McDonald’s sets approved science based target to reduce emissions across supply chain
McDonald’s has announced that it will partner with franchises and suppliers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to McDonald’s restaurants and offices by 36% by 2030 from a 2015 base year in a new strategy to address global climate change. Additionally, McDonald’s commits to a 31% reduction in emissions intensity (per tonne of food and packaging) across its supply chain by 2030 from 2015 levels. This combined target has been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative. In collaboration with thousands of franchisees, suppliers and producers, McDonald’s will prioritise action on the largest segments of its carbon footprint: beef production, restaurant energy usage and sourcing, packaging and waste. These segments account for approximately 64% of McDonald’s global emissions. (McDonald’s)
Starbucks offers $10 million for ideas on a better cup
Starbucks has announced that it is launching a $10 million grant challenge to solicit designs for a cup that’s easier to recycle, partnering with a recycling-focused investor group called Closed Loop Partners for the project. Starbucks currently accounts for about 6 billion disposable coffee cups each year, each of which takes about 20 years to decompose. In 2008, Starbucks set several aggressive goals to reduce its environmental impact. In 2010 it pledged to ensure that 100% of its cups would be reusable or recyclable by 2015 — which did not happen. Its current cups are made with just 10% post-consumer recycled fibre, and are only recycled in cities with the “appropriate infrastructure” including Seattle, San Francisco, New York, and Washington, DC. (CNN Money)
Human Rights
UN asks Samsung to explain reports of worker “intimidation”
UN human rights experts have voiced concern about reports that female workers and labour activists had been subjected to “intimidation and harassment” in Vietnam after speaking out about working conditions at Samsung’s two huge manufacturing plants in the south-east Asian country. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has said that it asked Samsung for clarification on reports that workers in the South Korean company’s two factories in Vietnam were threatened with lawsuits if they talked to people outside the company about working conditions. The UN statements follows a report published last year by two non-governmental organisations based on interviews with 45 female workers that detail staff being forced to remain standing for up to 12 hours in noisy workshops and being limited in their bathroom breaks. (Financial Times*)
Corporate Reputation
Norsk Hydro apologises for toxic spill into Brazilian river
Norwegian energy group Norsk Hydro, accused of causing environmental damage in northern Brazil, has apologised for the unauthorised discharge of untreated water into a local river from its aluminium factory Alunorte, the largest in the world. Brazilian authorities accused the company of having contaminated the Barcarena municipality’s water with bauxite residues which they claim overflowed from a deposit basin at the plant after heavy rainfall in February. In response, they slapped Norsk Hydro with two fines of 10 million reais (€2.5 million) each and ordered the aluminium supplier to halve its production at the site and suspend the use of the basin. Norsk Hydro Chief Executive Svein Richard Brandtzæg said the incident was “ completely unacceptable and in breach with what Hydro stands for. On behalf of the company, I personally apologise to the communities, authorities and the society.” (Santiago Times)
Policy
Facebook, Twitter & Google express concern over Singapore plan to fight fake news
Global tech giants including Facebook and Twitter have expressed concern about a possible Singapore plan to bring in a new law to tackle the threat of fake news, saying sufficient rules are already in place. Officials of Facebook, Twitter and Google attended a parliamentary hearing on how to counter the threat that Singapore said it was particularly vulnerable to due to its size, its role as a global financial hub and its ethnic and religious mix. They were among 79 people asked to speak in parliament over the eight days set for the hearing. The city state is among the countries looking to introduce legislation, so far unspecified, to rein in fake news, a trend that has stirred concern that such laws could be used to exert government control over the media. “No single company, governmental or non-governmental actor, should be the arbiter of truth,” Kathleen Reen, Twitter’s director of Public Policy for Asia Pacific, said. (Reuters)
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