GSMA (Groupe Speciale Mobile Association), which includes more than 750 cell phone operators, announced plans to debut a universal cellphone charger by 2012. According a Feb. 17th CCN article, the charger will mean significant cut backs in greenhouse gas emissions and raw materials for companies on board — in addition to making chargers more convenient to consumers. Major electronic companies already signed on include AT&T, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Orange, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, T-Mobile and Vodafone among others. While multi-company deals like this one, demonstrate climate leadership across an industry sector, the Climate Counts team hopes that this will be the first of many similar initiatives to take corporate climate responsibility. And these companies need to hear from you! Check out the electronic industry’s 2008 climate scores here. Send them an email directly from their company page to let them know you think Climate Counts.

In a Feb. 17th press release, Marriott hotel chain announced a new program to engage guests in fighting climate change. The program invests in rainforest preservation and for a minimal fee,  allows guests to offset the carbon used during their stay. Read on in this article from Trading Markets.

Click here to see Marriott’s 2008 Climate Counts score, and be sure to keep in mind our full scorecard when making spring travel plans.

According to a Feb. 13 article in the Portland Business Journal, Nike and other retail giants have teamed up to form the Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy (BICEP). The coalition supports federal implementation of a national cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions. At the top of BICEP’s agenda are limits on companies’ greenhouse gas emissions and clean energy development.

At Climate Counts, we believe that companies need to not only take individual responsibility of their supply chains, but also take a leadership role in supporting progressive climate policy. We applaud the efforts of Nike and BICEP in taking a step toward meeting this benchmark and look forward to tracking their progress.

Be sure to check out the full story and stay tuned to Climate Counts for updates.

Shipping company, Deutsche Post/DHL, spotlighted its GoGreen Climate Protection Program in a press release sent out last week. The program, which targets carbon efficiency improvements and initiatives throughout the corporation’s supply chain, played a strong role in DHL’s November 2008 Climate Counts score. The company’s Climate Counts score of 67 (a 22-point increase from the previous year) placed them at the top of their industry sector. To read more on DHL’s program and plans, see the full release here: DHL’s environmental commitment acknowledged by leading climate protection organization.