2015 ‘Most Sustainable Corporations’: Biogen Idec, Allergan, Adidas top the list
Toronto-based media organisation Corporate Knights has released its 2015 Global 100 report, which every year identifies the world’s ‘100 most sustainable’ publicly-traded companies to coincide with the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. According to the ranking, which is based on public sustainability reporting, Biogen Idec, the American biotech company, is the world’s most sustainable company. US-based pharmaceutical heavyweight Allergan comes in second, while Germany’s Adidas and BMW, Singapore’s Keppel Land, Finland’s Kesko and the UK’s Reckitt Benckiser and Centrica also top the list. 20 American companies feature in the top 100, including Johnson & Johnson, Ecolab and Intel. Other UK companies include BT, M&S and Unilever. The Global 100 is calculated by Solactive, the German index provider, using data on companies’ resource utilisation, financial sustainability and employee management. (Just Means)
Supply Chain
Mars and Wilmar follow through on zero-deforestation commitments
Food and beverage giant Mars and palm oil trader Wilmar International last week both announced progress against zero-deforestation commitments. Mars has announced three new policies aimed at reducing deforestation in its beef and soy supply chains by the end of 2017, and its pulp and paper supply chain by the end of 2016, fulfilling a commitment the company made last year in its Deforestation Policy. “By setting sustainable standards like these across our supply chain, Mars is working to bring real solutions to the complex problem of deforestation,” said Barry Parkin, Mars’ Chief Sustainability Officer. Meanwhile, Wilmar, the world’s largest palm oil trader, launched the Wilmar Sustainability Dashboard, a microsite dedicated to communicating its progress on implementing the No Deforestation, No Peat and No Exploitation Policy that it announced just over a year ago. Wilmar started a supply chain mapping exercise in early 2014 and has since seen improved transparency in its supply chain. (Sustainable Brands)
Social Impact
Charity calls for tax credits for companies who mentor social entrepreneurs
In its 2015 Manifesto launched today, social investment charity Allia is calling on the UK government to make changes in six key policy areas to support organisations delivering social impact. The proposed policy changes include tax incentives to encourage established businesses in the private sector to donate staff time to help mentor and develop the skills of social entrepreneurs. The proposal aims to push current political narrative around corporate responsibility to the ‘next level’ by providing a concrete business case for ensuring social and environmental responsibility is a core part of all business models. Tim Jones, CEO of Allia said: “Supporting social ventures in the UK is the single most cost-effective solution for social well-being. While much has been achieved during the last decade, there is still much more that can be done to remove barriers and promote the growth of social ventures.” (Pioneer Post)
Environment
Obama proposal to expand Alaska Arctic refuge attracts criticism over oil
US President Barack Obama is to propose expanding the protected area of Alaska’s Arctic refuge by 12.28 million acres, including the state’s Coastal Plain where oil and gas are drilled. However, the proposal to expand the part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge designated as wilderness, the highest level of federal protection under which oil and gas drilling is banned, faces an uphill battle in Congress, where Republicans in control of both chambers oppose curbs to oil production. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska called the Obama administration’s move a politically motivated attack on Alaska. On Friday, she introduced a bill that would have permitted oil production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Washington Post, which first reported the story, says announcement is one of a series that the Interior Department will make this week that will affect Alaska’s oil and gas production. (The Guardian)
UK MPs: Ban fracking to meet carbon targets
An influential committee of UK MPs has called for a moratorium on fracking on the grounds that it could derail efforts to tackle climate change. In their report, the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) says that shale fracking was incompatible with UK carbon targets and could pose environmental and health risks. However, the Department of Energy and Climate Change disagrees with the report’s findings, responding that “shale development is compatible with our goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions”. Tom Crotty, director of the Ineos group, which is investing in the UK shale gas industry, said gas would be needed for the next 20, 30 or more years in the UK, as a back-up to renewables: “The net result of a moratorium on fracking will be – we will import more and more gas,” he said. Meanwhile, Friends of the Earth campaigner Donna Hume called the report a “a further blow to an industry still reeling from the recent ban on fracking in New York State”, pointing to further bans in place around the workd “from France to Texas”. (BBC; Friends of the Earth)
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