Pepsi achieves safe water access goal two years early
Pepsi has announced it has reached its goal of helping three million people gain access to safe drinking water in Africa, Asia and Latin America two years ahead of schedule and now plans to double its target to helping six million by 2015. The milestone comes as part of ‘Pepsi’s Performance with Purpose’ strategy, which aims to find innovative ways to minimise the company’s impact on the environment and lower its costs through energy and water conservation and waste reduction, as well as respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities in which it operates. (Sustainable Brands)
Governance
The only way is ethics, City body tells bankers
From today, would-be City bankers in the UK will have to sit a test on ethics. The Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment, the body that administers the exams that allow City workers to ply their trade, is introducing online tests that will force candidates to grapple with moral dilemmas. The exams are not compulsory, but most big City employers, including investment banks, require staff to pass them before starting work. Members of the public will also be able to take the test, if only for their own curiosity. (The Times)
Innovation
Singapore seeks sustainability through analytics technology
Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) will study the establishment of the country’s first Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Computational Social Science and Engineering to enhance urban sustainability and create key innovations for industry development. The CoE aims to address technological solutions and opportunities for sustainable urban development in key areas such as transportation management and energy efficiency. The partnership will also unlock further economic opportunities through engendering key innovations for industry development and creating local employment opportunities. (Furture Gov)
Environment
Next phase for teabag recovery brewing at Unilever
Unilever is seeking to scale up its local authority food waste pilots in a bid to reduce the post-consumer impacts of its products. Teabags in particular are being targeted as they form the biggest contributor to Unilever's waste footprint in the UK. Through its PG Tips brand, some 20m Unilever teabags are brewed and discarded each day, and recycling them is now considered a big priority. Unilever has already engaged with two local authorities to introduce kerbside food waste collections. (Edie)
Facebook’s green roof gets green light
Facebook has had the green light to build a huge second campus that connects to its headquarters in Silicon Valley. The proposed design is eco-friendly, with a huge park-like, tree and grass-lined green roof. The social network giant says its new 433,555-square-foot building will blend into the landscape, thanks to an extensive green roof that covers most of the very long building. The company’s initiative will help combat air pollution, urban heat-island effects and loss of green spaces, which have occurred due to rapid urbanisation in the past 50 years. (Environmental Leader, Sustainable Business)
Policy & Research
African women benefit from jobs in agricultural supply chains
Agricultural supply chains are supporting women across Africa by giving them greater independence and offering more choice in life, according to research by food processor Olam, an international firm whose products include coffee, rice and sugar. Olam carried out a survey of 5,971 women working in its cashew processing plants in different parts of Africa and India, and asked the women to choose the most important reason they value their job, apart from the obvious financial benefit. The results found 36 percent said working gives them independence and choice and 33 percent said employment provides status and confidence. (Supply Management)
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