LOBBYING

Apple and Disney among companies backing groups against US climate bill

Some of America’s most prominent companies, including Apple, Amazon, Intuit, United Airlines, Deloitte, Microsoft and Disney, among others, are backing business groups that are fighting landmark climate legislation, despite their own promises to combat the climate crisis, according to a new analysis. The watchdog group Accountable.US has found a set of corporate lobby groups and organisations have mobilized to oppose the proposed $3.5 trillion budget bill which contains unprecedented measures to drive down planet-heating gases. The bill proposes to phase out emissions from the US electricity system, provide payments to prop up carbon-free nuclear energy and support the adoption of electric vehicles. Most of the companies that either support or actively steer the lobby groups attempting to sink the bill have set their own net zero and renewable energy pledges. (The Guardian)

STRATEGY

M&S refreshes Plan A strategy to deliver net-zero value chain by 2040

Retailer M&S has refreshed its iconic Plan A sustainability strategy to encompass a new commitment to reach net-zero emissions across its entire supply chain and product category by 2040. The supply chain accounts for 97% of M&S’s emissions. Meeting the commitment will require all areas of the business to decarbonise, with emissions needing to fall by 33% by 2025 from a 2017 baseline. To deliver a net-zero value chain, M&S has identified 100 colleagues as ‘Carbon Champions’ across key roles in buying, sourcing and operations, while a carbon literacy programme will be introduced for other colleagues. M&S’s Plan A strategy was launched in 2007 and includes targets to make all M&S packaging “widely recyclable” by 2022, halve food waste by 2025 and reduce operational emissions by 80% compared to 2007. (Edie)

SUPPLY CHAIN 

Boohoo publishes international suppliers list in transparency push

Boohoo has published a 1,100-strong list of its international suppliers as part of a drive to be more transparent in the wake of an independent review. The group promised to make public its suppliers within 12 months of the completion of an independent review launched in July, aimed at overseeing an overhaul of the company’s supply chain following public allegations of poor working conditions. The international factory list details around 1,100 factories and claimed it has achieved 28 of 34 recommendations by the independent review, which are governed by KPMG. The remainder are said to be completed in the next few months. The 17 recommendations were broken down into 34 “deliverables” as part of the group’s Agenda for Change programme. (Retail Gazette)

REPORTING

CalPERS, Carlyle lead push from PE and pension funds on ESG reporting

A group of global private equity firms and pensions funds managing over $4 trillion in assets have agreed to standardize reporting on environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) performance of portfolio companies. The group is led by Carlyle Group and the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS), and also includes the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Blackstone, Sweden's EQT AB, Permira and CVC Capital Partners. Under the initiative, private equity firms will gather and report ESG metrics such as greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy, board diversity and others, from their portfolio companies, starting from this year. The data will then be aggregated into an anonymised benchmark. The founding group plans to meet on an annual basis to assess prior year's data and build on initial metrics. (Reuters)

WASTE

Costa Coffee trials blockchain-enabled reusable cup loan scheme

On-the-go food and drink giant Costa Coffee is piloting a scheme whereby reusable cups are loaned to customers and monitored using a digital blockchain platform. The trial scheme began across 14 stores in Glasgow and will last for six months. Under the scheme, customers are required to make a one-off £5 deposit payment and to sign up for a digital account. They are then asked to scan the QR codes located in their chosen store and on the base of the cup they will borrow from the store. This will link the cup to their account using blockchain, which creates a digital ledger. The blockchain solution will enable Costa to track cup use and calculate the environmental impact of cup reuse. (Edie)

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