Covalence EthicalQuote

Big businesses risk losing out to social enterprises unless they adapt

info — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:36:19 +0000

A gathering of sustainability leaders hosted by Sir Richard Branson and Jamie Oliver has been warned that big businesses will be swept aside by emerging social enterprises unless they start changing their business models and contribute more to society. Boudewijn Poelmann, who founded the hugely successful Dutch Postcode Lottery, which now operates in Sweden and the UK, said that many major businesses would disappear over the next 20 years, to be replaced by emerging social enterprises, unless they took off their blinkers and responded to the environmental and social challenges the world is facing. “Small companies that are passionate about creating change will take over if big companies do not adapt,” he said. “We already see that with energy, with so many small companies producing sustainable clean energy. The big companies are already starting to feel they are losing out.” Poelmann also criticised many large businesses for being arrogant and gave the example of the former chief executive of electrical giant Philips who ordered him to abort plans by the lottery three years ago to give away millions of LED (low-intensity) lightbulbs. “The Philips CEO demanded I stop giving away the LED lightbulbs, but I refused, and the next morning the head of the company’s lighting division called to ask how they could co-operate,” says Poelmann. More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: Global | Source: The Guardian via Daily CSR Media Briefing

Les Anonymous s’en prennent aux multinationales qui exploitent le coltan

info — Sun, 13 May 2012 12:11:19 +0000

Les Anonymous ont de nouvelles cibles dans leur viseur : les multinationales impliquées dans le commerce du coltan, un minerai rare utilisé dans la fabrication des téléphones et des ordinateurs portables. Une grande partie des réserves connues se trouvent en RDC au Nord et au Sud-Kivu. Des hackers se sont attaqués aux sites internet de plusieurs de ces compagnies et les ont bloqués entre le 10 et le12 mai. L’opération Coltan lancée par les Anonymous s’est déroulée entre le 10 et le 12 mai derniers. Les hackers ont lancé des attaques informatiques sur les sites de plusieurs multinationales impliquées dans le commerce du coltan. Ce minerai est devenu indispensable depuis qu’il entre dans la fabrication de nos téléphones et de nos ordinateurs portables. Jusqu’à 1 000 dollars le kilo. Le coltan (pour colombite-tantalite) attise les convoitises et devient un enjeu économique de plus en plus crucial, alimentant des affrontements entre milices armées. Ces affrontements concernent les deux régions du Kivu en République démocratique du Congo, deux provinces qui concentrent les trois-quarts des réserves mondiales du précieux minerai. More…

Message received by Covalence | Country: Democratic Republic of Congo | Company: Bayer, Sony, LG, Samsung | Source: RFI | Correspondent: Barthélémy Kilosho, ENTRAIDE

SGS unveils new sustainability service for Indian textiles

info — Sat, 05 May 2012 13:21:35 +0000

Once carbon footprints have been evaluated, SGS provides three different carbon footprint marks. With transparency a key principle, the first step a business can take is to demonstrate its social responsibility by displaying the footprint of any given product through the Product Carbon Footprint Mark. With this environmental commitment established, a further mark can be sought, the Product Carbon Reduction Mark, which conveys to clients a continuing commitment, on behalf of that business, to reducing its impact on the climate. The final carbon footprint mark, the Product Carbon Neutral Mark represents the absolute limit to which a particular business has sought to eliminate all unnecessary carbon emissions. Charles Ly Wa Hoi’s belief is that Indian companies can sustain business in the long run if they invest in sustainable initiatives today. SGS’ comprehensive range of Sustainability Services covers a wide range of topics. More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: India | Company: SGS | Source: SGS India

