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British supermarket giant Asda and the University of Leeds are working together on a study that aims to create more affordable, sustainable products as well as help shape consumer behaviour.

Over the next two-and-a-half years, what the two organisations are terming “the largest conversation on green living in the UK,” will lead to the creation of a green lifestyle action plan that will save customers money and benefit the local and global environment.

Asda says the study is unique within the UK retail sector, and is part of its strategy to continue to build on its sustainability programme.

The study features what is thought to be the largest customer panel in Europe, solely focused on developing customer insight into greener, more affordable lifestyles and product choices. The panel called Everyday Experts, is made up of 7,500 customers.

Paul Kelly, Asda’s external affairs director, commented: "We’ve joined with University of Leeds in a UK first to help change attitudes to sustainability and to bring new, improved and affordable sustainable products to the shelf edge. Not only does this make sense for retail as a whole; it makes sense for customers and will continue to save them money in the long term.”

The University of Leeds will place a full time colleague into Asda to lead the research, help shape communications, new product development and examine large-scale shifts in customer behaviour.

Dr William Young, director of business and organisations for sustainable societies (BOSS) research group at University of Leeds added: "We’re looking at what will work for the mainstream customer, and not necessarily those who are already committed to a ‘deep green’ lifestyle. This means working within people’s busy lives, desires and needs, so that reducing food waste for example becomes a habit and a way to reduce household food costs.
 

For the full story see the August issue of Ethical Performance.
 

A new European Commission survey indicates that more than three-quarters of EU consumers are willing to pay more for environmentally-friendly products if they were confident that the products are truly environmentally-friendly (77%). However, only slightly more than half of survey respondents feel informed (55%) about the environmental impacts of the products they buy and use.

The survey, Attitudes of Europeans towards building the single market for green products, reveals a large majority of EU citizens believes that buying environmentally-friendly products can make a difference to the environment (89%) and that they are as effective as regular products (74%). Confidence that products labelled environmentally-friendly are less harmful to the environment is highest in Portugal (84%), Malta (82%), France (81%) and Belgium (81%). However, confidence is significantly lower in Germany (44%), Romania (46%) and the Netherlands (47%).

Just over half of EU citizens generally trust producers' claims about the environmental performance of their products (52%), but a majority of Europeans do not trust companies' reports on their own environmental performance (54%). EU citizens are most likely to believe that they have come across exaggerated or misleading statements in Romania (40%), Bulgaria (40%), Greece (39%) and Latvia (37%). This belief is least common in Malta (17%) and Estonia (20%). There is nonetheless strong support for obliging companies to publish reports on their overall environmental performance and the environmental performance of their products (69%).

Environment Commissioner Janez Poto?nik commented: "Of course we all want to see more green products on shelves, but this survey shows that most of us are confused by green claims and don't trust them. That's not good for consumers, and it is not rewarding those companies that are really making an effort. We are working with companies and other stakeholders to develop the credible information consumers are looking for when they buy products. This will help develop markets and open up opportunities for innovation and investment in the green economy."

You can view the full report here.

Picture credit: © Nelson Faria | Dreamstime Stock Photos

American drinks giant Coca-Cola is looking improve its water efficiency by 25% by 2020 as part of a new set of global environmental goals and an expanded global parternship with World Wildlife Fund.

The new goals, which complement other Coca-Cola well-being and community commitments, focus on sustainable management of water, energy, and packaging use as well as sustainable sourcing of agricultural ingredients through 2020.

“At Coca-Cola, we are deeply committed to working with partners to address our collective environmental challenges and responsibly manage the planet’s resources,” said Muhtar Kent, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Coca-Cola Company.

“We are witnessing unprecedented demands on natural resources around the world. Continuing with business as usual puts everything at risk, including the viability of business,” said Carter Roberts, President and CEO, World Wildlife Fund. “These problems can only be solved by working together, and our work with Coca-Cola has proven that collaboration can amplify and accelerate the impact we need.”

