Major sporting bodies make “biggest commitment ever” to cut plastic waste
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and seven other sporting bodies have signed up to a major UN campaign to reduce single-use plastics. The new commitments will see these institutions vastly scale-up their actions to minimise the environmental impact of their plastic use around the world. Erik Solheim, executive director of UN Environment, said: “This is the biggest commitment ever made from sport to address plastic pollution. The International Olympic Committee’s Clean Seas pledge will transform the awareness and use of plastic waste in sport. We are delighted to see the actions taken by so many sporting organisations as well as sponsors.” “The IOC is embracing sustainability in its day-to-day operations, as well as taking a proactive leadership role to inspire Olympic stakeholders and the wider sports community to implement best sustainability practices,” said Prince Albert of Monaco, who serves as the Chair of the IOC Sustainability and Legacy Commission. (Climate Action Programme)
Lawsuits
Facebook and Google broke campaign laws, says Washington State
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson has charged Facebook and Google with violating decades-old state campaign finance laws that require public disclosure of political ads. The laws of Seattle and Washington state are unique for their broad scope, applying to companies that sell any political advertising aimed at influencing the electorate during an election. According to the law, companies must reveal, upon request, the “exact nature and extent” of the political advertising services they’ve provided, as well as specific information on each political ad’s cost and purchaser. The filings outline that the companies have “at no point” provided all the data that Ferguson and the public have requested. Their repeated failures to produce legally required political ad data constitutes “negligent and/or intentional” behaviour by the companies, Ferguson charges. Ferguson’s filings ask for penalties against the companies to be determined at trial. Companies could pay up to $10,000 per violation of campaign finance rules, which could quickly amount to millions of dollars. (Fast Company)
Gender
All-male job shortlists banned by PwC
Accountancy giant PwC has banned all-male shortlists for jobs in the UK in an attempt to increase the number of women in senior roles at the firm. It said the move was prompted by its recent gender pay gap report showing men on average earned 43.8 percent more than women. The company said recruitment was one of the areas it was looking at as a way to narrow the gap. PwC also plans to ban all-male interview panels and examine how “career defining roles” are awarded. Jill Miller, policy adviser at the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD), said it did not have data on the number of firms which had banned all-male shortlists for jobs, but said it was becoming “more common”. She said new rules forcing firms to publish their gender pay gaps had increased transparency and focused leaders’ attention on how to improve the figures. (BBC)
Supply Chain
Report: Abuse is daily reality for female garment workers for Gap & H&M
Pressure to meet fast fashion deadlines is leading to women working in Asian factories supplying Gap and H&M being sexually and physically abused, according to unions and rights groups. More than 540 workers at factories that supply the two retailers have described incidents of threats and abuse, according to two separate reports published by Global Labour Justice on gender-based violence in Gap and H&M’s garment supply chains. The reports claim that these allegations, recorded between January and May 2018 in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, are a direct result of pressure for quick turnarounds and low overheads. Debbie Coulter, of the Ethical Trading Initiative, of which both Gap and H&M are members, said: “These allegations are deeply concerning. Gender-based violence is unacceptable under any circumstances, and brands need to make sure that women working in their supply chain are protected.” (Guardian)
Climate Change
Universal Climate Disclosure Challenge issued to more than 300 global corporates and cities
More than 300 global corporates and cities have been urged to measure and publicly disclose their climate impact by a chorus of leading campaigners, including California Governor Jerry Brown and UNFCCC Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa. The Universal Climate Disclosure Challenge issued asks large companies and cities that do not currently measure their climate impact – including leading brands such as Amazon, Alibaba, Facebook and Caterpillar – to publicly disclose their climate performance. Led by Governor Brown, the Challenge calls on 300 companies, cities, states and regions to commit to report on climate risk and impact in time for the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) in California in September 2018. The Challenge calls for universal and standardised reporting by all governments and corporate entities worldwide by 2030 as a “clear and achievable goal”. This follows the UK Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee’s recent report urging the government to make reporting on climate risk a mandatory requirement for large businesses by 2022. (BusinessGreen*)
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