Cargill has launched a new sustainability programme called ‘Protect our Planet’ that aims to eliminate deforestation from its cocoa supply chain and achieve 100% cocoa bean traceability.
The plan expands Cargill’s sustainability efforts to five origin countries — Brazil, Indonesia, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Ghana — as well as the indirect cocoa supply chain. Harold Poelma, president of Cargill Cocoa and Chocolate ,said that the firm recognises that there’s a “considerable urgency to address climate and deforestation challenges”.

Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) has received two awards at the 12th edition of the annual Sustainability Enterprise and Responsibility Awards (SERAS). The awards were in recognition of its 2017 Sustainability Report and progress in Sustainability Best Practices and Reporting in 2018. “Two DIL subsidiaries received the SERAS Sustainability Awards for ‘Best Company in Hunger & Food Security’ as well as ‘Best in Supply Chain Management’ categories. “In special recognition of its pioneering Sustainability Journey in 2018, Dangote Group was also named by SERAS one of the Top 5 ‘Most Responsible Business in Africa/Overall Winner.’

Sustainable finishing technology company Jeanologia announced Wednesday that it has joined the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC). The Spanish company will begin using SAC’s suite of tools to measure the environmental impact of its own roster of finishing tools including laser, G2 ozone and e flow technologies, which help enhance productivity, reduce water and energy consumption and eliminate damaging emissions and waste, guaranteeing zero contamination.

Palm oil sourcing giant Wilmar International has unveiled plans to use satellite tracking and other digital technologies in a bid to eliminate deforestation risks from its supply chains. The company, which supplies 40% of the world’s palm oil, made a new pledge on Monday (10 December) to ensure that its supply chains are classed as “deforestation-free” by 2020 – a commitment which builds on its 2013 “no deforestation, no peat, no exploitation” (NPDE) sustainability strategy. In order to achieve the new goal, Wilmar International will carry out a supplier audit by the end of January 2019, with all suppliers found to be driving forest loss then facing “immediate” suspension.

The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership, (SGP) has set its goals for the print manufacturing on how to acheive higher levels of responsibility and sustainability. The fifth anual SGP Community Day, held in Cincinnati, included in-depth discussions on a wide range of issues that the print and retail industries are facing, specifically with respect to the circular economy, green procurement and recycling. For the cosmetics and personal industry, printing plays a large part in the production of packaging, both for labeling and for the design of secondary packaging.

As new scientific research elucidates the need to take urgent and comprehensive climate action on the global level, business charted paths to a low-carbon economy at a major event in Katowice, Poland.

A third of global businesses are looking to improve the sustainability of their supply chains over the next three years, according to an extensive new survey from HSBC. The poll of 8,500 companies in 34 countries shows that those businesses making environmentally sustainable changes to their supply chains are motivated primarily by cost efficiencies (84%) and improved revenues (84%). Furthermore, one in five (20%) claim that they have taken greater control of their supply chains over the past two years.

A restaurant chain with 260 branches across the UK has signed a contract that will see the company implementing an innovative and reliable approach to a number of issues faced in the world of food, drink and hospitality. The Pizza Hut chain boasts a commitment to ‘responsibly manage our resources to help our people, guests and planet’. Director of Supply Chain and IT for Pizza Hut Restaurants in the UK, Steve Packer, saw the integration of ARCUS® as the perfect way to ensure the chain adheres to those commitments.

“End the Coal Age!” reads a 15-metre-long banner placed on a mining tower situated at the complex of the Hornonitrianske Bane Prievidza mining company in Nováky (Trenčín Region) by activists from Greenpeace Slovensko. “Ending the Coal Age means leave the coal in the earth and stopping its burning,” wrote Júlia Sokolovičová, energy expert in Greenpeace CEE, in a Facebook post. “The time has come for the government to stop discussing the budget of one company and focus on the real end of coal instead, protecting people’s health and the environment. Slovakia can do more.”

A top New York City lawmaker unveiled landmark legislation Tuesday to dramatically decrease emissions from big buildings, the city’s largest source of climate pollution. If passed, the bill would set a new standard for cities around the world and mark the most aggressive climate action yet taken by the nation’s largest and most financially and culturally influential city. Starting in 2022, the new legislation proposes cutting pollution 40 percent by 2030, a timeline roughly twice as fast as the original agreement brokered by the Urban Green Council, a nonprofit linked to the U.S. Green Building Council that published the framework as a report three months ago.

