Environmental Defense Fund launches green business ideas exchange

Leading US NGO the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has this week launched a new online service designed to help businesses share environmental best practices with their peers.

The EDF said the new Innovation Exchange would aim to help businesses quickly identify the most effective means of reducing their environmental impact and share effective techniques for cutting carbon emissions and water use while enhancing green credentials.

"In today's tough business environment, no company can afford to miss out on proven strategies to cut costs and improve brand value," said Gwen Ruta, vice president, corporate partnerships at EDF. "This new community will enable businesses leaders to learn from their peers, contribute ideas and success stories and leverage the power of collective innovation."

As well as providing an open online forum for business executives, the site also includes a five-step "Getting Started" guide for firms seeking improve their environmental performance and a raft of case studies from companies EDF has worked with in the past, including McDonalds, Wal-Mart and FedEx.

The new site is the latest development in a growing trend that has seen businesses become increasingly willing to shelve their traditionally competitive instincts when undertaking green initiatives and display a willingness to share some best practices with rivals.

Last year, for example, a number of leading technology companies including IBM, Sony and Nokia signed up to the Eco-Patent Commons initiative, which has seen them open up some of their patents related to green technology to general use.

Lisa Manley, director of environmental communications at The Coca-Cola Company, which has offered its support to the new EDF site, predicted that this collaborative trend will continue.

"Access to proven environmental strategies is more vital to business success than ever before," she said. "Collaborative innovation between companies will play a major role in helping us meet our sustainability goals."