BNP / évasion fiscale : Le Monde minimise

info — Sat, 05 May 2012 13:06:02 +0000

La banque BNP Paribas, qui publiait ses comptes vendredi, était à l’honneur de la presse, pour…son art de l’évasion fiscale. La raison de ce pointage du doigt ? Un article publié le matin dans Libération qui revenait sur un produit douteux de BNP nommé Luxumbrella. On vous le racontait hier : selon le journaliste de Libération Nicolas Cori, BNP Paribas flirte avec la fraude fiscale grâce à une Sicav luxembourgeoise, Luxumbrella, déjà dénoncée par le journal Marianne en 2010. Hier, Cori en remettait une couche : “Le produit sert à échapper au fisc, en profitant des trous de la législation européenne sur les paradis fiscaux.” Star de l’évasion… L’information de Libé fait aussitôt l’objet d’une dépêche relayée notamment sur le site de L’expansion. En fin de journée, ce même site revient plus longuement sur les faits, et la journaliste Julie de la Brosse poursuit le travail de son confrère avec un papier titré “BNP, la banque qui excelle dans l’art de l’évasion fiscale“. Le constat est le même : avec “Luxembrella, via un mandat de gestion, la BNP propose d’investir elle-même dans la Sicav pour le compte de ses clients.” Et, de fait, la conclusion tombe sous le sens : “ce n’est pas le particulier qui place son argent à l’étranger, mais le banquier lui-même qui investit. C’est parfaitement illégal, mais la banque s’en lave les mains, en répliquant au Fisc que ce n’est pas à elle de rédiger la déclaration de revenu de ses clients !” La journaliste va plus loin en estimant que “les paradis fiscaux sont à la BNP ce que Kerviel est à la Société Générale… un boulet que l’on traîne, sans pouvoir s’en défaire“. Et de rappeler l’historique de cet amour pour les paradis : “en 2009, au moment du G20 de Londres, une enquête du magazine Alternatives Economiques estimait à 189 le nombre de filiales que la banque détenait dans les paradis fiscaux. Pour éviter la polémique, la «Star des Paradis Fiscaux» décide de montrer l’exemple en fermant ses filiales controversées. Ce qu’elle fera à Panama et aux Bahamas. Sauf que quelques mois plus tard, en 2010, l’ONG CCFD- Terre Solidaire estime que la BNP détient encore 347 filiales dans des territoires dits non coopératifs. Contre 107 seulement pour Crédit Agricole et 40 pour Société Générale.” More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: France | Company: BNP Paribas | Source: Arrêt sur images

Puma Parent PPR To Expand Groundbreaking Environmental Accounting to All Brands

info — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:09:13 +0000

French apparel company PPR announced it will expand the trailblazing environmental accounting process it performed for its Puma brand across its entire group of brands, which includes Gucci, Stella McCartney and Yves Saint Laurent. Puma’s Environmental Profit & Loss Account (E P&L), completed last year, was a first-of-its-kind attempt to monetize the value of ecosystem services used across a company’s entire supply chain. Puma found that cost to be EUR 145 million for the year 2010. PPR’s now has a multi-tiered action plan, including specific five-year targets, to implement a group-wide E P&L. PPR says the group E P&L will help in identifying new opportunities across the supply chain to enhance the sustainability of PPR’s products and to ultimately implement efficient and innovative initiatives to reduce the environmental impacts from the sourcing of raw materials, processing, manufacturing, and distribution of the group’s products. PPR did not give a specific date for completing the the group E P&L, but said in the interim, defined targets for 2016 will drive the group to reduce and manage the impacts associated with the production of the products of all PPR’s Luxury and Sport & Lifestyle brands. Key areas of focus are the reduction of CO2, waste and water; sourcing of raw materials; hazardous chemicals and materials; paper and packaging; and supply chain. More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: Global | Company: PPR | Source: Sustainable Brands via Daily CSR Media Briefing

Can McDonald’s lead in green?

info — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:51:04 +0000

McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) is finally sowing deeper green roots. The Oak Brook, Ill-based company over the last several years has launched a wide variety of environmental policies and programs; everything from reusing air conditioning condensation to water company plants to repurposing McDonald’s advertising banners into tote bags. McDonald’s now has key partnerships with environmental organizations like the World Wildlife Fund and the Environmental Defense Fund and last month it launched a pilot program to phase out polystyrene beverage cups. The international food service icon recently released a report, 2012 Global Best of Green, a collection of its best environmental practices. The report highlights recent progress in eight categories including energy, packaging, anti-littering and greening the workplace. More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: Global | Company: McDonald’s | Source: GreenBiz.com

