Ford and Heinz collaborate on ‘Tom-auto’-based materials
Ford and Heinz have announced that they are investigating the use of tomato fibres in developing plastics for use in vehicle manufacturing. Dried tomato skins, currently a waste product of the ketchup-making process, could become the wiring brackets or a storage bin used to hold coins and other small objects in a Ford vehicle. “Our goal is to develop a strong, lightweight material that meets our vehicle requirements, while at the same time reducing our overall environmental impact” said Ellen Lee, plastics research technical specialist for Ford. Nearly two years ago, Ford began collaborating with Heinz, The Coca-Cola Company, Nike and Procter & Gamble to accelerate development of a 100 percent plant-based plastic to be used to make everything from fabric to packaging. “Although we are in the very early stages of research, and many questions remain, we are excited about the possibilities this could produce for both Heinz and Ford, and the advancement of sustainable 100 percent plant-based plastics” said Vidhu Nagpal, associate director of packaging R&D for Heinz. (Sustainable Brands)
Supply Chain
Asian slave labour producing prawns for supermarkets
A six-month investigation has revealed that slaves forced to work for no pay for years at a time are being used in Asia in the production of seafood sold by major US, British and other European retailers. The investigation established that large numbers of men bought and sold and held against their will on fishing boats off Thailand are linked to global shrimp supply chains, including the top four global retailers: Walmart, Carrefour, Costco and Tesco. The investigation found that the world’s largest prawn farmer, Thailand-based Charoen Pokphand Foods, buys fishmeal from suppliers that own, operate or buy from fishing boats manned with slaves. Although slavery is illegal in every country in the world, including Thailand, some 21 million men, women and children are enslaved globally, according to the International Labour Organisation. There is no official record of how many men are enslaved on fishing boats. But the Thai government estimates that up to 300,000 people work in its fishing industry, 90% of whom are migrants vulnerable to being trafficked and sold to the sea. (The Guardian)
Campaigners call on Apple to remove hazardous chemicals from factories
Environmental and human rights organisations, socially responsible investment firms and occupational health professionals from 27 countries have called on Apple Vice President of Environmental Affairs Lisa Jackson, the former head of the US Environmental Protection Agency, to use her influence to eliminate and replace all hazardous chemicals used in Apple’s Chinese supplier factories with safe alternatives. According to the groups, Apple’s workers could be exposed to more than three times the amount of hazardous chemicals legally permissible in the US. This is particularly critical for benzene and other highly hazardous chemicals which can cause cancer, reproductive and neurological harm. The cost of doing so, the groups estimate, is less than $1 per device. To date, 20,000 consumers have signed a petition to Apple as part of the “Bad Apple” campaign. (CSRWire)
Environment
UK oil firm pulls out of Africa’s oldest national park
British oil company Soco has decided to stop exploring in the Virunga world heritage site in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The company caused international outrage when it was given permission by the DRC’s government to conduct seismic testing in Africa’s oldest and most diverse national park, which is home to about half of the world’s 950 mountain gorillas. The decision to pull out of Virunga follows legal mediation in London last week with conservation group WWF, but Soco is believed to have ultimately bowed to pressure from the British government, Unesco and high-profile individuals including Richard Branson and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Leading conservation groups collected over 700,000 signatures in condemnation of the oil exploration, arguing that it could have led to the pollution of Lake Albert and exacerbated conflict between rival groups. Soco follows the French oil company Total, which pledged last year not to explore in the park. The company said it would continue its social investment projects in the area, including road upgrades, medical programmes and mobile phone masts. “Now is the time for the DRC government to reaffirm its conviction that Virunga has outstanding universal value for all humanity – by cancelling all oil concessions that overlap the park,” said David Nussbaum, chief executive of WWF UK. (The Guardian)
‘Living roofs’ help build resilience to changing climates
In a study due to be presented to architects on Thursday at the International Conference of Building Envelope Systems and Technologies in Aachen, Germany, researchers analysed the effects of vegetated roof installations. The research reveals the benefits of “living roofs”, or green roofs made of living and growing plants, include improved resilience to the impacts of climate change. Green roofs are often used to mitigate the effects of heat, flooding, noise and to control stormwater runoff. They can turn water into water vapour, reducing runoff and flow rates and preventing sewers from overflowing, while also cooling temperatures. “These systems are on the rise not just because they represent a link to the natural world that is scarce in the city, but because they work,” said Elizabeth Grant, assistant professor of architecture and design at Virginia Tech. The research team built a variety of test roofs in a facility in Virginia, and monitored how they dealt with 74 rainfall events. Researchers found that overall, green roofs retained about 50% of the stormwater, compared with about 6% for conventional, flat roofs. (Blue and Green Tomorrow)
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