Month: September 2025

Persistent social protection gaps in Europe and Central Asia worsened by climate change impact

Stuart Mitchell

Despite relatively high levels of social protection coverage in the region, significant gaps in adequacy and coverage remain at a time when stronger, more sustainable systems are urgently needed to address the growing impacts of climate change, according to a new International Labour Organization (ILO) report. The most recent data show that while 85.2 per cent of the population in the region are covered by at least one social protection benefit, 14.8 per cent are still entirely unprotected. Strengthening these social protection systems is essential not only to address immediate…

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PRCA launches the Sustainability Group to Drive Collaboration and Best Practice

Stuart Mitchell

The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) has announced launch of the Sustainability Group. The PRCA Sustainability Group is an expansion of previous working groups that reaffirms the industry’s commitment to fostering responsible, transparent, and effective sustainability communications. The Group builds on previous work in this area and further drives collaborating with PRCA members and the industry at large. The Group committee, consisting of PRCA members, aims to go deeper and broader to ensure the PR industry has a forum for driving standards, commitments and ethics in sustainability. ​ The…

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Half the world, only a quarter of the news: Women appear or are heard in just 26 per cent of all broadcast, radio and print clips

Stuart Mitchell

Women make up half of the global population, yet just a quarter of those who are seen or heard in the news. This statistic has barely changed in the last 15 years, with a mere nine-point change in 30 years. The latest edition of the Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP), produced by the international communication rights organization WACC and supported by UN Women’s ACT to End Violence against Women programme, is the largest and longest-running research study on gender representation in the media. This year’s findings reveal that women account for…

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Global fashion industry on track to produce enough unworn clothes to almost reach from Earth to Mars and back

Stuart Mitchell

By 2050, the fashion industry is on course to produce 138 billion items of unworn clothes every year – enough to almost reach from the Earth to Mars and back, and equivalent to nearly four outfits for every person on the planet – new analysis from Oxfam reveals. The findings mark the start of Oxfam’s annual Second Hand September campaign fronted this year by actor and advocate Jameela Jamil. Oxfam is calling on people to make a statement about the kind of world they want to live in by choosing…

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Surge in 18–25-year-old new members as National Trust annual report reveals growth of 39%

Stuart Mitchell

The number of new 18–25-year-olds choosing to join the National Trust grew 39% in the last year, the charity’s annual report, released today, has revealed. Young persons’ membership has experienced a surge over the last financial year (March 2024 – February 2025), with over 40,000 new members, suggesting young people are prepared to spend their money and time on immersion in nature, history and beautiful surroundings. Initial insight from the current financial year shows that this trend is set to continue. Overall, young membership of the National Trust has continued…

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