ENVIRONMENT

Prosecutors probe company over rainforest NFT sale

A Brazilian firm selling non-fungible tokens (NFTs) it says are linked to physical land in the Amazon rainforest has been asked by prosecutors to prove its land ownership, which is in territory claimed by Indigenous people. The prosecutor’s office has given Nemus fifteen days to show evidence of land ownership and has accused the company of pushing Indigenous people in the region to endorse documents they could not understand. Prosecutors argued that Nemus coerced Indigenous people to sign documents written in English, without clarifying the content or providing a copy. Prosecutors said it was clear that Indigenous communities had not been consulted in this case. While NFT buyers do not gain ownership of the land, Nemus claims to use their money to preserve the forest and support people living there. (Eco-Business)

RENEWABLE ENERGY

US plans to double wind power capacity in Vietnam project

US-based energy utility AES Corp plans to develop a major offshore wind farm in Vietnam that could potentially double the country’s wind power capacity. The wind farm, estimated to cost $13 billion and with a combined capacity of 4,000 megawatts (MW), would be built off Vietnam’s central province. The country currently has around 4,000 MW of wind capacity and wants to install 11,700 MW by 2030 and 66,000 by 2045. AES has submitted a letter of intent to develop the project to a Vietnamese energy delegation. Hydrogen, power storage and nuclear energy were also discussed at the dialogue. Vietnam, a regional manufacturing hub, is seeking to boost renewable energy development and reduce its reliance on coal for power generation, following a pledge it made in 2021 to reach carbon-neutral by 2050. (Reuters)

WASTE

Waitrose removes best-before dates from >400 products

UK supermarket Waitrose is removing best-before dates from nearly 500 fresh food products in an effort to reduce food waste. From September 2022, Waitrose will scrap the dates on packaged fruit and vegetables, including lettuce, cucumber and peppers, to encourage customers to use their own judgement about when food has gone off. The move is expected to cut food waste by preventing people from throwing away products that are still edible, the retailer says. The government-backed Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP) estimates that removing dates on fresh fruit and vegetables could save the equivalent of 7 million shopping baskets of food from the bin in the UK. Waitrose is the latest to make the move following Marks & Spencer’s decision to axe dates from more than 300 fruit and vegetable products. (The Guardian)

EMPLOYEES

ONS: Half of those with disabilities are in employment

According to latest Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures, the number of disabled people in employment increased by 1.3 million for an overall total of 4.8 million disabled people in the workplace. However, this still equates to just 54% of people with disabilities in employment compared to 82% without disabilities. Critics argue that while employers have increasingly prioritised workplace health and wellbeing, support and provisions for those with long-term health conditions to enter and stay in business is still lacking. Experts state that there are still significant barriers for those with disabilities to apply for, undertake and progress in work, and that businesses have an urgent responsibility to implement changes to overcome these challenges. (HR Magazine)

ETHICS

Report finds landlords evicting tenants for Airbnb & holiday lets

Research has found a boom in rental properties being used for short-term lets, caused by a rise in domestic holidays and increased regulations for long-term landlords. In some cases, landlords are evicting tenants in favour of shirt-term lets. In tourist areas this is putting a strain on local provisions, causing housing shortages and pushing vital workers away from areas where they are needed. A report by Scarborough council found that private rental properties had fallen from an average of 25 homes being available at any one time in 2017 to six in 2022. In London, listings on homestay vacation rental platform Airbnb more than quadrupled between 2015 and 2019. The government has launched a consultation into how to balance the need for tourist accommodation with homes for locals to live in. (The Guardian)

CURRENT OPENINGS

Would you love to work in sustainability, supporting big brands in their responsible business journeys? Click here to see info on our current openings. We can't wait to hear from you