Month: January 2020

UNESCO and Iceland establish center for sustainable use of natural resources and societal change

Stuart Mitchell

Director General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson today signed an agreement establishing the International Center for Capacity Development, Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and Societal Change, as a Category 2 Center under the auspices of UNESCO. GRÓ – the Center for Capacity Development – focuses on areas where Iceland has valuable expertise, i.e. geothermal energy, gender equality, fisheries and land restoration. The center is the first multidisciplinary Category 2 Center in UNESCO’s network, bringing together these four areas of expertise and…

Read More

International guide to labels praises Fairtrade standards, advocacy and awareness-raising

Stuart Mitchell

The International Guide to Fair Trade Labels, published by Commerce Équitable France, the Fair World Project, FairNESS, and Forum Fairer Handel, analyses and rates both non-profit and corporate labels, as well as current trends in ethical labelling and the fair trade movement. The report’s authors conclude: “Fairtrade International is the oldest and globally best known fair trade label… Despite the development of new labels, it remains the primary actor in the sector acting as the main point of reference… an ever-evolving label that reinvents itself to address contemporary challenges.” Fairtrade…

Read More

Shell makes major step toward tax transparency, combating oil sector secrecy says Oxfam

Stuart Mitchell

Oxfam welcomes new disclosures from Royal Dutch Shell Plc (“Shell”), the British-Dutch oil and gas company, that are part of a broader move toward corporate tax transparency. Global tax dodging by multinational corporations fuels economic inequality and undermines investments in poverty-reducing social services. Tax transparency can help shine a light on whether companies are paying what they should. Oxfam encourages governments to require publication of companies’ country-by-country tax reports and for companies to disclose their profit and tax payments. In a new report recently released, Shell went beyond its legal…

Read More

European Clothing Action Plan helps to redress the environmental impact of clothing

Stuart Mitchell

The four-year pan-European programme ECAP (the European Clothing Action Plan) completes this month with the publication of its report “Driving circular fashion and textiles”. ECAP is one of the first EU LIFE funded projects to tackle sustainable clothing in Europe and influence positive action across the entire supply chain. The summary report details its achievements over a range of innovation projects, conducted through eight work streams by partners in several European countries. The report “Driving circular fashion and textiles” signposts valuable resources including new guidance, white papers and key learnings…

Read More

Kellogg Company launches 10th annual Diversity & Inclusion Report

Stuart Mitchell

Kellogg Company is proud to launch its annual Diversity & Inclusion Report, titled Features. The report highlights the company’s many Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) accomplishments and goals over the past year. This marks a decade of D&I reports, and more than 10 decades of the company’s focus on diversity, dating back to its founder W.K. Kellogg – a pioneer in employing women in the workplace and reaching across cultural boundaries.  “Features celebrates the many ways our inclusive culture is nourishing the world, in every way possible,” said Priscilla Koranteng, Vice…

Read More