Tesco to cut prices on 100 women’s sanitary products and pay ‘tampon tax’ itself
UK retailer Tesco has announced it will cut the price of almost 100 women’s sanitary products by 5% and cover the cost of the “tampon tax” itself, following an online petition which attracted more than 320,000 signatures. The supermarket will pay the controversial charge that applies to sanitary products after saying that the cost of buying the products was a “real struggle” for many of its customers. Campaigners have long called for the charge on sanitary products to be scrapped, arguing that they are essential items which should be exempt from tax. The European Commission has said it will aim to remove the levy by 2018. Until then, UK ministers have committed to donating the proceeds of the tax to women’s charities. Campaigners welcomed the move and called on other supermarkets to adopt a similar policy. (Independent)
Responsible Investment
JPMorgan Chase promises to deliver $200bn of ‘clean financing’
JPMorgan Chase has provided an update on its ambitious green plans, pledging to source 100% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020 and facilitate $200 billion of “clean financing” by 2025. It said the financing commitment was the largest such pledge made by a financial institution. Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase said “business must play a leadership role in creating solutions that protect the environment and grow the economy”. To meet its 2025 goal, the firm will advise clients on strategic transactions and capital raises in the renewables sector, finance and provide risk management solutions for renewable energy projects, underwrite debt for sustainable projects, and support clients’ sustainability initiatives. (Business Green)
Employees
Singapore introduces new, voluntary standard for term contract employees
Almost 300 employers have pledged to provide better leave benefits, termination notice periods and job training under Singapore’s new Tripartite Standard on Employment of Term Contract Employees. About 10% of employees in Singapore – or about 170,000 workers – are on term contract arrangements. The standard defines leave entitlements and minimum notice periods for term contract employees, based on their cumulative length of service. The standard also requires adequate training for such employees through online courses, workshops and on-the-job training. It is the first of five Tripartite Standards on employment practices to be rolled out this year. Employers who commit to the standards will be listed online, and can use a logo mark on their recruitment and marketing materials. (Channel News Asia, Today Online)
Supply Chain
Canopy releases updated Blueline Ranking for sustainable printing
Environmental non-profit Canopy has released the 2017 update to its Blueline Ranking – a tool profiling the sustainability performance of North America’s largest printers based on a set of 32 key sustainability criteria. Printers analysed in this year’s assessment represent $34 billion in annual sales. Now in its second year, the ranking aims to help businesses discern if their printers align with their own sustainability goals, policies and practice. Top-rated printers, including EarthColor, The Printing House and Taylor Communications, are outperforming their peers in areas such as reducing the use of papers that contain ancient and endangered forest fibre, using new environmental papers and bringing greater transparency to their sustainability initiatives. According to the report, 18 of the 44 printers ranked have policies that support ancient and endangered forest conservation. (Sustainable Brands)
Diversity
Facebook’s Sandberg calls for new policies to boost women’s pay
Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg has called on governments and companies to act to close the gender pay gap and said both girls and boys should be encouraged to become leaders from an early age. Sandberg is one of the most influential Silicon Valley executives and the author of the 2013 book Lean In about female empowerment in the workplace. In her interview with BBC Radio 4, Ms Sandberg admitted she had struggled with self-doubt at Harvard and recognised that women more than men underestimated their own worth, preventing them from putting themselves forward or asking for a pay rise. She added: “we start telling little girls not to lead at very young ages and we start telling little boys to lead at very young ages, and that’s a mistake”. (Reuters, BBC)
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