Unintended consequence of Wal-Mart’s pay rise: unhappy workers
When Wal-Mart Stores CEO Doug McMillon announced plans to boost workers’ minimum wage earlier this year, he said the move was intended to improve morale and retain employees. Yet for some of the hundreds of thousands of workers getting no raise, the policy is having the opposite effect. In interviews and in hundreds of comments on Facebook, Wal-Mart employees are calling the move unfair to senior workers who got no increase and now make the same or close to what newer, less experienced colleagues earn. New workers started making a minimum of $9 an hour in April and will get at least $10 an hour in February. Some workers also said they suspect their hours are being cut and annual raises reduced to cover the cost of the wage increase for newer workers. Wal-Mart denies this and says it’s taking steps to ensure all employees have an opportunity to move into higher-paying jobs. (Bloomberg)
Circular Economy
Speedo dives into closed-loop swimwear market
American swimwear giant Speedo is making waves in the circular economy with a new initiative to create swimsuits from remnants of nylon generated in its own factories. The ground-breaking efficiency project was launched last week under a new partnership with Italian materials manufacturer Aquafil, which has pioneered a new form of nylon made using 100 per cent waste material. Speedo has struck a deal with Aquafil to ship fabric remnants from its factories back to Aquafil’s plants in Italy, where the material will be turned back into nylon for a new range dubbed Speedo Powerflex Eco swimwear. Speedo is diving head first into the circular economy. As well as launching the Powerflex Eco collection, it plans to extend the use of recycled nylon across the rest of its product line. (Business Green)
Holcim and Vietnamese supplier to turn waste shoes into fuel
A solid recovered fuel (SRF) manufacturing plant in Vietnam will process solid footwear production waste from the county’s main shoe factory to create a fossil fuel substitute to power cement manufacturer Holcim’s local kiln. After a global search for the best-fit technology, Holcim decided on a single-step SRF product from waste-to-energy shredding company Untha. The system is capable of processing up to 10 metric tons of material an hour to produce a fuel with high calorific value. It uses 50 percent less power than traditional static electro-hydraulic shredders and is expected to be fully operational by September. (Environmental Leader)
Governance
Shell to leave ALEC, citing climate change stance
Shell says it plans to leave the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), an influential political group that advocates against climate policies. The company said ALEC’s stance on climate change is “clearly inconsistent with our own”. The UK-Dutch oil giant said it would leave the Washington-based organisation when its membership expires in early 2016, as part of an “ongoing review of memberships and affiliations”. “We have long recognized both the importance of the climate challenge and the critical role energy has in determining quality of life for people across the world,” the statement added. Shell’s decision follows that of BPin March this year, and comes off the back of a campaign by the US Union of Concerned Scientists against its continued membership. Google, Facebook and Yahoo quit the group in the past year. Critics of ALEC say the conservative group actively promotes the denial of man’s influence on climate change, a charge it refutes. (RTCC)
Policy
Scotland uses new EU rules to ban GM crops
The Scottish Government intends to take advantage of new EU rules allowing countries to opt out of growing EU-authorised GM crops. Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead announced the decision saying he wanted to protect Scotland’s clean, green status. The Scottish Government will shortly submit a request that Scotland is excluded from any European consent for the cultivation of GM crops, including the variety of genetically modified maize already approved and six other GM crops that are awaiting authorisation. The Cabinet Secretary said: “Scotland is known around the world for our beautiful natural environment – and banning growing genetically modified crops will protect and further enhance our clean, green status”. (Click Green)
Image Source: Freestlye Catch by Simply Swim UK / Public Domain
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