Spiralling global population and over-consumption are threatening the future health of the planet, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)'s latest Living Planet Report, released today. The report names Qatar as the country with the largest ecological footprint in the world, and finds an average global decrease in biodiversity of 30% since 1970. By 2030, the report predicts it will take the equivalent of two planets to meet the current demand for resources. "The Rio+20 conference next month is an opportunity for the world to get serious about the need for development to become sustainable. Our report indicates that we haven't yet done that since the last Rio summit," said David Nussbaum, WWF-UK chief executive.
MPs demand new strategy for 'damaging' food system
The UK government must develop a joined-up food strategy across health, environment and education to tackle the UK’s "unhealthy and environmentally damaging food system", according to a cross-party committee of MPs in a report published yesterday on food security, health and sustainability. The MPs also called for stricter rules to protect children from junk food advertising, mandatory lessons on food skills in schools and a labelling system to help consumers identify sustainably produced foods.
Extra charging points and new technology make it easier for motorists to go green
Today, more than 60 charging points for electric cars will go live in Oxford, UK, making the city the "electric vehicle capital of Europe" with one charging point for every 2,400 people – the best ratio in Europe. The company behind the new network, Chargemaster, hopes that Oxford will set the pace for other cities preparing for a new generation of electric and hybrid cars coming on the market in the next two years from companies including BMW, Ford and Vauxhall. Meanwhile, POD Point, Europe's largest electric vehicle charge point supplier, has today launched the UK's first pay-as-you-go charging network. British cities dominate the top 10 list of electric-friendly locations; London has 654 charging points, the most in Europe.
Nike reduces lead times through lean manufacturing
Nike has reaped the benefits of moving to 'lean' manufacturing, which it defines as 'better manufacturing' that reduces waste materials and time. The sportswear company's latest Sustainable Business Performance Summary explains how Nike has worked to eliminate waste, lost time and lost material from its processes as part of its sustainability agenda, and states that factories which adopted the lean approach showed 50% lower defect rates and 40% faster delivery lead times than those that didn't.
Unilever has entered into a cross-industry partnership pilot to boost teabag recycling in the UK. Brits consume around 165 million cups of tea every day, but most teabags are disposed of in the residual waste bin. To address the problem, Unilever UK has teamed up with Brentwood Borough and Chelmsford councils together with WRAP to change consumer habits, with adverts advising consumers that they can dispose of used tea bags in their kerbside food waste collection. According to WRAP, tea is by far the largest element of unavoidable food waste produced in the UK, accounting for some 370,000 tonnes of waste every year.
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