Month: January 2026

Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s draft law is only one side of the coin, says Fairtrade Foundation

Stuart Mitchell

The Fairtrade Foundation shares the following statement following today’s publication of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s (IASC) report: “Human rights and labour considerations cannot be separated from environmental considerations. The Fairtrade Foundation welcomes the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s new report on Strengthening the UK’s Forced Labour and Human Rights Legislative Framework. There is no room for forced labour and exploitation in business supply chains. However, environmental harm and human rights abuses are two sides of the same coin in supply chains, and the government must restrict both. Addressing one without the other…

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European Parliament guilty of ‘historic environmental betrayal’

Stuart Mitchell

The European Parliament’s decision to weaken two flagship sustainability laws is a reckless assault on protections for forests, frontline communities and future generations, Global Witness said recently. After months of successive delays, the EU is taking an axe to the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) – just before they were meant to deliver real protection for forests, people and the climate. Campaigners said that instead of focusing on effective implementation, EU institutions have chosen to reopen and dilute legislation that was already agreed,…

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Registration open for UK innovators to benefit from support programme

Stuart Mitchell

Developed by the UK Agri-Tech Centre and the Carbon Trust, alongside key industry stakeholders, the Food Agriculture System Technology Accelerator (FASTA) programme launched on 1 December to accelerate the adoption of Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems. These MRV systems are vital for agricultural business to make credible sustainability claims and can unlock finance and drive measurable progress towards Net Zero. They provide the data and transparency needed to track emissions, validate impact and guide smarter decisions. This is essential when scaling climate-smart practices, carbon markets or building trust across…

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Launch of new £25 million Water Efficiency Lab will drive innovation and cut water use across England and Wales

Stuart Mitchell

The inaugural Water Efficiency Lab (‘WEL 1’) – a £25 million challenge-led competition to unlock and scale innovations that reduce water use across England and Wales is to be launched. The first year of the competition, offering £5 million in total funding and up to £1.5 million for individual projects, is inviting innovators to develop new technologies, data-driven tools and solutions that enable people and businesses to understand their water use and take steps to reduce it. Demand for water is already at record levels. England faces a projected 5…

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Does sustainability reporting pay for itself?

Stuart Mitchell

A deep-dive analysis of global research on the value of sustainability reporting finds that 73% of studies show a positive correlation between companies that disclose their impacts and improved financial performance. The literature review by Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) – From impact to income: How sustainability reporting affects the bottom line – summarizes key conclusions and themes from 30 empirical studies to determine whether sustainability reporting improves access to capital, enhances operational efficiency, and strengthens risk management capabilities. All of the studies were published between 2010 and 2025 in peer-reviewed academic…

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