POLICY

Italy to require all workers to show 'green pass' Covid certificate

Italy is to make it compulsory for all workers to have a Covid "green pass" which they state must be either proof of vaccination, a negative test or recent recovery from the virus. Anyone without a pass will reportedly face suspension from work and may have their pay stopped after five days. The measures, which are a first for Europe, are due to come into force on 15^th October, with an aim to boost vaccinations in a country badly hit by the virus. In related news, Southwest Airlines has become the latest US airline to try to encourage workers into getting vaccinated, saying it would pay a bonus to staff who are vaccinated and also stop sick pay for unvaccinated workers who had to quarantine with Covid. (BBC News 1, BBC News 2)

CLIMATE CHANGE

Just one country on course to meet 1.5C target, new research warns

Gambia is the only country on course to deliver climate action that is in alignment with the 1.5C pathway of the Paris Agreement, according to new research from Climate Action Tracker (CAT). The study observes trends such as domestic targets, policies and action, fair share, climate mitigation finance and land use and forestry and has concluded that momentum on updating climate targets has stalled. Seven nations are classed as “nearly sufficient”, including the UK, with CAT stating they could reach the 1.5C threshold with “moderate improvements”. CAT claims the UK’s domestic net-zero strategy is compatible, but it is being hindered by policies. The research also found that the updating of targets to 2030 has stalled since May, with no major emitter or economy putting forward new targets. (edie)

TECHNOLGY & INNOVATION 

SAP launches solution to assess and improve product carbon footprint

Enterprise application software company SAP announced the release of SAP Product Footprint Management, a new a cloud-native solution designed to enable companies to assess the carbon footprint of products across the value chain. Integrating with data from business applications such as SAP S/4HANA, the solution enables users to measure and disclose greenhouse gas emissions, and to assess the environmental impact of various production scenarios, considering costs and footprint aspects of each option, enabling products and operations to become more sustainable. SAP stated that its new product footprint management solution forms part of a new portfolio of sustainability-specific business applications that deliver transparency and measurement capability across the supply chain. (ESGToday)

ENVIRONMENT

UK fashion group ASOS ties exec pay to new environmental goals

Online fashion retailer ASOS has set out plans to cut its environmental impact and improve worker rights, tying its success in cutting waste and carbon levels to future management pay. Joining a growing list of fast-fashion companies to open up its supply chain for external scrutiny, ASOS set out targets for improving recycling rates, cutting energy usage and increasing the diversity of its corporate leaders. Under the plan, ASOS aims to achieve net-zero status across all its operations and be making own-brand products and packaging from more sustainable or recycled materials by 2030. It will also seek to improve human rights within its supply chain by producing an annual report from 2023 that addresses such issues as wages, modern slavery and gender empowerment, to be assessed by independent campaign groups. (Reuters)

HUMAN RIGHTS

Texas’ largest companies stay silent on state abortion ban

Despite the widespread outrage over a new Texas law that bans abortions as early as 6 weeks, only a handful of major companies have spoken out against the legislation that went into effect on 1^st September. Texas’s largest corporate employers, including American Airlines, ExxonMobil, Dell Technologies, Oracle and Hewlett-Packard Enterprises, all of which are headquartered in the state, have not made any public statements about the law. One exception is the cloud-based software giant Salesforce which is offering to help relocate employees out of the state if they so wish. Among the few other companies who have spoken out against the Texas abortion ban are dating app companies Match Group and Bumble, ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft, Yelp and Benefit Cosmetics. (The Guardian)