DEFORESTATION

EU proposes mandatory due diligence to stop supply chain deforestation

The European Commission has tabled its plan to introduce mandatory due diligence for products sold on the EU market to make sure they are not linked to deforestation or forest degradation. Companies, including small and medium enterprises, will need to collect information about the products they have placed on the EU market from January 2021 onwards to confirm these are not linked to deforestation. This includes taking mitigation measures, such as using satellite monitoring tools, field audits, supplier capacity building or isotope testing to confirm the product’s origin. EU countries will have access to product information and can carry out inspections of imports. They will also respond to “substantiated concerns” and can suspend products from the EU market if they have “non-negligible deforestation risks,” with traders facing fines for breaching rules. (edie)

FOOD SECURITY

PepsiCo launches food security goal to reach 50 million people by 2030

Food and beverage giant PepsiCo has announced a new goal to help 50 million people gain access to nutritious foods by 2030 through its ‘Food for Good’ food security programme, including the expansion of its affordable nutrition offerings. PepsiCo’s Food for Good programme targets childhood nutrition in the US, advancing food security through collaboration with local leaders on to develop community-centric solutions. The company now aims to expand its programme globally, collaborating with local partners around the world, and investing in solutions that increase access to nutritious food and increase productivity and incomes of small-scale farmers. The food security programme is part of its PepsiCo Positive ‘pep+’ strategy, which focuses on three pillars: positive agriculture, positive value chain, and positive choices. (ESGToday)

CAMPAIGNS & ACTIVISM 

SEC adopts rules helping shareholders vote for activists

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced the adoption of new proxy voting rules that could make it easier for activist or dissident shareholders to gain seats on companies’ boards of directors. The introduction of “Universal Proxy Cards” will enable shareholders voting by proxy to pick their preferred candidate slate, in the same manner as shareholders voting in person. Under the prior rules, shareholders voting by proxy, for example by mail or electronically, could vote only for specific slates of candidates proposed by a company or by other shareholders, while those voting in person could vote for individual directors. With the new rules, all shareholders are provided with a universal proxy card, listing all board candidates proposed by all parties, whether proposed by management or by investors. (ESGToday)

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Innovate UK injects fresh funding into rural charging infrastructure project

The UK's innovation and research body, Innovate UK, has awarded £335,000 to a joint project aimed at improving public electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in rural areas. EV charging app Bonnet has partnered with EDF energy, urban innovation company DG Cities, and Devon County Council to work on the ‘Rural Electric Mobility Enabler’ project. The project will run over eight months and aims to address the challenges rural communities face accessing EV chargers, while helping to improve understanding of the energy supply requirements in rural areas that will result from increased EV usage. The project will focus on Devon, although DG Cities and EDF will use National Grid data and mapping to identify other regional areas where it may be necessary to accelerate the installation of EV charge points. (Business Green)

ENVIRONMENT

Countries fail to agree on Antarctic conservation measures for fifth time

For the fifth year in a row, a council of nations involved in Antarctic fishing operations have failed to agree on new conservation measures which experts had hoped would protect the Southern Ocean from overfishing, particularly of the keystone krill species. Members of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the body responsible for Antarctic marine conservation, were not able to agree on new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Weddell Sea, the Antarctic Peninsula and in East Antarctica. The three MPA designations would have covered more than 3.7 million square kilometres of the Southern Ocean, creating the world’s largest protected area against fishing activity. Scientists and NGOs have expressed frustration at the result, urging member countries to address fishing activity in the Antarctic and the climate crisis. (Eco-Business)

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