Unilever leads as companies increase climate transparency
Companies are increasingly making their climate and energy strategies public, as Unilever once again leads a ranking of companies’ global warming commitments, according to research by ClimateCounts. Some 66 percent of companies rated in Climate Counts’ 2012 – 2013 Annual Company Scorecard Report have publicly available climate and energy strategies, up from 25 percent in 2007, the first year of the report. When the financial crisis hit, it was as if “the climate discussion fell into a coma,” according to Mike Bellamente, director of Climate Counts. Now, Bellamente says, major consumer brands are recognizing climate change’s importance and meeting aggressive targets to cut emissions. Five of the top six companies rated by Climate Counts—Unilever, Nike, UPS, Levi Strauss and L’Oreal—exhibited year-on-year revenue growth from 2010 to 2011 while reducing absolute emissions. (Environmental Leader, CSR Europe)
Consumers
H&M to launch global clothes collecting initiative
Swedish retail giant H&M has announced plans to offer a global clothes collecting service. In selected H&M stores from February 2013, customers will be able to discard unwanted garments – regardless of their origins – in exchange for a £5 discount voucher for each bag donated. The voucher can then be used against a transactional purchase of £30 or more in store. The collected clothes are then handled by H&M's partner, I:Collect, which provides the infrastructure in which consumer goods can be reprocessed and made available for new use. "Our sustainability efforts are rooted in a dedication to social and environmental responsibility," explained Karl-Johan Persson, CEO of H&M. "We want to do good for the environment, which is why we are now offering our customers a convenient solution: to be able to leave their worn out or defective garments with H&M." (Telegraph)
Corporate Reputation
Starbucks considers £10m tax offer after sales slump
Starbucks is understood to be close to a deal with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) that could see it pay between £5m and £10m in corporation tax this year. The payment would more than double tax receipts from the company, which has paid only £8.5m to the Treasury since its UK launch in 1998 – despite sales of £3bn. Starbucks would not confirm the agreement but has promised an announcement tomorrow. It comes after talks with HMRC about its tax liability and a public campaign to force the company to change its stance. Sales at the coffee chain have suffered in the wake of the its much publicised tax avoidance strategy and appearance before MPs on the Public Accounts Committee. Its decision is likely to put further pressure on other multinational companies such as Amazon and Google to voluntarily increase the amount of tax they pay in the UK. (Independent)
Waitrose urged to freeze links with Shell's Arctic drilling
Waitrose is the latest company to come under fire from Greenpeace, over allegations its ties to Shell’s plans to drill in the Arctic undermines its ethical commitments. Greenpeace launched a new campaign yesterday urging the retailer to drop plans for a partnership that would see Waitrose supermarkets open in Shell petrol stations. In a spoof advert, Greenpeace accuses Waitrose of misleading the public by promoting its charitable giving in the run up to Christmas and hiding its links with Shell. Shell has a contract with the US government to drill for oil in the Chukchi Sea, 70 miles off Alaska's north-west coast. Greenpeace is concerned that an accident in icy waters would be "disastrous" and near impossible for Shell to respond to quickly. Greenpeace campaigner Sara Ayech said that, "Waitrose trades on its caring, green image. It's going to lose that carefully nurtured look very soon, unless they drop Shell." Waitrose has responded by insisting its links with Shell are “tiny”. (Business Green)
Record €1.47bn fine for TV cartels
Philips, LG Electronics and Samsung SDI were hit with a record €1.47bn fine from Europe’s top competition enforcer on Wednesday after participating in “textbook cartels” for almost a decade. Seven groups in total were punished for two distinct conspiracies to rig prices and the supply of cathode ray tubes. The other four groups were Panasonic, Toshiba, Technicolor and the Taiwanese firm Chunghwa Picture Tubes, which escaped a potential €17m fine for blowing the whistle on the cartel. European Commission investigators found senior managers at self-styled “greens meetings” plotted to carve up worldwide markets and overcharge consumers before often playing golf at exclusive clubs in Singapore, Korea and Japan. The combined €1.5bn penalty for the two cartels is the biggest fine imposed by the European Commission in a single decision and exceeds the €1.4bn levied on a cartel on glass for car windows. Joaquín Almunia, the EU’s competition chief, said the two conspiracies featured the “worst kinds of anti-competitive behaviour” that caused “serious harm” to television and computer makers. The price-fixing, market-sharing and customer allocation became almost routine business practice between 1996 and 2006. (Financial Times*, BBC)
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