Covalence EthicalQuote

M&S Plan A sustainability savings reach £135m

info — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:45:33 +0000

Marks & Spencer’s Plan A sustainability strategy has racked up £135m worth of savings over the past year, a 29 per cent increase on the previous 12 months. The £30m extra net benefit is one of a number of achievements recorded in figures the retailer issued yesterday, including confirmation 45 per cent of products now come under the Plan A programme, in that they are Fairtrade, organic, carbon neutral, or made from recycled material, up from 30 per cent last year. The company also announced it has now clocked up its one billionth sustainable product sold. In addition, the retailer revealed it has decreased carbon emissions 23 per cent since Plan A was launched in 2007, after achieving carbon neutral status in 2012 through a combination of reductions and offsetting. Meanwhile, waste levels are down 28 per cent and water use has fallen 27 per cent over the same period. Of the 180 Plan A targets Marks & Spencer aims to achieve by 2015, 139 have already been ticked off, while a further 31 are “on plan” to be achieved, five are “behind plan”, four have not been achieved and one, concerning electrical products the company no longer sells, has been cancelled. More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: UK | Company: Marks & Spencer | Source: businessGreen

Coke Recycling Venture Processes 500 Million Bottles in Year One

info — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 12:50:36 +0000

Continuum Recycling, the recycled-PET joint venture between Coca-Cola Enterprises and ECO Plastics, says it has processed 500 million bottles since opening in May 2012. The companies say the development of Continuum Recycling, located on the site of ECO Plastics’ existing facility in Lincolnshire, Great Britain, created the world’s largest plastics reprocessing facility, and that it has doubled the amount of bottle-grade recycled plastic (rPET) previously created in Britain since it opened a year ago. Continuum is now responsible for processing around 50% of all the plastic bottles collected in the UK. The facility also played a key role in Coca-Cola’s recycling efforts during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with some 15 million plastic bottles collected and returned to shelves as part of 63 million new bottles. More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: UK | Company: Coca-Cola Enterprises | Source: Environmental Leader

Clashes as thousands of Cambodians protest Nike factory work conditions

info — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 14:14:10 +0000

Hundreds of police intervened after around 4,000 striking staff at Nike’s factory in the Cambodian capital clashed with colleagues, who continued working. This comes after the factory’s management refused to raise monthly salaries by US$12. Police said that at least 11 officers and eight workers were injured during the brawl in Phnom Penh. The strikers also say seven people were arrested. The employees at the Sabrina factory are pressing for a wage increase, following the death of 1,000 people in a collapse of a garment factory building in Bangladesh this April. According to witnesses, the striking workers, who were armed with sticks and rocks, smashed windows before being confronted by the members of the opposing labor union, who didn’t support the action. A contingent of about 1,000 police and soldiers, with batons and shields, was required to separate the clashing sides and disperse the strikers. “We had to break them up in order to protect the whole factory from destruction,” Kheng Tito, national military police spokesman, told Reuters. More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: Cambodia | Company: Nike | Source: RT.com

Cloud Links Doctors in Developing World to Specialists in the U.S.

info — Thu, 30 May 2013 13:47:13 +0000

Swinfen Charitable Trust, a non-profit service that helps U.S. doctors offer medical advice to rural doctors in the developing world, plans to use the cloud to expand its services in countries such as India and the Philippines. The move is enabled in part by a donation of $100,000 worth of cloud storage and $100,000 in cash, from Verizon Communications Inc. , which announced the aid today at a United Nations conference on innovation among non-profits groups. Swinfen says the gift will allow the organization to expand its remote medical assistance, already offered at 260 sites in more than 60 countries including China, Nepal and Bangladesh. Swinfen plans to use the donation from Verizon to add mobile and video capabilities to its service. The service allows local doctors in developing countries, who are often located in areas that lack specialized medical care, to send a request for specialist consultation. They can use the service to send X-rays, photos and patient notes to Swinfen. The organization then finds the most appropriate specialist from its network of 550 volunteer doctors who offer advice to the overseas doctors by email, said Dr. Karen Rheuban, director of the University of Virginia Health System’s Center for Telehealth and a trustee for Swinfen. “I can’t easily travel to Nepal or China,” said Dr. Rheuban, a pediatric heart specialist who volunteers in Swinfen’s network. “But I can easily squeeze in time to consult on a patient from here.” More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: Global | Company: Verizon Communications Inc. | Source: Wall Street Journal

