New UK certification schemes will “raise the bar” of data protection in children’s privacy, age assurance and asset disposal

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has approved the first UK GDPR certification scheme criteria. Certification was brought in under the UK GDPR as a way to help organisations demonstrate compliance with data protection rules and, in turn inspire trust and confidence in the people who use their products, processes and services. Certification works by providing a framework for organisations to follow, which offers clients and customers assurance that they are adhering to strong standards. Organisations with expertise in a particular area can develop scheme criteria. The ICO has approved the…

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Charity highlights inaccessible packaging with pop-up Store

A new campaign by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is highlighting the issue of inaccessible packaging and the impact it has on people with sight loss. As part of its Design for Everyone campaign, the charity is opening its WhatsIn Store, an experiential event aiming to give an insight into how it feels to be confronted with inaccessible packaging. The store will be stocked with products with blank or intentionally vague packaging. Hidden cameras in the shop will film people’s reactions, while the shopkeeper then reveals that this is often the reality…

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Apple selects 15 Black- and Brown-owned businesses for first-of-its-kind Impact Accelerator

Apple has unveiled its first class of 15 Black- and Brown-owned businesses on the cutting edge of green technology and clean energy, who will join the company’s Impact Accelerator to support equity and opportunity in the environmental sector. Part of Apple’s Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, this program will help to combat systemic barriers to opportunity, while also advancing innovative solutions for communities most impacted by climate change. The 15 businesses are based across the US — from Silicon Valley in California, to Detroit, Michigan, to tribal nations across the…

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Sienna Miller launches Oxfam’s #SecondHandSeptember to fight throwaway fashion

Actress Sienna Miller is fronting this year’s #SecondHandSeptember campaign to raise awareness about the harmful effects fast fashion – clothes that are produced in high volume and at relatively low cost to the consumer – have on the planet. Oxfam’s campaign comes ahead of the UN climate summit COP26, which will be held in Glasgow in November, and is a vital opportunity for global leaders to take decisive action to tackle the climate emergency. Consumers send 13 million items of clothing a week to landfill, and the textile industry accounts…

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Scotiabank Issues USD 1 Billion Sustainability Bond

Scotiabank has announced the closing of its inaugural USD 1 billion 3-year Sustainability Bond offering, in support of the Bank’s commitment to making a positive impact and creating better communities for every future. Net proceeds from the Sustainability Bond offering will be used to fund the financing or refinancing, in whole or in part, eligible green and/or social assets, which refer to new or existing assets, businesses or projects that meet the Scotiabank Sustainable Bond Framework Eligibility Criteria. This is the largest Sustainability Bond issued by a Canadian Financial or…

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