we are facing is huge. But the opportunity hidden in its coils is just as great.

Mangen encourages companies to recognise that one company’s waste can be another company’s raw material. The US BCSD has the solution. Commodity markets are so hot these days that even yellow is translating into green. The By-Products process breaks down the barriers to cross-industry communication. It tears down walls between government and industry and between small and large companies, by fostering dialogue and working across groups to identify supply chain waste minimization opportunities.

The Chemical Logistics Vision 2020 Report predicts higher transport volume concentration around chemical clusters and longer, more complex supply chains by the year 2020. The review published by Cefic’s logistics group, together with Deloitte, provides a picture of chemical logistics trends likely to occur in the coming decade and is derived from input received from logistics directors of key industry players combined with sector experience from Deloitte.

Among the many findings, measures to reduce transport carbon emissions and improved safety and security are predicted to lead to more regulations and drive the introduction of new supply chain models. Cefic Transport & Logistics Head Jos Verlinden said: “It’s clear that efficient, competitive and sustainable logistics are essential for the industry’s future. Complex supply chains, capacity constraints and infrastructure congestion will present important challenges.”

The BPS advantage is that through extensive collaboration, coordinated and facilitated, organizations discover innovative ways to integrate their operations that cut pollution, and reduce material costs, improve internal processes and improve the bottom line. By taking “wastes” from one company and using them as raw materials for another, industry can turn a negative into a positive – for the environment and shareholders.

There are three keys to a successful by-product synergy process. They are diversity, communication and partnerships. Participants come together in projects representing a wide range of industries and organizations, which in turn broaden the markets in which participants find business opportunities. For example, a cement manufacturer uses the slag from a neighboring steel mill in its production process, resulting in a 10% increase in production output and a 30-40% decrease in nitrogen oxide emissions.

The first time the steel and cement companies got together was awkward. They were not accustomed to thinking about — much less working with — managers from another industry. But as the talks continued, the awkwardness passed and they began to consider several interesting questions: The benefits of the synergy approach go far beyond the steel industry. The Business Council for Sustainable Development for the Gulf of Mexico (BCSD-GM) is promoting the idea worldwide. The Gulf council is playing matchmaker marrying 21 major companies in the Mexican seaport of Tampico.

This is how it works. The BPS process breaks down the barriers to cross-industry communication, as well as the barriers between government and industry and between small and large companies, by fostering dialogue and working across groups to identify supply chain localization and waste minimization opportunities. Recognizing these advantages, and building on the success of BPS projects in other areas, the US BCSD has initiated a BPS project in the greater Houston region for 2009. The Greater Houston BPS involves establishing a forum where companies, regulators and local governments explore reuse, recovery, remanufacturing, and recycling opportunities through collected information and facilitated interactions.

Sustainable development makes good business sense because it creates competitive advantages and new opportunities.

A Boeing 747 cargo plane was demolished for recycling this month by the Aircraft Recycling Corporation at the former George AFB in Victorville. About 80-85 percent of an airplane is recyclable. Photo courtesy of ARC – Doug Scroggins

It may be counterintuitive to think of EPA Superfund sites as hotbeds of green technology. But as the Air Force Real Property Agency — responsible for buying, selling and managing Air Force property worldwide — continues cleaning, restoring and transferring property to the community, the former bases are attracting more clean, green businesses by the day.

McClellan and Mather in Sacramento, George in Victorville, Castle in Atwater, March in Riverside, and Norton in San Bernardino – all on the EPA’s National Priorities List due to pollution from former days – house a growing number of businesses promoting environmentally-friendly practices and products.

McClellan Park in Sacramento may be the green giant of the group, with numerous tenants on the leading edge of green technology. One is the 91,000-square-foot factory of ZETA Communities, manufacturers of “net-zero energy” homes, which produce as much energy as they use over the course of a year. Constructed in modules, the buildings use photovoltaic power (also known as solar power), Energy Star appliances, ultra-efficient insulation and high-performance windows, among other features. ZETA Communities, headquartered in San Francisco, won Green Builder magazine’s 2009 Home of the Year Award for a 1,540-square-foot modular home now permanently located near a BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station in Oakland. The McClellan Park factory can produce five modules (or two townhouses) per day. ZETA also manufactures energy-efficient mixed-use facilities at McClellan and is planning to produce green housing and other buildings for various military bases around the U.S., according to Shilpa Sankaran, VP of Business Operations and co-founder.