Under the renewed and expanded partnership, Coca-Cola and WWF jointly developed new 2020 environmental sustainability goals for the Coca-Cola system – the Company and its nearly 300 bottling partners in more than 200 countries.

The new goals also include reducing CO2 emissions embedded in ‘the drink in your hand’ by 25% and to reach a 75% recovery rate of bottles and cans in developed markets.

Read full details of Coca-Cola’s ambitious new targets in the August issue of Ethical Performance.

Pictured above: Bentho torches are used to establish water quality.
 

Activists are demanding urgent action from governments and companies to stamp out the continued use of sandblasting and other unsafe finishing processes in the manufacture of denim jeans.

The call comes in a new report into conditions in six denim factories in the Chinese province of Guangdong, a region responsible for half of the world’s entire production of blue jeans.

The report, Breathless for Blue Jeans: Health hazards in China’s denim factories, finds that sandblasting is still widespread in China in order to give jeans a worn or ‘distressed’ look, despite most Western brands banning the practice three years ago because of its link to silicosis, a deadly lung disease that has already caused the deaths of many garment workers.

One worker interviewed said: “In our department, it’s full of jeans and black dust. The temperature on the shop floor is high. It is difficult to breathe. I feel like I’m working in a coal mine.”

The new research, based on interviews with workers in the factories themselves, also revealed that workers are exposed to other dangerous finishing techniques to distress denim, including hand sanding, polishing, dye application and spraying chemicals such as potassium permanganate, with limited protective gear and inadequate training in the proper use of equipment.

The report was produced by IHLO, the Hong Kong Liaison Office of the international trade union movement; Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour (SACOM), also based in Hong Kong; the global network Clean Clothes Campaign; and the workers’ rights pressure group War on Want.

The report can be downloaded here. 

Picture credit: IHLO

More than one person in two thinks corruption has worsened in the last two years, according to the world’s largest public opinion survey on corruption from Transparency International.

The Global Corruption Barometer 2013 - a survey of 114,000 people in 107 countries - shows corruption is widespread. Indeed 27% of respondents have paid a bribe when accessing public services and institutions in the last 12 months, revealing no improvement from previous surveys.

However, nearly 9 out of 10 people surveyed said they would act against corruption and two-thirds of those who were asked to pay a bribe had refused, suggesting that governments, civil society and the business sector need to do more to engage people in thwarting corruption.

“Bribe paying levels remain very high worldwide, but people believe they have the power to stop corruption and the number of those willing to combat the abuse of power, secret dealings and bribery is significant,” said Huguette Labelle, chair of Transparency International.

The Global Corruption Barometer 2013 also found that in many countries the institutions people rely on to fight corruption and other crime are themselves not trusted. Thirty-six countries view police as the most corrupt, and in those countries an average of 53% of people had been asked to pay a bribe to the police. Twenty countries view the judiciary as the most corrupt, and in those countries an average of 30% of the people who had come in contact with the judicial systems had been asked to pay a bribe.

“Governments need to take this cry against corruption from their citizenry seriously and respond with concrete action to elevate transparency and accountability,” Labelle said. “Strong leadership is needed from the G20 governments in particular. In the 17 countries surveyed in the G20, 59% of respondents said their government is not doing a good job at fighting corruption.”

Politicians themselves have much to do to regain trust. The Barometer shows a crisis of trust in politics and real concern about the capacity of those institutions responsible for bringing criminals to justice. In 51 countries around the world political parties are seen as the most corrupt institution. Fifty-five per cent of respondents think government is run by special interests.

Around the world, people’s appraisal of their leaders’ efforts to stop corruption is worse than before the financial crisis began in 2008, when 31% said their government’s efforts to fight corruption were effective. This year it fell to 22%.

“Governments need to make sure that there are strong, independent and well-resourced institutions to prevent and redress corruption. Too many people are harmed when these core institutions and basic services are undermined by the scourge of corruption,” Labelle added.

