United States cargo carrier company reaches resolution on environmental record-keeping incident
Horizon Lines, LLC has entered into an agreement with the United States Department of Justice, under which the ocean cargo carrier will plead guilty to two counts of providing federal authorities with false vessel oil record-keeping entries. Under the agreement, which is subject to court approval, the company will pay a fine of $1 million and donate an additional $500,000 to the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation for environmental community service programs. The company also has agreed to be placed on probation for three years and institute an environmental compliance plan.
Stephen Hester, Royal Bank of Scotland chief executive, agreed on Sunday night to give up a bonus worth almost £1 million, bowing to an intense media and political campaign. Hester had been urged by the RBS board to defy his critics, but he finally buckled after Labour leader Ed Miliband, announced his party would stage a Commons vote denouncing the bonus. The vote threatened to be a harrowing occasion for Mr Hester, with MPs from all sides expected to line up to criticise him and to demand that he give up the £963,000 bonus, awarded in spite of RBS’s share price almost halving last year.
Financial Times p1 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c5c22adc-4a89-11e1-a11e-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1kw0HYPcw
Social Investment
Michel Rolland turns wine to water in Africa
Michel Rolland has partnered with CNN Hero Doc Hendley, founder of Wine To Water, and Montesquieu Wines, a California winery and importer, on a special project – ‘The Bonne Nouvelle’, a wine from the land of Africa, for the people of Africa. Proceeds will go directly to Wine To Water to dig deep bore wells in the Dale region of Southern Ethiopia, where 6 out of 10 people lack access to clean water, causing life-threatening diseases to run rampant. The project’s initial goal is to raise $40,000 – enough to fund four wells, providing permanent water access for over 8,000 people.
Green energy company recycles waste to generate electricity in Philippines
True Green Energy Group (TGEG) announced the launch of its new materials recovery facility that will make use of refuse in the production of energy. Pelletizing is a way to make use of raw garbage that would otherwise pollute the air and poison the water table. Pellets have been used as fuel for many years in Europe and the USA, mainly on remote farms. With the opening of the facility, TGEG brings this technology to the Philippines.
Apple hit by boycott call over worker abuses in China
The computer giant Apple is dealing with a public relations disaster and the threat of calls for a boycott of its iPhones and iPads. The company’s public image took a dive after revelations about working conditions in the factories of some of its network of Chinese suppliers. The allegations, reported at length in the New York Times, build on previous research carried out by NGOs, which revealed allegations of excessive working hours and oppressive workplace rules at two major plants in southern China.
Consumers
Sustainable fish proves a hit at the counter
The number of fish and seafood products certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has shot up by 41% in the UK over the last year, as retailers and supermarkets respond to consumers’ demand to know the provenance of the products they buy. Fisheries minister Richard Benyon has hailed the progress made over the last 10 years as evidence of “a seismic shift” in people’s attitudes towards the quality and source of the fish they eat, but admits that challenges remain in keeping the momentum going.
The Guardian p7 http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/jan/30/sustainable-seafood-products-sharp-rise
Davos
The Water Resources Group launches at Davos
SABMiller announced at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos the launch of the Water Resources Group. This public-private collaboration includes SABMiller and other organisations such as the International Finance Corporation, Coca-Cola and Nestle. The aim of the Water Resources Group is to help governments, companies and communities work together to manage the ‘nexus’, the point at which water security, energy security and food security overlap.
SAB Miller http://www.sabmiller.com/index.asp?pageid=1766&blogid=136
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