The IKEA Group of Sweden has announced its commitment to the Business Call to Action (BCtA) and reinforced its goal to use only cotton produced entirely in line with the Better Cotton Initiative in all IKEA products by end of 2015. IKEA’s goal is to ensure that consumers do not have to pay a premium for cotton products that are more sustainably farmed than conventional cotton—using less water and fewer chemicals and pesticides. As part of this effort, the leading home furnishing retailer also plans to grow worldwide demand for sustainable cotton at affordable prices. (CSR wire)
Social Investment
Online marketplace for sustainable investments just a click away
A service claiming to be the UK's first online financial services marketplace for ethical investments has gone live, with the goal of making it easier for investors to back social impact projects. Not-for-profit stockbroker Ethex currently hosts 11 products from companies offering social, environmental and financial returns, which it says will allow them to attract investors more easily and at a lower cost. The founding director, Jamie Hartzell said the typical investor using the marketplace will be an individual who invests between a few hundred to several thousand pounds and wants to diversify their portfolio into schemes that offer long-term, predictable returns. (Business Green)
Environment
'Less trash, pay less' scheme to be tested in Singapore
The Government in Singapore is piloting a ‘save-as-you-reduce’ scheme in several towns, to see if they help cut household waste and encourage residents to recycle more. A usage-based pricing waste disposal system will allow households to “directly reap the benefits of reducing waste”, said Ms Fu, the Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources. Presently, occupants of flats, landed residential properties and hawker/market stalls pay a flat monthly collection fee, regardless of their waste disposal habits. Besides enhancing the recycling infrastructure, such as with more recycling bins, Ms Fu said “it’s important for the consumers to see how the behaviour affects them personally” by providing incentives. (Asia One,Wild Singapore)
Reporting
GRI ‘among top CSR’ instruments
The ‘Global Reporting Initiative Guidelines’(GRI) now rank among the most widely recognised corporate social responsibility instruments among large European companies, according to new research published by the European Commission. In a survey of the public CSR statements of 200 randomly selected large companies, the GRI Guidelines were referred to by 31 percent of the sample companies. This was almost as frequently as the UN Global Compact, which was referred to by 32 percent of respondent companies. (Environmental Leader)
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