Qatar Airways is relaxing rules that saw female cabin crew members who became pregnant discharged. Under the new policies, female flight attendants who become pregnant are now offered temporary ground jobs. “This is really about making sure we attract and retain the best talent,” said a spokesperson for the Doha-based airline. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) had criticised Qatar Airways for its treatment of its female cabin crew. An inquiry was set up by the ILO in response to complaints brought forward in June 2014 by the International Transport Workers’ Federation and International Trade Union Confederation, prompted by testimony from serving and former cabin crew. The airline – which had accused the ILO of a “vendetta” against it and Qatar – rejected the inquiry’s findings, but said the new rules were part of a wider review. “As our airline has grown, we now have more options for secondary roles,” said a spokeswoman. (BBC)
Strategy
Germany’s E.ON banks on US in renewables expansion
Germany’s E.ON plans to expand its solar and wind business in the United States, an executive said, as the utility strives to bolster its renewable energy operations ahead of a planned spin-off of its ailing fossil-fuel power plants. E.ON took markets by surprise last year when it announced it would split in two, spinning off its fossil-fuel-based power plants, energy trading unit and oil and gas activities into a separate unit, Uniper, in 2016. The move, a drastic response to an ongoing crisis in Europe’s power sector, will raise the profile of E.ON’s renewables business, which has spent about 10 billion euros on renewables since 2007 and plans to invest roughly 1 billion euros on renewables a year. By focusing on North America, E.ON is acting on President Barack Obama’s pledge to promote renewables in a bid to fight climate change, seen as a key initiative ahead of global climate talks in Paris in December. (Reuters)
Technology & Innovation
Texas teenager creates $20 water purifier to tackle toxic e-waste pollution
A new filtering device, invented by a US teenager, could provide a cheap and easy way to safeguard water from contamination by toxic e-waste. The renewable heavy metal filter, designed by 18-year-old Perry Alagappan, removes 99 percent of heavy metals from water that passes through it. The filter, built from graphene nanotubes, can be rinsed with a vinegar concentrate and reused. The highly concentrated waste can then be evaporated, leaving a deposit of pure metal that can be used in many different applications. Alagappan, who was awarded the Stockholm Junior Water Prize at this year’s World Water Week, said the filter cost just $20 to make, up to five times less than existing reverse osmosis technology. Alagappan won’t be patenting his groundbreaking water cleaning technology, but sharing it with the world: “It needs to be available to everyone, rather than locked up,” he said. (The Guardian)
Circular Economy
H&M searches for innovative solutions with$1 million recycling prize
H&M, one of the world’s largest fast fashion brands, has launched a €1 million recycling prize in an effort to engage innovators, technologists, scientists and entrepreneurs to find a solution to a growing problem in the clothing industry: waste and pollution. The Swedish brand’s foundation, the H&M Conscious Foundation, announced the Global Challenge Award to “catalyse green, truly ground-breaking ideas” that will “protect the earth’s natural resources by closing the loop for fashion”. It’s a clever move from the fashion giant with public appeal and it will bring attention to an important issue for the fashion industry. But critics question whether the company is side-stepping the knottier issues of overproduction and worker rights by emphasising materials innovation and technology – especially when recycling the mixed fibres so common in fast fashion is proving tricky. (The Guardian)
Governance
New Barclays boss axes black cars and flip flops
John McFarlane, the new chairman of Barclays, has reportedly ditched the British bank’s fleet of black executive cars and ordered a set of silver limousines in their place, due to his predilection for the ancient Chinese system of feng shui. A person close to Barclays insisted that the bank renewed the lease on its executive cars “every couple of years”, and that because it operated a pooled fleet, it decided to order an entirely silver set to meet its chairman’s wishes. The influence of feng shui in Mr McFarlane’s decision-making is well-known, with one disgruntled former executive at ANZ in Australia remarking on his enthusiasm for it. “He loved that sort of stuff. I guess I am a different person… I didn’t need to see the feng shui consultant come around and put little elephants in the corner of my office,” Steve Targett told The Australian newspaper in 2009. Mr McFarlane’s reputation as a disciplinarian was reinforced earlier this month when it emerged that he wanted to see flip-flops and jeans banned from Barclays’ Canary Wharf headquarters. (Sky)
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