Year: 2026

Disability inclusion in advertising builds stronger brand affinity

Stuart Mitchell

Adverts that feature people with a disability greatly enhance consumer attitudes towards brands and their products, according to new research co-authored by Bayes Business School that also shows the effectiveness of diversity regulations and the benefits of compliance. One in seven people across the world have a form of visible or invisible disability, yet people with disabilities remain heavily underrepresented in advertising. The research, co-authored by Zachary Estes, Professor of Marketing at Bayes Business School with academics from the University of Amsterdam and Bocconi University, tested advertisements across a range…

Read More

New AI System Uses Thermal Camera Sensors to Steer Ships Clear of Gray Whales in the San Francisco Bay

Stuart Mitchell

Last year, 21 gray whales were found dead in and around San Francisco Bay and 40% of those deaths were due to collisions with ships. Whale season typically peaks in May in the area and already seven whales have died thus far. Recently, a local coalition has unveiled a near real-time, thermal camera monitoring system that detects whales’ heat signatures and “blows” (exhaled breath) in the busy waterway and then alerts nearby mariners to re-route or reduce their speed to avoid hitting them. Currently amid a 12,000-mile migration from their…

Read More

Cardfactory Foundation explains its relaunch of its Community Fund with larger grants

Stuart Mitchell

Ahead of the opening of the external Community Fund on Monday 22nd June, Ellie Saltrick, Fund Manager at cardfactory Foundation, shares what’s changing, what’s staying the same, and what this year’s round means for charities across the UK. Why has the Foundation introduced new priority areas and what are they? “We have moved from a broad funding criteria to a more focused set of priority areas. Being clearer about our focus also helps reduce unnecessary time and effort for charities. By setting out our priorities more clearly, organisations can quickly…

Read More

RE100 Ready (China) IDZ Initiative Launched to Support China’s Industrial Decarbonisation Transition

Stuart Mitchell

International non-profit organisation Climate Group, together with China Electric Power Planning & Engineering Institute (EPPEI), today officially launched the “RE100 Ready (China) IDZ Initiative” at the 2026 Asia Action Summit hosted by Climate Group. The initiative seeks to support participating Industrial Development Zones (IDZs) in exploring scalable approaches to renewable energy electricity adoption and green industrial transformation, with its framework anchored to the RE100 technical criteria while reflecting China’s evolving renewable electricity market mechanisms. The initiative expands renewable electricity transition efforts beyond the corporate level to IDZs, reflecting an emerging approach to support decarbonisation at…

Read More

ILO and Viet Nam’s commerce chamber launch initiative to advance responsible business practices in electronics sector

Stuart Mitchell

The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) have officially launched the Compliance Edge Lab 2026–27, a new industry programme designed to help electronics suppliers in Viet Nam move beyond conventional regulatory compliance towards responsible business conduct, advancing decent work and enterprise competitiveness. Viet Nam’s electronics industry is one of the country’s most dynamic economic engines. The sector employs over 1.5 million workers, 60 per cent of whom are women. In 2025, it generated a record US$165 billion in exports. As the sector…

Read More