• Confectioners move forward on greenhouse-gas reductions
  Confectioners including Hershey, Kraft/Mondelez, Nestle, Mars and Ferrero are acting toward self-established goals for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. Hershey captures methane from wastewater-treatment facilities to use as fuel, and Nestle is capturing energy from used coffee grounds. ConfectioneryNews.com (France) (10/10)      

• From fashion to fertilizer? Designers embrace compostable materials
  Top fashion houses are starting to take sustainability more seriously. Gucci makes sunglasses and shoes from biodegradable plastics, Stella McCartney is offering faux-leather shoes with compostable soles, and Puma is about to launch a line of shirts that can be ripped up and used as fertilizer. "Everyone is beginning to appreciate the need to reduce fashion's impact on the environment," said Alex McIntosh of the London College of Fashion. "Compostability is part of a wider waste management agenda." Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model) (10/14)      

• Fairtrade defends logo rules after criticism
  A BBC Watchdog program has criticized Fairtrade's logo rules for being "misleading" because of their acceptance of cocoa products that contain noncertified beans. But the U.K.-based organization, which inspects cocoa farms to enforce fair labor conditions, defended the practice. While it requires manufacturers to buy enough Fairtrade beans to produce a whole product line, said media relations head Eileen Maybin, keeping those beans separate from noncertified beans would cost companies "millions of pounds of investment in machinery. It's a practical issue." DairyReporter.com (France) (10/12)      

• What do eco-labels really mean?
  Marketers have plenty of wiggle room when it comes to selecting and deploying eco-labels, and that's arguably bad for brands and consumers, says Consumers Union sustainability chief Urvashi Rangan. "In many respects, consumers are still left holding the ball, and having to decide which labels mean something and which ones don't," she says. Times Union (Albany, N.Y.) (10/13)      

• At Molson Coors, corporate responsibility is a one-man show
  At Molson Coors, corporate responsibility is essentially in the hands of just one man: Barton Alexander, the company's chief corporate responsibility officer. That doesn't mean the company isn't taking the cause seriously, Alexander says. "We have a very small central team. ... But we see corporate responsibility as an integral part of every employee's job in the company," he explains. GreenBiz.com (10/12)      

• Pickens sells interest in Minn. wind venture
  American Wind Alliance, a company backed by magnate T. Boone Pickens, has divested its interest in the company behind a proposed 50-turbine wind project in Goodhue County, Minn. Peter Mastic, the new owner of the newly renamed New Era Wind Farm project, said he plans to push ahead with the project with the assistance of a local advisory board. "They wanted something that signified a re-engagement with the community and a new beginning," said Mastic. Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) (10/12)      

Top five news stories selected by SmartBrief on Sustainability readers in the past week.

• How Al Gore got rich by going green (The Washington Post)

• The pros and cons of plastic-bag bans (The Wall Street Journal)

• Concrete recycling with a zap of lightning (Gizmag)

• Why the U.S. needs a carbon tax (The Wall Street Journal)

• Meet the Sustainability Consortium's optimist-in-chief (GreenBiz.com)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) New National Poll Finds Americans Deeply Divided on Nation's Current Track to Domestic Energy Interested in learning more about advertising with SmartBrief? Click here for detailed industry information and media kits.

• Don't wait for leaders to emerge -- develop them
  Good bosses ensure their company has a steady stream of up-and-coming leaders, writes Joel Garfinkle. Try offering mentoring to workers who get glowing reports from their bosses and peers, Garfinkle advises. "These are the rising stars who care enough to do their very best work. Many of them are aspiring leaders who will jump at the chance to be mentored by you," he writes. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership (10/15)      

By taking a role in developing the next generation of leaders, you ensure your company's future success." --Joel Garfinkle, leadership coach, writing at SmartBlog on Leadership