Apple Is Breaking Up with Foxconn for a New iPhone Builder with Labor Problems

info — Wed, 29 May 2013 13:14:31 +0000

After reports that Foxconn wanted to get out of the Apple business, Apple has gone ahead and started getting out of the Foxconn business, dumping its partner in human rights crime for the production of the rumored cheap iPhone, reports The Wall Street Journal‘s Eva Dou. Due to increased financial demands from Foxconn, Apple has shifted its business to Pegatron, which already produces the iPad Mini, for the upcoming iPhone — and that’s just the latest erosion in a relationship that saw Foxconn, in its iPhone-building monopoly, become as much as symbol of international manufacturing efficiency as internationally shameful working conditions. It may appear that Apple is ditching the controversial Chinese manufacturer for the proven Taiwanese builders at Pegatron because of the high-profile labor scandal Apple has endured for a year and a half, but the Journal‘s sources cite other reasons: “Risk diversification after Foxconn’s manufacturing glitches last year with the iPhone 5 that resulted in scratches on the metal casings, and Apple’s decision to expand its product lines amid growing competition from Samsung Electronics Co. and others,” Dou writes. Also, Pegatron, which is building up its presence in China, was willing to accept thinner profit margins than Foxconn, which has started to distance itself from Apple. As the once dominant gadget maker’s stock price has started to slump, Foxconn has started to look toward other industries, investing in media software and reviewing plans to build its own line of devices, as the Journal’s Lorraine Luk reported earlier this week. More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: China | Company: Apple, Samsung, Hon-Hai-Precision-Industry (Foxconn) | Source: The Atlantic Wire

To tackle the energy gap all around the world, Schneider Electric is launching initiatives to fight fuel poverty, whilst still promoting access to energy

info — Wed, 29 May 2013 00:37:36 +0000

Today Schneider Electric is announcing the launch of a programme to fight fuel poverty in mature economies. For the Group, the global specialist in energy management, the aim is to tackle the energy gap by committing to populations at the base of the pyramid all over the world. With this programme to fight fuel poverty, Schneider Electric intends to develop, in mature economies, a similar approach to that already taken by the Group since 2009 promoting access to energy in new economies (i.e. BipBop¹). The first actions will focus on three main initiatives:

Awareness and training of underprivileged populations, via partnerships with associations fighting fuel poverty. Recent partnerships developed by the Schneider Electric Foundation, under the aegis of Fondation de France, are committed to this approach;
Investment in social and community enterprises focused on achieving better living conditions through clean and efficient energy. The impact-investment fund Schneider Electric Energy Access is instrumental in this field;
Development of a dedicated and well-targeted offer for people in fuel poverty to help them measure their consumption and acquire fuel-saving habits in the long term.

« We are using innovation to reduce the energy gap we can see throughout the world. Although a third of our planet’s inhabitants benefit from secure, affordable energy, there are 1.3 billion people still without access to electricity and hundreds of millions in mature countries whose energy bills leave them in a situation of fuel poverty. Schneider Electric has set itself the goal of providing innovative solutions to tackle both problems, and this priority is at the heart of its economic and social responsibility », said Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Chairman & CEO of Schneider Electric. More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: Global | Company: Schneider Electric | Source: Schneider Electric