This energy efficient modular home, by ZETA Communities, won Green Builder magazine’s home of the year award. ZETA’s factory at the former McClellan AFB can produce two townhouses per day. (Photo by Nandita Geerdink)

Fiberwood LLC, also at McClellan, operates a successful business recycling 50-100 tons of newspaper per day into a product called hydroseed mulch. Mixed with whatever seeds a contractor wants to add, as well as water and fertilizer, it’s sprayed wet on highway embankments, large building sites, and sites damaged by fire to control erosion and dust. The mulch keeps the seeds wet to promote rapid germination. Fiberwood recently expanded to produce spray-on building insulation, called Kozi, also made of recycled materials, in this case denim and cardboard. “We’re using totally recycled material,” Stuart Douglass, president of Fiberwood said. “It’s absolutely natural and healthy.” The company is currently testing recycled paper animal bedding.

Hydromulch, manufactured by Fiberwood LLC at the former McClellan AFB, is sprayed after a fire in Santa Barbara, CA for reseeding and erosion control. The mulch, made of recycled newspaper, can be applied as soon as a fire is out. (Courtesy photo)

McClellan is also the headquarters of Renewable Energy Institute International, which recently received a $20 million stimulus grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to build a biorefinery in Port of Toledo, Ohio. There, crop waste such as rice hulls will be converted into diesel fuel.

Ternion Bio-Industries, based in San Jose, established a research and development facility at McClellan, where the company recently built what’s believed to be the first commercial-scale bioreactor designed to use algae to reduce carbon emissions. The three-story tall reactor can grow the amount of algae produced in almost three acres of open ponds in less than 300 square feet. Future customers such as power plants and refineries will feed their CO2 emissions to the algae, which – like all plants – needs CO2 to live.

SunEdison, North America’s largest solar energy provider, has its Renewable Operations Center in a former airplane hangar at McClellan. SunEdison has about 80 megawatts of generation capacity under management across some 300 solar power plants. At the center, SunEdison’s photovoltaic power systems are monitored, remote diagnostics are analyzed, and service fleets dispatched as necessary.

Beutler Heating and Air Conditioning, based at McClellan, is selling and installing Yes! Solar products made by Solar Power Inc. for residential and commercial use. Beutler advertises turnkey solutions for clients interested in switching to solar power. And, at press time, McClellan Business Park had signed a lease with N Solar Inc. of South Korea, which plans to manufacture solar modules beginning in September, eventually employing 150 people at the site. N Solar’s headquarters will also be housed at the 128,000-square-foot McClellan site. The company, based in Seoul, is a subsidiary of Millinet, an information technology company.

Across town at Mather Commerce Center, American River College is holding classes in a former Air Force diesel equipment repair shop to teach students about clean-diesel technology. In the wake of tougher state and federal emission control standards, the certificate program trains students to repair and retrofit trucks and buses. Craig Weckman, chair of the clean-diesel technology department at ARC, said the class is so popular it has students wait-listed for admission.

Todd Stretars (rear) and Martin Peck make adjustments to a diesel engine. Both students are enrolled in American River College's clean diesel technology program at the former Mather Air Force Base in Sacramento, Calif. (Photo by Wojciech Betlej)

Also at Mather, California Electronic Asset Recovery, Inc. (CEAR) recycles electronics such as televisions, computers, VCRs, DVDs, phones, copiers, printers, microwaves, and small appliances. Some electronic devices are refurbished and sold. Those categorized as “end of life” are disassembled at CEAR, where hazardous materials such batteries, fluorescent light bulbs and mercury switches are removed and sent to other recyclers. The business prevents lead, mercury and other toxics used in electronics from entering landfills.

Employees at California Electronic Asset Recovery dismantle monitors at the former Mather AFB. CEAR recycled over 15 million pounds of e-waste last year.

Piles of used computer parts are waiting to be recycled at California Electronic Asset Recovery at the former Mather Air Force Base in Sacramento

In Victorville, at the former George Air Force Base now known as Southern California Logistics Airport, another kind of recycling is taking place on a massive scale. The Aircraft Recycling Corporation is involved in the demolition, dismantling, salvage, and scrapping of outdated or accident-damaged aircraft. “About 80-85% of an aircraft is recyclable material,” said Doug Scroggins, managing director of ARC. Aircraft aluminum cannot be used to make aluminum cans or another aircraft, he said. But it can be used for auto parts, furniture, and other items. Airplane seat cushions are shredded and used as packing material. Carpeting and passenger windows are also recycled. From time to time, a cockpit is donated to a museum.

