10,000 companies worldwide disclosed environmental data in 2020, according to CDP
Record numbers of companies, cities, states, and regions have reported their climate change, water security, and deforestation data to environmental disclosure non-profit CDP in 2020, despite the disruption caused to the global economy by the coronavirus crisis.This year, the number of companies disclosing environmental data increased 14 percent from 2019 and 70 percent since 2015 when the Paris Agreement was first brokered. The disclosures were issued in response to requests for data on corporate climate, deforestation, and water risk management from 515 investors with $106trillion of assets under management, as well as over 150 major purchasing organisations with over $4trillion in buying power.(Business Green)
Consumers
UK to ban all online junk food advertising to tackle obesity
The UK Government has unveiled plans to implement a total ban on online junk food advertising, the toughest digital marketing restrictions in the world, in an attempt to tackle the growing obesity crisis. While health campaigners have welcomed the proposed ban, which is now subject to a six-week consultation, it has stunned the advertising industry, which has called it indiscriminate and draconian. The new rules would affect foods deemed to be too high in fat, salt and sugar. However, a range of foods, from avocados and marmite to jam and cream, could be caught alongside what is viewed as traditional “junk food”. (The Guardian)
Gender
Gender pay gap narrows only marginally in Europe
The pay gap between men and women doing the same job in Europe narrowed only marginally this year, the European Commission has said, even though a vast majority of EU citizens support eliminating that difference. A woman doing the same job as a man is still receiving 14.1 percent less money for it, a small improvement on the 14.5 percent last year. The Commission said the smaller pay for women was the result of inequalities throughout life as women enter the labour market and progress in careers while trying to balance work and family. The Commission is to propose binding measures on pay transparency in the next few weeks. It added that adequate minimum wages could help, because more women than men earn a minimum wage. (Reuters)
Energy
Renewables will overtake gas and coal globally in 2024, IEA predicts
The International EnergyAgency (IEA) has published a major analysis on the state of the global renewable energy sector, predicting that wind and solar capacity will double by 2025. The IEA’s ‘Renewables 2020’ analysis states that the Covid-19 pandemic has “hurt” but not “halted” exponential growth in the clean energy sector, with almost 90 percent of the new generation capacity due to be deployed in 2020 being renewable. The IEA claims that China and the US are driving these trends. It states that wind and solar additions in both nations will be 30 percent higher in 2020 than in 2019, with solar accounting for the majority of growth. (edie)
Sustainable Fashion
Lockdown has made Brits more aware of fashion’s environmental impact
Almost two-thirds of adults in the UK say that lockdown has brought home the importance of their clothing lasting longer, and been a time in which they’ve learned more about the environmental impact of the fashion industry according to new research from WRAP.The charity polled more than 2,090 adults in the UK on their attitudes towards sustainable fashion and their consumption habits around clothes, shoes and accessories in May, and then again in October.The sector is believed to emit more greenhouse gases (GHGs) annually than aviation and is a major contributor to water pollution and waste. Respondents frequently said they had become more aware of the issue due to media coverage and social media. (edie)
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