Wal-Mart creates anti-bribery post

info — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:30:26 +0000

Wal-Mart says it’s creating a position to oversee compliance with US anti-corruption law after reports of possible bribery in Mexico. The company said the worldwide post would oversee compliance with the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and would work with regional directors to ensure compliance around the world, Wal-Mart said in a statement on Tuesday. The New York Times over the weekend reported that bribery played a significant role in the company’s rapid growth in Mexico, where local Wal-Mart representatives allegedly paid money to overcome red tape from local authorities. Top Wal-Mart management in the United States first ordered an internal investigation in 2005 after learning of the allegations from a whistleblower within Wal-Mart de Mexico. More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: Global, USA, Mexico | Company: Wal-Mart | Source: The West Australian

The Man Who Stood Up To Apple

info — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:30:12 +0000

Apple has recently made changes to its policies of withholding any information about the environmental impact of its factories in China. That’s largely thanks to Ma Jun, who this week won the Goldman environmental prize for his work. As the founder of China’s Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE), former journalist Ma Jun spearheads an organization that has uncovered over 90,000 air and water violations by both local and multinational companies in China. The IPE most famously put out a series of reports about the IT industry’s environmental violations that led to meetings with Apple; now the electronics giant is taking steps to clean up its most polluted factories (in addition to working on human rights issues). This week, Ma Jun was named the Asia Recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize, a $150,000 award for grassroots environmental leaders. Co.Exist spoke to Ma Jun to learn more about what he’s currently working on. Image: goldmanprize.org. More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: China | Company: Apple, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. | Source: Fast Company

Boss of Glencore denies profiting from child labour

info — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:30:03 +0000

Glencore chief executive Ivan Glasenberg has denied the commodities giant profits from using child labour. A BBC Panorama programme will tonight claim children as young as 10 are working in the Tilwezembe concession in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Glencore owns the concession but stopped running it in 2008. Speaking in his first television interview, Mr Glasenberg, pictured, told Panorama: “We definitely do not profit from child labour in any part of the world. This is adhered to strictly.” He said the children were from an artisanal group that “raided our land in 2010 against all of our authorisation”, adding that the company was “pleading with the government to remove the artisanal miners from our concession”. The programme also accuses Glencore of polluting a river in the country with raw acid for three years. Mr Glasenberg said it “has spent vast amounts of money to get rid of this problem, to ensure clean water in two weeks’ time will be discharged into that river”. Image: bbc.co.uk. More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: Democratic Republic of Congo | Company: Glencore | Source: The Independent via Daily CSR Media Briefing

Heineken plans to build hospitals in Haiti

info — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:48:46 +0000

Heineken, the world’s third biggest brewery, is hatching plans to build hospitals and schools in crisis-torn Haiti. The move demonstrates the growing role of the private sector, particularly the consumer goods industry, in taking on public sector roles in poorer countries. Food and drink makers as well as soft commodity traders have been at the forefront of efforts to train farmers and improve social infrastructure, gaining what brewer SABMiller calls “licence to operate”, as well as fostering relations with governments and improving the lot of future consumers. Heineken has already established HIV/Aids clinics in parts of Africa, but wants to go further by utilising corporate skills such as project management and financial budgeting to carry out the work typically left to multilateral institutions and non-governmental organisations. The Netherlands-based brewer is to meet Haiti’s president Michael Martelly as well as the Clinton Global Initiative to formulate plans for building schools and hospitals. “The biggest problem for the World Bank and CGI is how their projects are managed in the country,” said John Nicolson, Heineken’s president for the Americas. “Corporates have audit structures and management that can run and cost projects well. That’s what corporations could add to charities.” More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: Haiti | Company: Heineken, Nestlé, SABMiller | Source: Financial Times via Daily CSR Media Briefing