“It doesn’t matter where the aircraft is,” Scroggins explained, noting that the company will travel wherever there’s an unwanted plane to dismantle it, pick up the material and transport it to a processor. He and his associates have gone as far as Guam to recycle aircraft. He said planes arriving in Victorville for recycling have already been stripped of hazardous materials. A two-minute video produced by Honeywell shows ARC at work demolishing an aircraft:

At the former Norton Air Force Base, now the San Bernardino International Airport, tenant Kelly Space & Technology has invented a WiseLight technology that remotely controls outdoor lighting, saving both energy and money. The City of Los Alamitos is using WiseLight on its tennis courts, softball and soccer fields, according to Jason Lee, Kelly’s Director of Operations.

In some cases, it’s the buildings and corporate business practices that are attracting the attention of green advocates. Also at San Bernardino International Airport, Kohl’s Department Stores, headquartered in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, built an enormous solar array on the rooftop of its San Bernardino Distribution Center. There, 6,208 solar panels generate 1 megawatt of power, enough to power 400 homes for a year. Kohl’s also uses solar energy for partial power at nearly half of its California retail outlets. Since October, 2008, all trucks transporting Kohl’s goods from the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are fuelled by Liquefied Natural Gas, the cleanest burning fossil fuel.

Tesco, an enormous British corporation which operates about 200 Fresh and Easy neighborhood grocery stores in the Western U.S., built its main distribution center at the former March Air Force Base in Riverside. In 2007, Tesco installed a $13 million solar roof on its five-building, 820,400-square-foot facility. The chain also uses hybrid refrigeration trucks which can be plugged in while they’re at the center, minimizing CO2 emissions and noise. Each Fresh and Easy store returns all display and shipping materials to the distribution center, where they are recycled or re-used.

And Mark Hendrickson, director of the Merced County Department of Commerce, Aviation and Economic Development, is trying to establish a Merced County Green/Solar Technology Innovation Hub (iHub) at the former Castle Air Force Base, now Castle Commerce Center. The idea is to create jobs capitalizing on new green technologies being researched and developed through UC Merced. UC Merced’s non-imaging optics laboratory at Castle engages in design, development and testing of solar concentrators for photovoltaic and solar thermal system applications. A two-acre solar test center is proposed for adjacent land at Castle.

The iHUB proposal involves a partnership between the cities of Atwater, Los Banos, and Livingston, Merced Community College, UC Merced, Merced County, the Greater Merced Chamber of Commerce, the UC Merced Small Business Development Center, and others “to create a culture for inventions and patents that produce marketable and sustainable applications targeting the field of energy and solar research, and to prepare a workforce for the renewable energy industry,” according to a recent proposal. The area has chronic high unemployment and a poverty rate of 19.3 percent, compared to the statewide average of 12.4 percent in 2008, according to Census Bureau estimates.

In conclusion, as closed Air Force bases around California continue transforming into vibrant corporate complexes, their ability to attract tenants exploring green technologies is unlocking tremendous potential for jobs and growth. At least one of them, McClellan Business Park – coincidentally the green giant of the group – has more people working there now than it did when McClellan Air Force Base closed in 2001.

CleanTech is excited to begin this testing and about the potential impact of our technologies for the reduction of garbage being disposed of in landfills worldwide. It is estimated that Americans produce 4.4 pounds of waste per day, or 229 million tons of trash annually nationwide. This waste represents a virtually endless source of cellulosic feedstock for the production of biofuels that potentially will be available to CleanTech at almost no cost, and in some locations at a profit.

The waste disposal crisis in this Country, coupled with the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 which dictates that production of ethanol in the United States reach 36 billion gallons per year by the year 2022, of which 20 billion gallons per year is required to be produced from feedstock sources other than corn, positions CleanTech Biofuels to be a leader in the cellulosic ethanol industry.

CleanTech Biofuels, Inc.

CleanTech Biofuels, Inc. is a development stage company that is developing cutting edge waste to clean fuel technologies. We have licensed and are developing our core patented technologies which, when combined, can be used to convert the cellulosic material in municipal solid waste, green waste, and other cellulosic waste materials into fermentable sugars for the production of ethanol.

