Campbell Soup to begin placing GMO labels on product packaging
Campbell Soup Company, breaking ranks with other major US food producers, plans to begin citing genetically modified organisms on product packaging and has thrown its support behind efforts to create a single mandatory labelling standard. The company will support federal legislation that would require all foods and beverages regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and the US Department of Agriculture to be clearly labelled for GMOs, it said in a statement. The company will continue to oppose a “patchwork of state-by- state labelling laws”, such as those proposed by Vermont, Maine and Connecticut, stating these are “incomplete, impractical and create unnecessary confusion for customers”. Vermont created a flashpoint for the industry in 2014, when the state passed a law requiring food makers to label GMOs on their products. The law is set to take effect in July, but groups representing the packaged food industry have sued to block it. Campbell said it is optimistic that a federal law can be enacted in a “reasonable amount of time.” (Boston Globe)
Primark commits to improving conditions for garment workers in developing markets
UK value fashion retailer Primark has announced that it will partner with the government’s Department for International Development (DFID) to improve working conditions for garment workers in developing markets. Primark, an Ethical Trading Initiative board member, said it will work with DFID to improve the health and wellbeing of local workers, bolster national economic development and help alleviate poverty Bangladesh, Pakistan, Burma, Ethiopia and India. A large part of the programme will support the empowerment of women workers through gender equality training in garment factories, while Primark will also support the training of female nurses in Bangladesh. The news comes a few weeks after shoppers came forward to say they had found notes allegedly written by Chinese slave workers in Primark socks – something the company described as a hoax. “At Primark, we are committed to ensuring that the people who make our products work in good conditions, are treated properly and paid a fair wage,” said Paul Lister, responsible for Primark’s Ethical Trading Team. (Euroasia Industry; Business & Human Rights Resource Center)
Energy
Scottish renewables complete “huge year” with record-breaking December performance
A flurry of records set by the UK’s renewable energy industry in recent days has continued, with confirmation that Scotland’s wind industry smashed output records last year. An analysis by WWF Scotland reveals that wind generation rose 16 per cent in 2015, delivering enough power for 97 per cent of Scottish households or 2.34 million homes. The news came as leading wind turbine manufacturer Vestas called on the UK government to lift planning restrictions that are stopping the company from delivering wind farms that could potentially operate without recourse to subsidy. The WWF analysis shows that wind farms in Scotland delivered enough power to supply over 100 per cent of Scottish households during six of the last 12 months. “Without doubt, 2015 was a huge year for renewables, with wind turbines and solar panels helping to ensure millions of tonnes of climate-damaging carbon emissions were avoided,” said WWF Scotland’s director Lang Banks. (BusinessGreen)
Hydro dam boom threatens a third of the world’s freshwater fish
One third of the world’s freshwater fish are at risk if dozens of large hydroelectric dams are built in the Amazon, Congo and Mekong basins, aquatic ecologists have warned. Very few dams have so far been built in the basins of the world’s three great tropical rivers. But rising demand for clean electricity in burgeoning tropical cities, and new roads to areas once considered impossible to access, has led to plans for over 450 dams for the three mega-diverse river basins. If the dams are built, tropical freshwater biodiversity, which is at its most diverse in the three river basins, could be devastated, say the authors. “Large dams invariably reduce fish diversity and block movements that enable migratory species to complete their life cycles. This may be particularly devastating to tropical river fisheries where many species migrate hundreds of kilometres,” said the team of 39 American, Brazilian and European authors in the journal Science. (Guardian)
Corporate Reputation
Hasbro’s omission of female Star Wars protagonist ‘preposterous and wrong’, says director
Star Wars director JJ Abrams reportedly said he wished he had been given more details about merchandising and merchandising schedules, after the movie’s female protagonist Rey was found missing from toy shelves. Fans of the character, played by the British actor Daisy Ridley, have used the hashtags #WheresRey or #WhereIsRey to campaign against toy manufacturer Hasbro and retailers such as Target, which have prioritised less prominent male characters over Rey. Entertainment Weekly quoted Abrams as describing the omission as “preposterous and wrong”. The current version of Star Wars Monopoly features four male characters but no Rey. Abrams said that when he learned of the omission, he quickly began making phone calls. “It doesn’t quite make sense why she wouldn’t be there. She’s somewhat important in the story,” he said. Hasbro last week made an about-turn, announcing a future edition of the Monopoly game featuring Rey. (Guardian)
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