Picture credit: © Jyothi | Dreamstime Stock Photos
 

This is post is presented by MicroEdge, the leading provider of software and services to the giving community worldwide and a 3p sponsor. 

By Gabriel Swain

Over the past decade, employee engagement has taken on greater significance than ever before. Companies are increasingly recognizing the importance of engaging their staff (PDF), as it has profound impacts on workplace morale, employee retention and the company’s bottom line. Simply put, engaged employees are happier, work harder and stay longer. As corporate leaders search for ways to engage their workforce, employee volunteer programs regularly rank at the top of the list of highly effective ways to keep employees engaged over the long term.

Indeed, the importance of employee volunteering cannot be understated; in their 2011 Volunteer Impact Survey, Deloitte found that 70 percent of employees between the ages of 21 and 35 strongly favor companies that are committed to the community. Volunteering allows employees to make a noticeable and measureable impact (PDF) that the company can then communicate to stakeholders and the communities it serves. It enables employees to feel connected to a company-wide mission, resulting in a stronger sense of unity within the company, and endearing them (PDF) to the company and its stated goals and objectives.

Key to an effective employee volunteer program is a willingness and eagerness by employees to get involved in the effort—after all, they are the backbone of the program. Simply putting a program in place is a start, but to truly realize the many benefits of an effective employee volunteer program, companies must create a collaborative environment that encourages and inspires staff to participate.

1) Get the word out

Employees can’t get involved unless they are aware of their opportunities to do so. This becomes more of a challenge when employees are spread out over many locations, but it’s a vital element of maximizing engagement. Bulletin boards in the cafeteria and signs around the office can help, but those methods are becoming obsolete; it’s now crucial to make it easy for employees to know what’s going on, and where and how they can get involved. Today’s technology makes it easy to electronically communicate volunteer opportunities to all employees, or even target communications to employees based on their skills and interests. Embracing technology is vital to maximizing participation in your program.

2) Bring the word back

It’s one thing to tell employees what causes they can volunteer for, but if you really want to increase participation, you’ll want to make sure there are open channels for employee feedback on your current and past events. Let them tell you what worked, what didn’t, what could be improved, etc. Allow them to suggest new causes and events to get involved with. Provide surveys and use the results. The more your employees feel their voices are being heard—and that you are supporting them in volunteering for causes they care about—the more passionate they will become about supporting your company in its volunteer efforts over the long term.

3) Strike an emotional chord

Telling employees about volunteer efforts can help raise interest, but it’s also important to tightly grab employee interest from the beginning. Start by communicating your company-wide commitment to giving back to the community. Appeal to your employees’ altruistic nature. Show them you genuinely care about making the world a better place, and that you need their help to make that a reality. Volunteering provides a significant sense of emotional well-being and pride in helping those in need, so make sure your employees know that you are committed to helping the community, and that you need their help to make a difference. Help them realize that their involvement really matters and is truly needed.

4) Make it fun and get them excited

Organize contests to get your employees involved. Offer prizes. Perhaps your employee volunteer program needs a catchy name. Maybe you want to create a snazzy logo that people can relate to. Or maybe you want to open the floor for event suggestions. Let your employees compete to submit the winning logo idea, or the winning program name. Communicate the contest broadly. Honor the winners publicly. You’ll have them interested, having fun, and—most importantly—engaged right from the start.

5) Get to know your employees

How well do you know your employees outside of their day-to-day jobs? Did you know that Jane Doe down the hall is trilingual and has experience teaching English as a second language to immigrants? Or that John Smith in accounting used to work in construction? The more you know your employees’ skills, the more you can target volunteer events to them based on what they are interested in, and consequently, where they can help the most. The more prepared they are when they arrive on site to volunteer, the better work they will do, the greater sense of accomplishment they will feel, and the more likely they will be to come back and volunteer again. This kind of skills-based volunteering not only increases interest and employee engagement, it helps you maximize the impact of your program in the community.