Our unique technology package positions us to be the industry leader in using municipal solid waste (MSW) as the primary feedstock for energy production. Municipal biorefineries developed using our technology have the potential to:

* Reduce the costs of transporting waste long distances for disposal.
* Dramatically reduce pollution released into the environment by the disposal of municipal solid waste.
* Reduce the amount of material going into landfills by as much as eighty five percent.
* Increase the amount of recyclable materials that can be recovered from municipal solid waste.
* Generate biofuels and other usable energy products at competitive prices.

We believe that our combined technologies will enable the production of ethanol from cellulosic waste streams at a lower cost than from grain or other agricultural feedstocks. Our combined technologies will avoid the immense consumption of water and farmland that plague grain ethanol producers, with the added benefit of recycling garbage and reducing the amount of waste disposed of in landfills by as much as ninety percent.

By focusing on cellulosic biomass produced from curbside garbage where an existing collection and disposal infrastructure has existed for many years, our business model presents substantial economic advantages relative to other models dependant on agriculturally derived feedstocks or wood waste for the production of cellulosic ethanol.

For more information, please email CleanTech Biofuels at info@cleantechbiofuels.net

www.cleantechbiofuels.net

Note: Except for the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Among the factors that could cause actual results or timelines to differ materially are risks associated with research and clinical development, regulatory approvals, supply capabilities and reliance on third-party manufacturers, product commercialization, competition, litigation, and the other risk factors listed from time to time in reports filed by CleanTech Biofuels, Inc. with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements contained in this news release represent judgments of the management of CleanTech Biofuels, Inc. as of the date of this release.

* Macy’s will replace the primary handled shopping bag used in its stores with one made from kraft paper with 30 percent recycled material. The new bag also is 100 percent recyclable. It replaces a laminated paper bag that is neither made from recycled content nor recyclable. In total, Macy’s uses more than 43 million handled shopping bags each year.
* In order to provide customers more options when making a purchase, all Macy’s stores will begin carrying reusable tote bags made from 100 percent natural cotton. The totes, created in partnership with Cotton Incorporated, will sell for $3.95, with $1 of the purchase price donated to the National Park Foundation. On Saturday, April 26, the first 100 to 150 customers at every Macy’s store will receive a free reusable tote bag.
* The company’s direct-to-consumer businesses – macys.com, bloomingdales.com and Bloomingdale’s By Mail – will begin using loosefill in-the-box packing material that is 100 percent biodegradable, compostable and recyclable. The material is used to prevent damage to fragile merchandise as it is shipped to customers. Previously, the company used “packing peanuts” (synthetic, non-biodegradable material) for this purpose. The new material is made from raw ingredients including pure corn and potato starch. It breaks down in water in nine minutes and will not harm the environment. Each year, Macy’s, Inc. uses approximately 3.1 million cubic feet of in-the-box packing material.
* Macy’s stores and macys.com will continue to use recyclable folding gift boxes and wrapping tissue made from 100 percent recycled material. Each year, Macy’s uses approximately 48 million folding gift boxes and 255 million sheets of wrapping tissue. Bloomingdale’s wrapping tissue (75 million sheets used each year) will be converted to 100 percent recycled material in spring 2008. In addition, Bloomingdale’s will offer a 100 percent recycled paper and ribbon gift-wrapping option for holiday 2008.

These actions are consistent with Macy’s, Inc.’s corporate strategy to adopt business practices that preserve and protect the environment.

“Our strategies for sustainability include aggressively reducing wasteful behavior, decreasing our use of scarce resources and pursuing environmentally friendly solutions whenever we have the option to do so,” said Macy’s, Inc. Vice Chair Tom Cole. “As a leading national retailer with a significant workforce, we have the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in improving the environment. And we will do so. But we must operate within the bounds of good business decision-making so that the actions we take are measurable, sustainable and enduring.”

By the end of 2008, the company will be hosting solar energy panels on more than 30 of its stores, primarily in California. Solar power, combined with energy efficiency projects, will reduce grid energy consumption by 40 percent in these stores. Energy consumption per square foot companywide has been reduced by about 9 percent over the past five years. And the amount of recycled paper used in advertising materials increased by about 10-fold in 2007 alone.