A fresh round of international climate negotiations, called COP24, kicks off in Poland next week. This annual event brings together world leaders, scientists, campaigners, the private sector and local community representatives to debate how to address climate change and put in place policies to tackle it. Here are some of the key things you need to know. 

1. Climate Change Is Already Happening
2. Humans Have A Lot To Answer For
3. The Effects Are Being Felt Across The U.S.
4. Donald Trump Is In Denial
5. The U.S. Is Making Some Progress...
6. ... But Let’s Not Get Carried Away
7. The Big Picture: There’s A Lot More Work To Be Done

Businesses with turnovers of more than $100 million will have to report what they are doing to stamp out slavery in supply chains after legislation got the final tick of approval in parliament.

Fossil fuel-dependent Ukraine will strengthen its climate change action plan under the Paris Agreement to curb global warming, its government said at U.N. climate talks in Poland this week. Four Ukrainian cities also reaffirmed their goal of shifting to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050, announced this year.

Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) is making a new strategic investment from Loop Industries to purchase a supply of 100% recycled PET (rPET) plastic to accelerate the increased use of recycled materials in the creation of its bottles.

Bulb has grown since its launch in 2015 to become the UK's biggest renewable energy supplier after its founders recognised the energy industry was "broken". It’s been named the fastest-growing private company in the UK – now renewable energy supplier Bulb wants to expand at a quicker rate than any energy firm has ever achieved. Set up by friends Hayden Wood and Amit Gudka with the aim of keeping energy switching “simple, cheap and green”, it now supplies 850,000 UK households with 100% renewable electricity sourced from independent energy generators across the country – while 10% of its gas is renewable.

Sipping on a gin and tonic hasn’t been the same recently for many drinkers as plastic straws have been cast aside for environmental reasons in some countries – but Finnish inventors are hoping to help the world out with renewable straws. Environmentally-friendly packaging companies Stora Enso and Sulapac have based their straw on biocomposite material made of wood and natural adhesive, which is biodegradable in marine environments and recyclable via industrial composting.

One brand that is innovating through recycling is San Francisco-based Everlane. Over the past few years, it has become known for offering quality basics at reasonable prices, while operating with transparency on their ethical supply chain. Recently they announced a line called ReNew - outerwear, such as puffer jackets, parkas and fleeces - made entirely of recycled plastic bottles. The range of classic garments comes in a selection of neutral tones, with offerings for men and women.

Marjolijn Sonnema, Netherlands Vice Minister Agriculture calls for urgent action on food safety and security in the face of climate change...

At a time when carbon dioxide emissions have started to rise after three years of stability, there is a “lack of political will” in most nations to phase out fossil fuels with the necessary speed, according to a report released at the 24th Conference of Parties (COP 24) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2019, released December 10, 2018 by Germanwatch and the NewClimate Institute, shows that only few countries have started working towards limiting global warming below 2°C or even at 1.5°C.

Dubai World Trade Centre, DWTC, continues its commitment to support Dubai’s vision for leadership in energy security and efficiency through its energy diversification initiatives. In line with the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy’s aim of generating 75 percent of its energy consumption from clean sources by 2050, the DWTC is championing a range of resource and energy optimisation measures.

The British unit of Swiss insurance giant Zurich has launched a new accreditation scheme to encourage its suppliers to adopt sustainable business practices. The Supplier Accreditation Scheme is designed to help Zurich UK increase transparency in its own supply chain by measuring and tracking its suppliers’ environmental and community activities and scoring them accordingly. Companies could be awarded gold, solver or bronze accreditation depending on their approach to sustainability.

Wood from threatened south-east Asian rainforests has been used to build venues for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, according to complaints filed with organisers. At least 134,000 large sheets of tropical plywood from Malaysia and Indonesia have been used as concrete moulds to build stadiums, causing what campaigners say is irreversible harm to precious biodiversity reserves.

Royal Dutch Shell caved in to growing investor pressure over climate change on Monday, setting out plans to introduce industry-leading carbon emissions targets linked to executive pay. Rivals BP and Total have already set short-term targets on reducing carbon dioxide emissions, but these are limited to their own operations. Shell’s targets, which will be introduced in 2020, will be more extensive with inclusion of the so-called Scope 3 emissions from the burning of fuels sold to millions of customers around the world, the company said.