6) Get friends and family involved

Create ways for your employees’ friends and family to join them at volunteer events. This will make it more fun for them and encourage them to volunteer more often. Find ways to give employees credit for the hours volunteered by their friends and family. Give awards to those who get the most people involved. Then you can go back and report those additional friend and family hours and share them as part of your whole story.

7) Encourage employees to develop new skills

Employee volunteering is a great way to let your employees develop new skills that will help them on the job. Let them manage groups of volunteers or coordinate entire events—it’s a great way to build leadership skills that will help them grow as individuals, and also perform better in their day-to-day jobs. Plus, it helps you reassure them that you are genuinely interested in helping them develop skills that will continue to benefit them throughout their careers.

Gabriel Swain has written extensively on social justice and volunteerism. His work has been published in the U.S. and Europe in a variety of capacities, including academic texts, government white papers, public policy recommendations, blogs and journals. For years he has spent his free time volunteering, supporting a wide variety of causes and organizations. 

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How to Learn More: MicroEdge has developed an entire library of free best practice articles for running highly efficient and effective employee volunteer programs. Access this resource library.

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About MicroEdge MicroEdge helps corporations to effectively engage employees with AngelPoints—integrated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) solutions that enable companies to maximize employee engagement, streamline employee engagement programs, measure the impact those programs are having in the communities they serve, and share that story with company stakeholders and the community.  AngelPoints solutions have helped some of the world’s largest and most respected companies increase their employee engagement; today, AngelPoints solutions for employee volunteering, payroll giving, matching gifts, disaster response, dollars for doers, and sustainability serve more than 80 corporations and millions of employees around the globe.

Image credit: Perry Grone/Unsplash

Unilever has unveiled Green Express, a new railway initiative to drive more sustainable logistics in Europe.

Green Express comes as a result of a partnership with Trenitalia and the Italian Ministry for Environment and promises to save 2,600 tonnes of CO2 a year by taking trucks off the road in Italy. 

As of Friday 5 July, a dedicated train line now operates from the Unilever factory in Caivano, near Naples, 700km to the logistics hub in Parma. The direct connection, linking three lines, means that 3,500 trucks will be taken off the road each year. 

David Beauchamp, vp logistics for Europe said: “Traditionally, goods have been transported by road in Italy but this model is designed to be a game-changer. This initiative is an example of great collaboration with Trenitalia and the Italian Ministry for Environment. We hope that other companies in Italy can also adopt similar rail transportation approaches. This is not just beneficial for the environment but also for costs, we estimate that this will achieve a 6% reduction in costs per year – a win-win situation.”
 

Automotive giants General Motors and Honda are to co-develop next-generation fuel cell system and hydrogen storage technologies.

According to the Clean Energy Patent Growth Index, GM and Honda rank No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in total fuel cell patents filed between 2002 and 2012, with more than 1,200 between them. 

“This collaboration builds upon Honda and GM’s strengths as leaders in hydrogen fuel cell technology,” said Dan Akerson, GM chairman and ceo. “We are convinced this is the best way to develop this important technology, which has the potential to help reduce the dependence on petroleum and establish sustainable mobility.”

Takanobu Ito, president & ceo of Honda Motor Co. Ltd. said: “Among all zero CO2 emission technologies, fuel cell electric vehicles have a definitive advantage with range and refuelling time that is as good as conventional cars. Honda and GM are eager to accelerate the market penetration of this ultimate clean mobility technology and I am excited to form this collaboration to fuse our leading fuel cell technologies and create an advanced system that will be both more capable and more affordable.”??