Beginning in April, as previously announced, Macy’s will partner with the National Park Foundation to educate shoppers and raise awareness and funds for parks across America. It will be launched during Earth Week in conjunction with Macy’s Turn Over a New Leaf campaign, which will include promoting eco-friendly merchandise and distributing free tree saplings to the first 100 customers in each Macy’s store on April 22.

Bloomingdale’s is partnering with the Natural Resources Defense Council to raise awareness and funds through a special electronic gift card (the “little green card”) available at all Bloomingdale’s stores and online.

“At Macy’s, Inc., we believe that contributing to a more sustainable environment is good business practice and the right thing to do for future generations,” Cole said.

Macy’s, Inc., with corporate offices in Cincinnati and New York, is one of the nation’s premier retailers, with fiscal 2007 sales of $26.3 billion. The company operates more than 850 department stores in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico under the names of Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s. The company also operates macys.com, bloomingdales.com and Bloomingdale’s By Mail. Prior to June 1, 2007, Macy’s, Inc. was known as Federated Department Stores, Inc.

RecycleBank motivates households and communities to recycle by financially rewarding each household for the amount they’ve recycled. RecycleBank’s proprietary technology measures the amount of material recycled and then converts the amount into RecycleBank Points that can be used at hundreds of local and national reward partners.

“Through our additional investment in RecycleBank, we are fulfilling our commitment to advance economically viable approaches to recycling collection in the communities we serve,” said Scott Vitters, director of sustainable packaging, The Coca-Cola Company. “We believe this program will revolutionize the way consumers view their trash, from disposables to valuable reusables.”

RecycleBank’s long-term connection with households enables reward partners like Coca-Cola to recognize the vast and unique marketing opportunities in RecycleBank. More than 300 local and national businesses have partnered with RecycleBank in order to reach the households that RecycleBank services.

Last year, RecycleBank and Coca-Cola formed the RecycleBank Donations Program. The program enables households to donate their RecycleBank Points to the Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit organization committed to clean water issues and the RecycleBank Green Schools program which helps fund environmental initiatives at schools in RecycleBank areas. Coca-Cola pledged to match dollar for RecycleBank Point that was donated. Based on the success of the RecycleBank Donations Program in 2006, Coca-Cola has reconfirmed its commitment for another year long partnership to continue to sponsor these programs.

“Coca-Cola believed in RecycleBank when it was just an entrepreneur’s vision and has continued to support us since our launch,” said Ron Gonen, CEO of RecycleBank. “We are proud that our relationship continues to deepen with Coca-Cola as we work together on a number of activities to promote a more sustainable business community and to scale RecycleBank nationally.”

Following Coca-Cola’s investment, RRE Ventures and Sigma Partners remain as the largest institutional shareholder group and Ron Gonen, the co-founder and CEO, remains as the largest individual shareholder. RecycleBank currently provides service in New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania and will be launching service nationally in 2008.

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Pitney Bowes Inc., the world’s leading provider of mailstream solutions, (NYSE: PBI) today announced that it has been selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) WasteWise program for induction into the WasteWise Hall of Fame. The 2007 award is the ninth WasteWise award in which the EPA has recognized Pitney Bowes for the company’s significant accomplishments in recycling and solid waste reduction at its US facilities.

The EPA launched WasteWise in 1994 as a voluntary partnership program to help businesses and institutions find practical methods to reduce municipal solid waste, increase materials reuse and recycling, and encourage the buying and manufacturing of products with recycled content. Pitney Bowes began participation in the WasteWise program in 1996.

“We are very pleased that the EPA recognizes our efforts and accomplishments of the past 11 years with the WasteWise program, especially with the top honor of induction into the WasteWise Hall of Fame,” said Paul Robbertz, Pitney Bowes Vice President, Environment, Health and Safety. “At Pitney Bowes, we embrace sustainability with an environmental strategy that reduces our environmental footprint. Participation in the WasteWise program is just one of many environmental initiatives that add comprehensive business value for our customers, employees and shareholders.”

In 2006, Pitney Bowes reused and recycled 5, 700 tons of materials and demonstrated a 75 percent rate of recycling. Pitney Bowes also reported approximately 2,000 tons of waste reduction for the 2006 reporting period. Pitney Bowes’ eco-friendly World Headquarters renovation is a component of their waste reduction strategy. During the first two phases of this renovation, approximately 193 tons of materials were recycled or reused. The company also chose “green” building materials like carpet and furniture made from recovered materials. The project encompasses 92 percent of the office space in Stamford, CT.