ANIMAL WELFARE

Kering Group announces all its luxury fashion brands are now fur-free

French luxury fashion group Kering will stop using animal furs in all its collections, joining a growing list of luxury fashion houses to respond to customer demands for ethical and sustainable clothing and accessories. Starting from autumn 2022 collections, none of the group’s houses will use fur. While the group’s houses, which include Gucci, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen, Brioni and Saint Laurent, have phased out fur in recent years, the new company-wide ban closes the door to its use in the future, even in the event of a change in creative direction. A number of fashion houses have put in place similar restrictions on fur, including Prada, Burberry and outerwear specialist Canada Goose, which had come under fire for its use of coyote fur. (Reuters)

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

Honeywell & Wood unveil tech targeting carbon neutral aviation fuel

Technologies company Honeywell and engineering company Wood have announced a comprehensive package of technologies aimed at supporting efforts to produce carbon neutral sustainable aviation fuel. The package combines Honeywell’s ‘UOP Ecofining’ process technology, and Wood’s hydrogen plant technology, along with carbon capture and storage, to potentially reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of jet fuel by 100%. Honeywell’s UOP Ecofining process technology converts waste oils, fats, and greases into ‘Honeywell Green Jet Fuel’, reducing lifecycle GHG emissions by up to 80%, relative to conventional jet fuel. Wood’s technology will be integrated to use the by-products of the UOP Ecofining process technology to produce renewable hydrogen, leading to another 10% emissions reduction. The solution then captures the CO2 generated from the production of the hydrogen for permanent underground sequestration, eliminating  remaining emissions. (ESGToday)

GIG ECONOMY 

New York passes landmark new protections for food delivery workers

New York City lawmakers have passed a historic package of bills to improve labour conditions for gig economy and food delivery workers. The first of its kind legislation, which targets app-based delivery companies such as Grubhub, Uber Eats, and Doordash, will set minimum pay, allow workers to keep more of their tips, and limit how far workers can be asked to travel for deliveries. It will also guarantee workers access to bathrooms – a problem that has long plagued gig economy workers and has been exacerbated by Covid-19 restrictions. US cities are increasingly cracking down on gig economy workers’ exploitation. Chicago sued food delivery apps for misleading consumers, restaurants, and workers on their use of tips, and San Francisco voted to cap delivery app fees charged to restaurants at 15%. (The Guardian)

WASTE

Construction companies told to stop knocking down buildings in UK

Britain’s top engineers are urging the UK government to stop buildings being demolished. According to the Royal Academy of Engineering and professors from top UK universities, a new way of thinking is needed before planning new homes, factories, roads and bridges. They cite concerns about "embodied emissions" –  the CO2 emitted when buildings and materials are made. For example, making bricks and steel creates vast amounts of CO2, with cement alone causing 8% of global emissions. They say the construction industry should  re-use buildings, use more recycled material, and use machinery powered by clean fuels, wherever possible. They also urge the government to reconsider how beneficial projects like the £27 billion road-building programme and HS2 will be, as both will cause high levels of embodied carbon emissions. (BBC News)

SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT

UK completes largest ever inaugural sovereign green bond offering

The UK government has announced the completion of its first “Green Gilt” offering, raising £10 billion for projects aimed at helping the country meet its net-zero and other environmental goals, in the largest ever inaugural sovereign green bond issuance. The deal was met with very strong demand, with investor orders exceeding £100 billion. The proceeds from the Green Gilt and retail Green Savings Bonds will finance expenditures to help tackle climate change, biodiversity loss, and other environmental challenges, while creating green jobs across the UK. Proceeds from the green finance instruments will finance investments and expenditures in the key areas of clean transportation, renewable energy, energy efficiency, pollution prevention and control, living and natural resources, and climate change adaptation. (ESGToday)

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