Apple to launch “technology enabled” healthcare service
Apple is launching its own primary care health clinics called AC Wellness, following Amazon’s push into healthcare. Similar to Amazon’s team up with Berkshire Hathaway and JP Morgan, the AC Wellness Network aims to serve Apple’s roster of employees and their families providing “compassionate, effective healthcare to the Apple employee population” and a “unique concierge-like healthcare experience” that is “enabled by technology”. Apple reportedly has more than 120,000 employees, and with healthcare one of the largest staffing costs, it will be seeking to reduce its outlay by bringing services in-house and leveraging proactive schemes to improve worker health. Apple will reportedly also use its AC Wellness clinics and staff to test its own healthcare-related technologies. The company is involved in studies around heart health partnering with Stanford School of Medicine using its Apple Watch and its heart rate sensor. (Guardian)
Corporate Reputation
Toys R Us collapses into administration in UK
The UK arm of Toys R Us has collapsed into insolvency, putting thousands of jobs at risk just two months after the chain won creditor backing for a sweeping restructuring plan to tame its unmanageable rent bill. Executives had been battling to raise cash to pay a tax liability that fell due this week, but the efforts collapsed after a number of private equity funds and restructuring specialists walked away. The company was weakened by an online shopping revolution that offers consumers fast delivery and enormous choice, eroding speciality retailers’ competitive edge and filed for bankruptcy in the US in September 2017. Insolvency specialists at Moorfields have begun the process of closing its British operations, which employ nearly 3,000 people and has an estimated funding shortfall of at least £25 million in its pension scheme. (Financial Times*)
Supply Chain
Guess joins retailers committing to fabrics that protect forests
Fashion retailer Guess is adopting a policy to trace the sources of its wood-based fabrics, joining an array of fashion companies aiming to rid their supply chains of products from endangered forests. The new Guess policy seeks to trace the origins of its viscose, rayon and modal fibres in a bid to battle deforestation and protect the rights of people living in at-risk forests, Chief Executive Victor Herrero said in a statement. The policy was created in collaboration with Rainforest Action Network, which has been conducting an “Out of Fashion” campaign to call attention to the risks posed by the sources of wood-based fabrics. “Guess has developed a responsible sourcing policy to track rayon and other similar fabrics to ensure that the materials we use do not come from any currently endangered forests,” said Herrero. “This is simply the right thing to do.” Other companies to take similar measures include Abercrombie & Fitch, Ralph Lauren, H&Mand Zara. (Reuters)
Waste
PG tips announces switch to plastic-free fully biodegradable teabags
The UK’s biggest tea brand is switching to fully biodegradable tea bags free from synthetic materials to cut down on plastic pollution. The first of the new eco-friendly pyramid teabags from PG tips – made from a plant-based material that is 100% renewable and biodegradable – will go on sale in UK supermarkets next week, it was announced on Wednesday. In the first major move by a mainstream tea brand, the Unilever-owned company says it is working to make all its teabags from 100% plant-based material by the end of the year. Unlike conventional teabags, they will be free of polypropylene, a sealant used across the industry to ensure bags hold their shape. “Tea is the most consumed beverage in the UK, with nine billion PG tips teabags sold every year,” said Noel Clarke, vice president of refreshment at Unilever. “Our latest move maintains the same great taste of our tea whilst minimising our environmental impact.” (Guardian)
Energy
Over 100 global cities now powered by at least 70% renewables
New data has shown that 102 cities around the world are now sourcing at least 70 percent of their electricity from renewables – more than twice the figure from a few years ago. The cities have large populations, such as Seattle, Vancouver, Oslo, Auckland and Nairobi. The analysis, provided by CDP, also shows that 43 cities are nowrunning on 100 percent renewable energy. This includes Reykjavík in Iceland and the city of Basel in Switzerland, both of which benefit from high levels of hydropower or geothermal. Kyra Appleby, Director of Cities at CDP, said that the news was important given that cities are responsible for over two-thirds of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. “Reassuringly, our data shows much commitment and ambition. Cities not only want to shift to renewable energy but, most importantly – they can.” (Climate Action Programme)
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