US brands call on Congress for meaningful chemical reform
3,000 leading US consumer brands are calling on Congress to strengthen the country’s chemical policy. The members of the Companies for Safer Chemicals coalition, led by bio-based household and personal care company Seventh Generation and the American Sustainable BusinessCouncil, say the nation’s chemical safety laws are ineffective and in need of modernisation. The group, which also includes Patagonia and Ben & Jerry’s, argues for strong reforms that support the industry innovating safer and cleaner products. “When Members of Congress talk about regulating industry, too often they forget about small and medium sized businesses that have embraced good business practices. Seventh Generation stands as proof that cost-effective products… can be formulated and manufactured without chemicals of concern,” said Ashley Orgain, Seventh Generation’s manager of mission advocacy and outreach at a Senate press conference on Tuesday. (3BL Media)
Report: Six in ten consumers believe large changes are needed in food production
A study by National Geographic and GlobeScan has found that just one in four consumers globally feel empowered to influence the way that food is produced, while only four in 10 say they have some influence as consumers over what food is available to them when shopping. On average, more than six in 10 consumers believe that large changes are required in how food is produced and consumed in order to feed a growing population, with South Africans (40 percent) and Mexicans (36 percent) being the most likely to think that very large changes are needed. Globally, people think that it is very important to know how and where their food is produced, although relatively few people report that they do. And more consumers globally are embracing local and organic foods while lightening their environmental footprint in the food category. (GreenBiz)
Employees
Target becomes latest retailer to raise worker pay
American retail giant, Target, plans to increase the pay of all its workers to at least $9 an hour starting next month, following similar moves by rivals Walmart and T.J. Maxx. Although Target doesn’t plan to officially announce its own wage increase, store managers have been telling workers about it in recent days. One of the factors that may have contributed to this move was a 25,000-strong petition created by women’s rights organisation UltraViolet, calling on Target to raise its minimum wage. Earlier this month, UltraViolet aired online ads near three of Target’s biggest stores letting employees and customers know that Walmart stores nearby have a higher minimum wage. UltraViolet said this was a “huge victory for hundreds of thousands of women living at near poverty levels nationwide, but it is far from a living wage”. (Sustainable Brands)
Responsible Investment
Campaigners target Gates Foundation’s $1.4 billion in fossil fuel investments
The charity run by Bill and Melinda Gates, who say the threat of climate change is so serious that immediate action is needed, held at least $1.4 billion of investments in the world’s biggest fossil fuel companies, according to a Guardian analysis of the charity’s most recent tax filing in 2013. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Asset Trust is the world’s largest charitable foundation, with an endowment of over $43 billion, and has already given out $33 billion in grants to health programmes around the world, including one that helped rid India of polio in 2014. The Guardian this week partnered with environmental group 350.org to launch a campaign, already backed by over 95,000 people, asking the Gates to sell their fossil fuel investments. The Gates’s charity has a track record of divestment from other sectors, having sold companies linked to the conflict in Sudan and banned tobacco investments, but has so far declined to comment on fossil fuel divestment. (The Guardian)
Circular Economy
O2 unveils phone made from Twickenham Stadium grass
UK mobile network O2 has unveiled a prototype smartphone that has casing produced from pulped grass clippings taken from the pitch at Twickenham Stadium, and the rest made from recycled mobile phone parts. It aims to inspire more people to recycle their phones by demonstrating the benefits of upcycling and retrofitting old products into new designs. The UN estimates that 50 million tonnes of electrical waste is generated annually around the world, while in the UK the amount of wasted electrical goods thrown away rises by five per cent each year. Bill Eyres, head of sustainability at O2, said the phone could help raise awareness of O2 Recycle, which rewards customers with up to £260 for recycling their old electronics. “By creating this phone we are demonstrating how two of O2’s passion points – rugby and O2 Recycle – can come together, as a force for good,” he said. (BusinessGreen)
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