California tech industry searches for ways to cut water use
With water in ever-shorter supply in drought-ravaged California, Silicon Valley data centres are trying to reduce their needs for cooling. Water keeps the internet afloat by ensuring equipment in data centres stays cool enough to function, raising serious questions about the environmental impact of data demands. Water-cooled data centres use an estimated 13.25 million litres per megawatt each year. The data centres used by major players can range in scale from 5 megawatts to 30 megawatts. With an estimated 800 data centres in California, those numbers add up. Now that California has imposed mandatory water restrictions to cut the state’s water use by 25 percent, general awareness of water scarcity is growing, and the possibility of higher water prices looms. Data centre owners and managers have taken notice and started looking for ways to cut water use, through smarter buildings and less heat-sensitive equipment. (The Guardian)
Waste
P&G to make 230 million bottles a year out of recycled plastic
Consumer products giant Procter & Gamble (P&G) Fabric Care has reinforced its environmental credentials with the announcement of a new initiative which will result in 230 million bottles of flagship brands made out of recycled packaging. The 230 million bottles is the equivalent of the distance from the North Pole to the South Pole if all of the bottles were laid end-to-end. The first P&G Fabric Care bottles impacted by this announcement are expected to be on sale in retailers in the first half of 2016. Through this initiative, the amount of incremental recycled material that P&G Fabric Care will use per year increases by 3.8 kilotonnes. The company’s vision is to make 100 percent of its products and packaging from renewable and recycled materials. (Blue and Green Tomorrow)
Corporate Reputation
UK authorities ‘lack resources’ to investigate Trafigura over toxic waste
The UK’s Environment Agency says it lacks necessary expertise and resources to investigate the Dutch multinational oil company, Trafigura, over the 2006 toxic waste dump in Ivory Coast which affected up to 100,000 people. In the past 15 months, the human rights group Amnesty International has contacted UK authorities with a detailed dossier laying out its case for why they should explore a criminal conspiracy prosecution against the company. Amnesty has criticised the UK’s inaction on the matter, saying it “is tantamount to giving multinational companies carte blanche to commit corporate crimes abroad”. Trafigura faced a civil claim brought forward on behalf of 30,000 Ivorians, which was settled for approximately £30 million. The company also paid out £130 million, without admitting liability, to the Ivory Coast government, and was found guilty on two relatively minor charges of corporate crime in the Netherlands. (The Guardian)
Employees
Survey: Many mothers ‘feel discriminated against at work’
More than a quarter of mothers in the UK feel discriminated against at work, a survey suggests. A third of 1,975 women questioned for the legal firm Slater and Gordon said they found it impossible to climb the career ladder and 54 percent said their employer could do more to support working mothers. Employers said businesses were better than ever at managing maternity leave and reintegrating mothers. But a total of 35 percent of the mothers surveyed said their workplace was not supportive of their situation when they were pregnant and 31 percent felt they were not well treated by their employer while on maternity leave. Some 27 percent said they had felt under pressure to return to work earlier than they wanted too. Once back in the workplace, 29 percent felt they had been overlooked for a promotion because they had responsibilities as a mother. (BBC)
Supply Chain
Myanmar sentences 153 Chinese nationals to life for illegal logging
China has lodged a diplomatic protest with Myanmar after a court in the Southeast Asian nation sentenced 153 Chinese nationals to life imprisonment for illegal logging. China’s voracious demand for Myanmar’s raw materials has fuelled resentment in Myanmar towards its giant northern neighbour. Regions along Myanmar’s porous border with China have long been hotbeds for an illegal trade in timber to feed Chinese demand. Much of Myanmar’s jade is also believed to be illegally smuggled into China. A court in Myitkyina, capital of Kachin State in the north of Myanmar, handed down sentences to 155 Chinese citizens on Wednesday. Two of those convicted escaped life sentences and got 10-year prison terms. China’s Foreign Ministry said it was “extremely concerned” about the decision and had lodged a protest with Myanmar. (Reuters)
Image Source: Recyclables by Streetwise Cycle / (Public domain)
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