Protesters rally against money in politics, environmental impact at Chevron headquarters

info — Tue, 28 May 2013 23:34:53 +0000

Activists called on Chevron to refrain from political spending and oust CEO John Watson outside the company’s annual shareholders meeting Wednesday morning. A coalition of citizens’ groups and non-governmental organizations chided the energy giant for failing to address human rights abuses at home and abroad. “Almost everyone who spoke (at the shareholders meeting) had some kind of a major beef with Chevron’s disclosure of what they spend on renewables, what they spend on politics, what they spend on the environment,” said Dublin resident Eloise Hamann, a member of MoveOn Council, one of the participating activist groups. “Money is the root of all evil in this country right now and getting money out of politics is about the only way that we’re going to control….Politicians are bought by big money and corporations.” While Hamann called the corporation’s answers to activist questions “glib,” Chevron Media Advisor Brent Tippen said the company appreciates the “positive and robust conversations we had in the shareholder meeting and we look forward to continuing those conversations.” “We always take into consideration the comments from the public,” Tippen said, adding that he could not speculate on any actions Chevron might take following meeting. “We’re just very glad to be able to have conversations on our business operations around the world as well as the many investments we make around the world.” More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: USA | Company: Chevron | Source: San Ramon Express

Les actions éthiques suisses frappent fort

info — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:12:40 +0000

Durant le mois d’avril la réputation éthique agrégée des entreprises suisses a bénéficié d’opinions majoritairement favorables en provenance d’Allemagne et d’Espagne, alors que les USA, la France, la Suisse elle-même et la Grande Bretagne se montraient plus critiques. Parmi les entreprises ayant vu leur score éthique progresser le mois passé figurent : Julius Baer, dont le score absolu demeure faible mais qui s’améliore après avoir demandé à ses clients allemands de régulariser leur situation vis-à-vis du fisc; Barry Callebaut, grâce à son projet Cocoa Horizons Truck (formation, sensibilisation, soutien au cultivateurs de cacao); Clariant (les négociations salariales avec les syndicats ont abouti sur une augmentation moyenne de 1.2%). Les entreprises dont la note éthique a baissé en avril: Novartis, poursuivi aux Etats-Unis pour avoir monnayé le soutien de pharmaciens; Sonova, qui a été condamné à payer 7 millions de dollars de dommages-intérêts en raison du dysfonctionnement de son appareil auditif; EFG International, condamné à une amende de 4 mio £ en raison de la faiblesse de ses mécanismes de contrôle anti-blanchiment en Grande-Bretagne; Swisscom, soupçonné de violation de la loi sur les cartels par la Commission de la concurrence (COMCO). More…

Publication by Covalence & BBGI Group | Source: L’Agefi

H&M, others back new Bangladesh factory safety accord

info — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:54:39 +0000

The world’s two biggest fashion retailers, Inditex and H&M, along with several other companies have backed an accord aimed at preventing another disaster like last month’s Bangladesh factory building collapse that killed more than 1,100 people. The agreement on fire and building safety, which is being led by the International Labor Organization, trade unions and other lobby groups, has been under negotiation since the Rana Plaza building collapse on April 24. Deadly incidents at factories, including a fire in November that killed 112 people, has focused global attention on safety standards in Bangladesh’s booming garment industry, the world’s biggest exporter of clothing after China. As of Monday, Inditex, H&M, U.S. apparel maker PVH Corp, Britain’s Tesco and Primark, and COFRA Holding AG’s C&A announced their support. German retailer Tchibo also agreed to the plan, according to IndustriALL Global Union, which has been driving the negotiations to get brands to sign up for the agreement. More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: Bangladesh | Company: Inditex, H&M, PVH Corp, Tesco, Primark, COFRA Holding | Source: Reuters

Adidas Encourages Factory Workers To Anonymously Text Complaints

info — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:26:02 +0000

German sports gear maker Adidas said Monday it is encouraging workers in factories of some of its Asian suppliers to anonymously share possible grievances directly with the company via text message. The new hotline service will help bridge the communication gap between management and workers, enabling employees to “simply send an SMS when they feel their rights are breached,” Adidas AG said. Adidas’ efforts to improve control of labor conditions coincide with a renewed debate on working conditions at the suppliers of Western firms in the wake of deadly incidents in Bangladesh’s garment industry, where a factory building collapse last month has claimed at least 645 lives. Adidas, which also owns the Reebok brand, said its SMS initiative was successfully tested since last year at an Indonesian supplier’s factory and will now be rolled out to four other plants in that country and one in Vietnam. Under the program, workers at a supplier can send text messages to their company’s management but they will also be seen and monitored by Adidas directly. More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: Global | Company: Adidas | Source: Huffington Post