Supply Chain
Starbucks backs farmers’ loan fund
Starbucks, the United States coffee shop chain, is stumping up cash for a pioneering fund that will provide long-term loans to farmers, enabling them to produce more coffee, cocoa, bananas and other crops while securing supply for multinational buyers. Food and drink multinationals like Starbucks are increasingly focused on farmers – the root of their supply chains – as the growing middle classes around the world devour more resources, sparking fears over food security.
Financial Times* p20 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7d3d60ca-8b15-11e1-912d-00144feab49a.html#axzz1sr1eeQS4
Environment
UK and United States to join forces on offshore floating wind turbines
The UK and United States are set to forge a new agreement on greener energy initiatives, with a floating wind turbines project kicking off the partnership. The agreement forms part of the Clean Energy Ministerial talks, taking place in London later this week (April 25-26), which will see energy ministers from 23 of the world’s leading economies gather in the capital to discuss the transition to clean energy technologies.
Edie http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=22305&title=UK+and+US+to+join+forces+on+offshore+floating+wind+turbines+
GE and Ford leading United States climate adaptation efforts
GE, Ford, and Intel are among the top United States companies leading the way in clean tech innovation and so-called “climate management”, according to new league table released today. The three blue chip corporations come in first, fourth, and fifth in an index of 360 companies compiled by risk analysts Maplecroft, which aim to help investors identify the most resilient and innovative companies with the best long-term growth prospects. The Climate Innovation Indexes (CIIs) measure over 100 criteria, including technologies and working practices to combat climate change, adaption to climate-related risks, such as flooding and extreme weather events, and emissions reduction efforts.
Business Green http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2169381/ge-ford-leading-climate-adaptation-efforts
Diversity
Fewer jobs and lower pay: black graduates pay price in jobs crisis as majority fail to find work
Just four out of ten black students are in full-time employment six months after leaving university, new figures have shown. Unpublished material from the Higher Education Statistics Authority reveals that black students are 30% less likely to be employed than their white counterparts. The figures emerge as a report from the black employment charity Elevation Networks and the think-tank the Bow Group claims that even those who get jobs will earn 9% less for the same type of work within five years.
The Independent p21 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/fewer-jobs-and-lower-pay-black-graduates-pay-price-in-jobs-crisis-as-majority-fail-to-find-work-7669134.html?origin=internalSearch
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