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20,303 documents added on 17 August 2026
Dow Chemical Company (A): The WRAP Program
This case study describes the Waste Reduction Always Pays (WRAP) program implemented by the Louisiana Division of the Dow Chemical Company. Originally evolving from an energy-saving contest in 1981, WRAP was formally announced in 1986 to reduce pollution and operating costs through employee-led innovation. The program utilizes a competitive submission process where projects are evaluated on technical viability and return on investment (ROI), rewarding winners with public recognition and project leadership roles rather than direct financial prizes.
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Document type: Case study
EUROPEAN UNION CARBON TAX
This teaching note, prepared by Scott Barrett for the World Resources Institute's Sustainable Enterprise Program, provides a framework for a classroom negotiation exercise regarding a proposed European Union carbon tax. It combines negotiation theory with a case study on the economic and environmental challenges of implementing regional climate policies, specifically focusing on the risks of 'leakage' and loss of competitiveness.
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Document type: Guide
PLATANERA RIO SIXAOLA, S.A.
This case study examines Platanera Rio Sixaola, S.A., a small independent banana plantation in Costa Rica founded by Volker Ribniger. Despite becoming the first banana plantation in the world to earn Eco-OK certification from the Rainforest Alliance, the company faced significant financial challenges in 1994, with production costs exceeding revenues. The document details the environmental impacts of traditional banana monoculture, the specific sustainable practices implemented by Platanera Rio Sixaola, and the market pressures exerted by the 'Big Three' multinationals and European Community import quotas.
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Document type: Case study
A TOXIC INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP (TIP)
This case study describes a corporate crisis involving Treeton Chemical, a U.S.-based firm, and its Italian acquisition, Tossico Chemical. The venture, Treeton-Tossico, became the center of an international scandal after it was revealed that the company improperly exported 650 tons of toxic waste to Nigeria in 1987, leading to severe legal, financial, and reputational threats from the Italian government and European environmental coalitions.
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Document type: Case study
Dow Chemical (B): Waste Reduction at Bayside
This case study examines waste reduction efforts at Dow Chemical's Bayside Division in Maryland, contrasting its approach with the company's WRAP program used in the Louisiana Division. Bayside utilized statistical process control (SPC) training and a suggestion box system to identify and implement smaller-scale waste reduction projects.
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Document type: Case study
AT&T ENVIRONMENT AND SAFETY
This teaching note describes the application of Total Quality Management (TQM) techniques at AT&T, specifically at the Columbus Works, to eliminate environmental hazards like Perchloroethylene (PERC) and 1,1,1 Trichloroethane (TCA). It details AT&T's success in eliminating CFC usage by May 1993 and reducing toxic air emissions. The document provides a framework for measuring environmental performance through scientific, management, and systems assessment data, while emphasizing the legal liabilities and financial incentives associated with corporate environmental compliance.
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Document type: Guide
THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY: Disposable and Reusable Diapers--a Life-Cycle Analysis
This teaching note, prepared by the World Resources Institute's Sustainable Enterprise Program, discusses a life-cycle analysis comparing disposable and reusable diapers conducted by Arthur D. Little for The Procter & Gamble Company. It evaluates the environmental trade-offs between the two options and details P&G's corporate responses to negative publicity regarding disposable diapers.
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Document type: Guide
Rural Electrification in Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe
This report provides an overview of a workshop focused on rural electrification in four East African countries, specifically examining obstacles, potential solutions, and the role of bio-electrification, solar, wind, and hydro power.
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Document type: Report
Oposa v Factorian
A 1993 judgment by the Supreme Court of the Republic of the Philippines regarding a petition by minors to cancel timber license agreements to protect the environment for present and future generations.
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Document type: Case study
Protecting Sensitive Aquatic Habitats in the Gulf of Aqaba
This research paper examines strategies for protecting sensitive aquatic habitats in the Gulf of Aqaba, focusing on legislative mechanisms, site selection for marine protected areas (MPAs), and management tools to address threats to the region's biodiversity.
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Document type: Research paper
Estimating greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel consumption: two approaches compared
This research paper compares two methodologies for estimating national-level greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector, specifically analyzing CO2 emissions for 1988 and the additional heating effects of other combustion gases.
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Document type: Research paper
Environmental and Economic Policies Affecting United States Competitiveness
This briefing consists of testimony provided by the Center for International Environmental Law to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation regarding the relationship between United States economic and environmental interests and international competitiveness.
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Document type: Briefing
Supercars
This research paper by the Rocky Mountain Institute proposes a radical redesign of the light-vehicle industry, moving away from incremental improvements of steel cars toward 'supercars': ultralight, hybrid-electric vehicles constructed from net-shape polymer composites. The authors argue that integrating advanced materials, switched reluctance motors, and hybrid drives could increase fuel efficiency by up to ten times compared to 1990 US production cars, while simultaneously improving safety, reducing production costs, and transforming the industrial structure of automotive manufacturing and sales.
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Document type: Research paper
Interbasin Water Transfers After NAFTA
This briefing discusses the risk of diverting Canada's fresh water resources to the southwestern United States and Mexico due to increasing water scarcity and the influence of trade agreements like NAFTA and the 1988 FTA, which may limit Canada's ability to restrict water exports.
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Document type: Briefing
Open Borders, Broken Promises: Privatization and Foreign Investment
This report examines the risks associated with foreign investment and privatization in developing and transitioning economies, arguing that while such investment can provide necessary capital, it often facilitates the transfer of hazardous technologies from industrialized Western nations to economically weaker regions.
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Document type: Report
Monitoring airborne dust in a high-density coal-fired power station region in North Yorkshire
A two-year monitoring study in North Yorkshire investigated dust deposition in villages near coal-fired power stations, specifically focusing on the impact of Drax Power Station and its fly-ash tip on the village of Barlow.
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Document type: Research paper
BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE AG (A)
This 1993 case study examines BMW's strategic response to proposed German 'take-back' legislation requiring car manufacturers to manage the end-of-life disposal and recycling of their vehicles. It highlights the environmental challenge of Automotive Shredder Residue (ASR), the technical difficulties of recycling diverse automotive polymers, and the shifting landscape of German waste management away from landfills and toward incineration and resource recovery.
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Document type: Case study
ACTE DE MONTEVIDEO
The Act of Montevideo, signed between May 12 and 14, 1992, establishes the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) as a regional network of research units to foster cooperation on global change research across the Americas.
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Document type: Statement
World Energy: Building a Sustainable Future
This report by the Stockholm Environment Institute analyzes energy use trends across various sectors in major energy-consuming countries to address environmental and geopolitical challenges.
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Document type: Report
LEAP Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning System Volume 2
The LEAP (Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning) Volume 2 User Guide provides detailed technical instructions for using a computer-based accounting and simulation tool designed for policy makers to evaluate energy policies and develop sustainable energy plans. The system integrates demand forecasting, energy transformation, biomass resource tracking, and environmental impact assessment into a modular framework for scenario analysis.
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Document type: Guide