Top Stories

March 27, 2018

Employees

DPD to offer couriers sick pay and abolish fines after driver’s death

European parcel delivery company DPD, part of France’s Groupe La Post, is to offer its drivers sick and holiday pay and will abolish its controversial £150 daily fines for missing work. The wholesale reforms to DPD’s gig-working model were sparked by the death of a driver, Don Lane, who missed three medical appointments because he faced fines. Lane was delivering parcels for retailers including Marks & Spencer and John Lewis, who raised concerns with the company. DPD says it will offer its 6,000 couriers the right to be classed as ‘eitherworkers’, an interim status that includes paid holiday, sick pay and access to a pension scheme, with the option to still be paid per delivery. Drivers who choose direct employment will be paid less per parcel delivered to offset the cost of paid holiday, sick pay and pensions. DPD is the first company to announce such a move, while competitors including Hermes, UK Mail and Yodel have also come under fire for employment practices. (Guardian)

Sustainable Investment

Olam follows Danone in signing sustainability-linked loan facility

Commodities firm Olam International has announced that it has secured a three-year sustainability-linked revolving credit facility of US$500 million. Under the facility, Olam must meet improvement targets for a “comprehensive range” of environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics to be assessed by ESG ratings firm Sustainalytics. If the annual ESG targets are hit, the interest rate on the facility will be subsequently reduced. This is Asia’s first sustainability-linked club loan, with participation from 15 banks, including ING Bank and BNP Paribas. The announcement follows a similar move by Danone last month, in partnership with BNP Paribas, Sustainalytics, B Lab and Vigeo Eiris. Danone has also announced the issuance of a €300 million social impact bond, aligned with the new Social Bond Principles. (Business Times – Singapore)

Technology and Innovation

Nestlé harnesses science to reduce the sugar in chocolate

Nestlé is claiming a world first by “restructuring” the sugar it uses in its confectionary to produce a white chocolate bar with 30% less sugar than its usual Milkybar brand. The new “structured sugar” is a result of UK government pressure on food companies to cut the sugar in their products to help curb childhood obesity. The sugar in the new product, named Milkybar Wowsomes, is “amorphous and porous”, made by spraying sugar, milk and water into warm air and drying the mixture. In 2017 Public Health England (PHE) set a voluntary target for the sector of a 20% decrease in sugar by 2020, including a 5% cut in the first 12 months. PHE’s chief nutritionist, Dr Alison Tedstone, said the announcement showed that “innovation has a role to play in making everyday foods healthier and Nestlé’s leadership in this area should be applauded.” (Guardian)

Corporate Reputation

US regulator and state attorneys seek answers from Facebook

The leading US consumer protection regulator and attorneys representing 37 states have stepped up pressure on Facebook to explain how the social network allowed data on 50 million users to get into the hands of Cambridge Analytica, a political consultancy. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken the unusual step of announcing that an investigation into the company has been launched – which it generally only does in cases of great public interest – citing media reports that raise what it called “substantial concerns about the privacy practices of Facebook.” On the same day, a bipartisan coalition of 37 state attorneys wrote to Facebook demanding to know more about the company’s role in the manipulation of users’ data by Cambridge Analytica. If the FTC finds that Facebook violated terms of the consent decree, it has the power to fine it thousands of dollars a day per violation, which could add up to billions of dollars. (Reuters)

 

Holland & Barrett to stop selling krill-based health supplements due to concerns over Antarctic wildlife

UK health food chain Holland & Barrett is removing all krill-based health supplements from shelves, following warnings from Greenpeace that fishing fleets have been raiding the Antarctic for krill, which is an important food source for penguins, whales and seals. Greenpeace is calling on the krill fishing industry to take more responsibility for safeguarding Antarctic waters and wildlife, and stop fishing in any areas being considered for protection. Other retailers, including Boots, Amazon and supermarkets, are continuing to sell krill-based supplements. Holland & Barrett’s chief executive, Peter Aldis, said that all the krill in its supplements is certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council, but that the company will stop selling them as part of its commitment to protect the world’s oceans. (Daily Mail)

 

Image Source: penguin group small by Antarctica Bound on Flickr. CC BY-ND 2.0.

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