Major companies still failing to disclose slavery risks, say UK experts
Top brands including confectioners, jewellers and cosmetics giants are failing to disclose slavery and human trafficking risks in their operations and supply chains, according to a study of Modern Slavery statements from 50 major brands by the UK charity and civil society coalition CORE. According to CORE, many statements from companies sourcing West African cocoa, mica from India, Indonesian palm oil, tea from Assam and mined gold fall short on detail and lack transparency, suggesting companies are not taking the issues seriously. Just over 3,000 companies met the September deadline for filing submissions under the UK Modern Slavery Act, meaning thousands more have failed to comply.
On cocoa, Mars was the only chocolate company to acknowledge specific risks in the West African supply chain, including child labour and forced labour. Cosmetics giants, including L‘Oreal and Estee Lauder, made no mention of slavery risks respectively associated with mica – a sparkly mineral used in make-up –while jewellery firms Tiffany and Pandora did not disclose detail on risks linked to gold-mining. German supermarket Lidl was commended for publishing a list of factories supplying its own-brand textiles and footwear, while construction companies Barratt, Bovis and Unite Students also acknowledged specific risks. (Thomson Reuters Foundation)
Diversity
Bank behind fearless girl statue settles US gender pay dispute
State Street, the $2.6 trillion asset manager that installed the Fearless Girl statue on Wall Street, has agreed to settle US allegations that it discriminated against hundreds of female executives by paying them less than male colleagues, since at least December 2010. The custody bank will pay $5 million to more than 300 women, following a US Department of Labor audit that uncovered the alleged discrepancies in 2012. The company said it has cooperated fully with the agency and that it disagreed with the findings of the audit. This year, the bank said it has voted against the re-election of the chair or most senior member of a board’s nominating and governance committee at 400 firms with men-only boards. Still, it has more often than not voted against gender pay shareholder proposals, according to Fund Votes. (Bloomberg)
Waste
Sky to ban single-use plastics by 2020
UK broadcasting company Sky has announced that all single-use plastics will be removed from its products, operations and supply chain by 2020. It will also invest £25 million into an Ocean Rescue Innovation Fund, which will support start-ups and businesses to develop technology that reduces reliance on single-use plastics and develops measures that stop ocean pollution. The ban will notably apply to plastic water bottles and cutlery by providing each of Sky’s 31,000 employees with reusable water bottles and cutlery made from corn starch. For Sky products, batteries will no longer be wrapped in plastic and plastic caps and bags will be removed from plug covers or cables and leads. The Sky Soundbox, launching later this year, will be Sky’s first new product to have packaging completely free of single-use plastic. (edie)
Environment
Mayor of London asks car manufacturers to give funds towards tackling London’s toxic air
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has written to BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen urging them to contribute to a fund set up to tackle London’s air pollution crisis. Khan has accused the three companies of “double standards” after it emerged they had paid £223 million to the German government’s Sustainable Mobility Fund for Cities earlier this year, but have given nothing to the UK. Khan has also written to the Secretary of State for Transport to ask the government to “secure a meaningful amount of funding from these manufacturers” to help scrap the most polluting vehicles. The scale of the capital’s air pollution crisis was recently laid bare, with new figures showing London’s air exceeds World Health Organisation limits for dangerous toxic particles. (Guardian)
TransCanada halts controversial Energy East pipeline, amid bitter political battle
TransCanada has halted its controversial $15.7 billion Energy East pipeline proposal, after Canada’s National Energy Board announced a plan to assess the full range of climate-change-related impacts that would result from the pipeline’s approval. The cancellation will intensify the debate over Kinder Morgan‘s controversial Trans Mountain expansion project. The project is currently being challenged in court by the British Columbia government, environmental groups and First Nations communities. Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr said the government supports the Canadian industry’s effort to diversify its export markets, including the Trans Mountain project. But he said the government would not get involved in a “race to the bottom” by matching environmental policies of Venezuela or Saudi Arabia. (The Globe and Mail)
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