Adidas to use marine plastic waste in products from 2016
German sportswear firm Adidas is teaming up with Parley for the Oceans, a group aiming clean up the world’s oceans, with a plan to develop materials made from marine plastic waste that can be used in its products. As the result of the initiative, Adidas also said it would phase out the use of plastic bags at its 2,900 stores. Plastic used in the consumer goods industry causes marine pollution with a “natural capital cost” of at least US $13 billion a year, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Big fashion brands are jostling to highlight their ethical credentials as environmental groups like Greenpeace pressure them to cut their environmental impact and improve factory conditions. Swedish retailer H&M has pledged to triple the amount of products made of recycled fibres by the end of 2015, while Dutch retailer G-Star Raw worked with Parley last year to launch a denim line made out of plastic waste. (Thomson Reuters)
Scotland to recruit ‘volunteer army’ to drive circular economy
Zero Waste Scotland, a Scottish Government-funded body, is recruiting more than 1,000 ‘zero waste volunteers’ to support its mission to reduce food waste, boost recycling rates and promote re-use, repairing and sharing across the country. The body is offering funding to help coordinate volunteer groups that will engage members of the public and pass on information and tips to help reduce waste in their communities. Activities from the volunteer groups could include zero waste cookery demonstrations, passing on skills for repairing or ‘upcycling’ items, helping people to recycle at major events, delivering talks, and organising swap-shops. After the recent scrapping of the EU’s circular economy package, the European Commission is instead set to unveil a ‘more ambitious’ package next month, which will include country-specific waste-reduction targets and a specific roadmap for the implementation of closed-loop business processes. (Edie)
Policy
New York City’s environment program will focus on income inequality
Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York will change the PlaNYC initiative, New York City’s sustainability and resiliency blueprint, to introduce a focus on income inequality. The mayor has pledged to lift 800,000 residents out of poverty or near-poverty in the next decade and significantly reduce the “racial/ethnic disparities” in premature mortality. The new plan, called OneNYC, aims to create some 500,000 housing units by 2040 and help the average New Yorker reach hundreds of thousands of jobs by transit within 45 minutes. The plan, first created under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is meant to assess the city’s infrastructure and set measurable goals to address climate change. De Blasio’s new plan will be divided into four categories: growth, equity, sustainability and resiliency. Mr. de Blasio cast the new plan as a sensible marriage of past practice and his chief political issues. “Environmental sustainability and economic sustainability have to walk hand in hand,” he said. (NY Times; Capital New York)
Responsible Investment
BP promises more transparency on climate change issues
Oil giant BP has promised to be more open about its impact on climate change after 98 percent of shareholders backed a resolution calling for greater transparency at the fossil fuel group. The company committed to publishing more information on a range of issues, including whether the value of its oil and gas reserves will be damaged by limits on carbon emissions; its investments in low-carbon technology; the scale of carbon dioxide emissions from its operations; the linking of executive pay to greenhouse gas reduction; and its lobbying on climate change. In a break with convention, Carl-Henric Svanberg, BP’s chairman, devoted the bulk of his opening speech at the AGM to an issue that has historically been consigned to the margins. But while the company’s board promised to be more transparent about the risks posed by the business, BP made clear it would not be providing targets to curb its own greenhouse gas output. (The Guardian)
UK’s biggest coffee shop brands Costa, Caffè Nero,Starbucks and Pret a Manger perform poorly in Ethical Consumer magazine’s latest scorecard, which ranks companies on treatment of staff and suppliers, environmental policies and tax avoidance. As well as being penalised for its well-publicised tax avoidance, Starbucks was criticised for trade union violations, removing paid lunch breaks, political lobbying and a lack of commitment to sourcing sustainable palm oil. Caffè Nero was found to have little evidence of environmental or ethical sourcing, while Costa’s policies were described as “weak” in the ratings scorecard. Top of the ranking were the SOHO Coffee company, Esquires and AMT, with SOHO the only coffee chain whose coffee, tea and hot chocolate was all Fairtrade. The lowest rating in the ethical scorecard went to a relative newcomer, Harris + Hoole, whose first store opened in 2012. It promotes itself on its website as an artisan coffee brand, although it is actually part-owned by Tesco. (The Guardian)
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