Google, Amazon and Starbucks will face aggressive and detailed questioning by MPs on Monday over their decision to base their European businesses outside the UK to avoid paying full UK tax. Responding to a growing public anger over corporate tax avoidance and heightened by high-profile government cuts to public services, the public accounts select committee [...]

Gay marriage wouldn’t have passed in the Washington state Legislature this year without Gov. Chris Gregoire’s decision to reverse course and push for it. Legislators’ personal pleas to colleagues, as epitomized by Republican Rep. Maureen Walsh’s passionate floor speech about her desire to throw her daughter a wedding someday, also played a major role. The [...]

For decades, packaged-food companies have been reducing fat and calories in their products. More recently the industry undertook a broad-based effort to eliminate trans fats, and even high-fructose corn syrup. But today, big food is at a crossroads. The companies that introduced products such as Doritos, Miracle Whip, Butterfinger and the venti caramel Frappuccino now [...]

Starbucks is sponsoring an open collaboration contest called betacup to engage the public in solving what it sees as a disposable cup problem. Cynics may argue that this is just a marketing ploy by a company trying to put over green credentials when in fact there are plenty of biodegradable cups already on the market. [...]

Environmental activists are taking to the Internet in a new bid to help save the world’s rainforests with the help of major corporations including Starbucks Corp and Dell Inc. Campaigners plan to announce on Monday the formation of “Team Earth”, a social network that includes businesses, nongovernmental organizations, students and politicians with the hope of [...]

Starbucks Corp. is trying to refocus in a tough economy as a company with a conscience, announcing a partnership with Bono’s (RED) label on Wednesday as it attempts to recover from a slowdown in consumer spending. The partnership with (RED), co-founded by the U2 frontman, will donate a portion of the proceeds of selected holiday [...]

Pike Place Roastâ„¢ will be the first coffee to bear the new mark symbolizing Starbucks ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability through an expanded relationship with Conservation International (CI). Coffee bearing the new mark is purchased from C.A.F.E. Practices verified suppliers. C.A.F.E Practices guarantees not only the highest-quality coffee, but the highest-quality, self-imposed standards for promoting [...]

The Food & Beverage industry is consolidating its ethical record thanks to labour and environmental initiatives, but it has to fight hard to demonstrate the social utility of its products, states a report published today by Geneva-based ethical reputation research firm Covalence – Covalence Food & Beverage Industry Report 2007. The Food & Beverage industry [...]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday honored 17 companies that combined buy nearly 4 billion kilowatt hours of green power each year. The Green Power Purchasing Leaders already are Green Power Partners that commit to buying renewable power such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas and low-impact hydro. The EPA selected seven Green Power [...]

Un total de veinte compañías multinacionales han sido sometidas a examen de ética por la organización Covalence. El ranking general lo encabeza Unilever, mientras que la marca que más progresos está haciendo en el plano ético es la británica Marks & Spencer. La compañía de aluminios Aloca y la cadena de cafeterías Starbucks son las [...]