Month: August 2023

Masdar launches first US$750 million 10-year Green Bond

Stuart Mitchell

Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC – Masdar announced the successful completion of its first green bond issuance for US$750 million 10-year senior unsecured Notes today. There was exceptionally strong appetite from regional and international investors with the orderbook peaking at US$ 4.2bn, i.e. oversubscription of 5.6x. Pricing tightened 35bps between launch and final terms, with a final landing spread of 115bps over US Treasuries and a coupon of 4.875%. Allocation was finalized with a split of 87.5% to international investors and 12.5% to MENA investors. The debut green bond…

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New app helps young people turn tide on plastic pollution

Stuart Mitchell

Beneath the picturesque turquoise waters of Trinidad and Tobago, plastic pollution is wreaking havoc on marine ecosystems. Every year, more than 88,600 tonnes of plastic waste is deposited into the ocean around the Caribbean nation, harming marine life and ultimately impacting human health. “Plastic is everywhere. And plastic is overwhelming us,” says Sarah Sobrian, a 28-year-old environmental campaigner and member of RSC, a technology non-profit. A new app is aiming to help young people in Trinidad and Tobago, along with other small-island developing states, counter the damage done by plastic…

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Record sales promotions investment drives UK marketing budget growth

Stuart Mitchell

Total marketing budgets were revised higher during the second quarter of 2023, fuelled by a record increase in revisions to sales promotion activity, according to the Q2 2023 IPA Bellwether Report. While this continues the positive trend that began two years ago, spending weakened slightly from last quarter as persistent inflationary pressures, ongoing interest rate hikes and an uncertain economic outlook led some companies to retrench. Just over a fifth of survey respondents observed growth in total marketing spend during the second quarter, more than the 14.4% who registered budget…

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Circular healthcare collaboration recycles pre-surgery packaging and unused fabrics

Stuart Mitchell

Berry Global, Deaconess Midtown Hospital, Nexus Circular, and Evansville Packaging Supply are working together to keep used, sterile healthcare plastics in use and out of our environment. Through this partnership, these organizations safely and effectively recycle non-hazardous, sterile, plastic packaging and nonwoven fabric from the hospital’s surgical suite, pharmaceutical, laboratory, and warehouse. This effort diverts around 500 pounds, or 350 bags, of clean, used healthcare plastics – from protective surgical tool packaging to unused nonwoven surgical cloths and gowns – from landfill per week. Development of this circular initiative was…

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ASA – 100 Children Report: follow-up engagement with advertisers, agencies and platforms

Stuart Mitchell

The ASA/CAP have released a post called: 100 Children Report: follow-up engagement with advertisers, agencies and platforms. I have enclosed the text of the link below, but please have a look at the ASA/CAP site as there are lots of things of interest to anyone with an interest in Ethical Marketing. Following the publication of the ‘The 100 Children Report’, in November 2022, the ASA undertook to follow up with advertisers, their agencies and platforms on some of the report’s key findings. We have now published our 100 Children Report –…

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