• Electric cars lead to hidden environmental and health damages and are likely more harmful than gasoline cars and other transportation options according to a peer-reviewed report published recently in IEEE Spectrum. The report, Unclean at Any Speed, indicates that the recent billions spent on subsidies for the Tesla, Nissan Leaf, and other electric cars may actually be doing more harm than good after considering full electric vehicle lifecycles. It recommends shifting electric car subsidies toward more robust options backed by research, including emissions testing, bicycle infrastructure, smog reduction initiatives, and land-use changes. The paper's author, Ozzie Zehner, writes: "Upon closer consideration, moving from petroleum-fueled vehicles to electric cars starts to appear tantamount to shifting from one brand of cigarettes to another." His paper identifies how electric cars merely shift negative impacts from one place to another: "Most electric-car assessments analyze only the charging of the car. This is an important factor indeed. But a more rigorous analysis would consider the environmental impacts over the vehicle's entire life cycle, from its construction through its operation and on to its eventual retirement at the junkyard."

The Energy Saving Trust is urging Britons to follow three simple tips to save water and energy, without impacting on their lifestyle. It maintains that an average UK household could save £22 on their energy bills each year, with metered households saving an additional £13 on their water bills.

This can easily be achieved, says the Trust, by consumers showering using an eco-shower head, washing clothes at 30C and boiling only the water needed. Following these simple tips, the country could save around £600 m a year on its energy bills, it maintains.

The findings come from a report , At Home with Water, commissioned by the Energy Saving Trust Foundation in partnership with DEFRA, Procter & Gamble, Thames Water, Consumer Council for Water and SaveWaterSaveMoney.

Showers are the biggest consumers of water in the home, using a quarter of the total – three per cent more than lavatories (22%).

Andrew Tucker, water strategy manager at Energy Saving Trust, said: “When people think of energy use they think of heating and lighting, running electrical appliances or filling the car with petrol. It’s all too easy to turn on the tap and not think about the consequences.

“But there is an environmental and energy cost attached to water which many people do not consider. On average, hot water use contributes £228 to the average annual combined energy bill.
“It’s clear that we are all using more water-consuming appliances regularly, especially showers, but that doesn’t mean we’re powerless to control our water use.

“By reducing the amount of water – especially hot water – that we use, we can cut down on the energy demands of our lifestyles, which have changed radically over the last 50 years. Following three simple steps from the Energy Saving Trust will help reduce the energy and water bills of consumers – and stop their money spiralling down the plughole.”

Picture credit: © Kirsty Pargeter | Dreamstime Stock Photos
 

Jaguar Land Rover was crowned Business in the Community’s 2013 Responsible Business of the Year at a gala dinner in London earlier this week, taking over the mantle from British high street stalwart Marks & Spencer.

The luxury car manufacturer was praised for its investment in new technologies including engine efficiency, lightweight materials (that mean vehicles need less power) and hybrid vehicles, to reduce tailpipe emissions. It won recognition through its school and work-based activities that have enabled 2m young people to improve their skills and learn more about engineering and technical careers. More than 200,000 young people from 50 schools have participated in its Inspiring Tomorrow’s Engineers programme.

Building contractor Lakehouse, won the Santander Responsible Small Business of the Year award. Over the past year, it has invested more than £600,000 in new apprenticeships and trainee schemes, as well as £350,000 in community projects. The company's work has helped to recruit and retain staff and win new business, including contracts with homelessness charity Thames Reach.

Dairy food company Dairy Crest won two awards on the night receiving both the Sustainable Supply Chain and the Marketplace Sustainability Leadership accolades.

The Education Award to Gentoo Group, which through its partnership with Academy 360, an independent academy for pupils aged four to 16 in Sunderland, the housing and social care group has invested £1m in a school which serves one of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the country.

Other award winners on the night were: Marks & Spencer (Workwell Award); GI Group Recruitment (Workplace Talent & Skills) Star Pubs & Bars (part of the Heineken Company, Enterprise Growth Award); Wates Group (Work Inclusion Award); Jobsite UK (Inspiring Social Action in Young People Award); East of England Co-operative Society (Rural Action Award ); B&Q (Customer Engagement on Sustainability Award) and The Body Shop (International Award).
 

You can read more about the winning initiatives in the August issue of Ethical Performance.