News • BusinessAssurance.com

LRQA Team Members Encounter Harsh Conditions during IAE 2012

5th Mar 2012

LRQA Team Members Encounter Harsh Conditions during IAE 2012 After a smooth two day trip across the Drake Passage from Argentina, the International Antarctic Expedition 2012 arrived on the Antarctic Peninsula

Clean Energy Standard Trading Mechanism Proposed for the US

5th Mar 2012 by Madlen King

Jeff Bingaman, a senior US senator and the Democratic Chair of the Senate Energy Committee, last week proposed the Clean Energy Standard (CES). The standard includes mechanisms to force utility companies to purchase power from clean sources and create a trading mechanism for such credits. The standard will assist with Obama’s goal to generate 80 [...]

Trakhees awarded ISO 10002:2004 Certification for Customer Service Excellence

5th Mar 2012

ISO 10002:2004 certification for the immediate and efficient customer feedback management system has been the result of the Department’s firm commitment to improving the services provided to its customers, which constitutes a priority for all Trakhees sections.

OCLC earns ISO 27001 Information Security Management Certification

5th Mar 2012

OCLC has achieved ISO certification for information security management

LRQA’s Richard Smith & E-idea Winner Stephen Mushin Set Sail from Ushuaia for IAE 2012

2nd Mar 2012

16th Feb 2012

LRQA’s Cor Groenveld and Vel Pillay join the GFSI’s leading expert on auditor competency, Bill McBride, in this podcast on auditor competency.

E-idea Eco Exhibition

Event: 16th Feb 2012 by JChowdhury

15th Nov 2011

On October 18, 2011, two-hundred and forty (240) food safety professionals and experts from many of the world’s leading food companies attended the LRQA Food Safety Forum in Mexico City to share best-practice in ensuring food safety across the supply chain

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Carbon trading subject to ‘changing international winds’ says climate change expert Robert Hansor

3rd Nov 2011 by JChowdhury

4th Oct 2011

16th Feb 2011 by Alex Briggs

With the opening of the world’s most important food safety conference, The Global Food Safety Conference, LRQA has launched a food sector video.

In the video, Cor Groenveld, LRQA’s global food expert, Mark Overland, Cargill’s Global Director, Certification and Mike James, LRQA’s Managing Director talk about the benefits of taking a process-based management systems approach to addressing risks across the food supply chain.

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LRQA Business Assurance Food Podcast Series, Episode 1

1st Feb 2011 by Alex Briggs

Cor Groenveld, one of the world’s leading food safety experts and LRQA’s Global Product Manager for food services, kicks off this podcast series with his thoughts on a range of food safety and food supply chain topics.
Cor talks about the two global food safety events coming up this month as well as the importance of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and finally the changes taking place in the USA regarding food safety.

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E-idea’ launches in Sydney, January 2011 – video

21st Jan 2011 by JChowdhury

‘E-idea’ launches in Sydney, January 2011 from British Council Australia on Vimeo.

ISO 9001 Certifications top 1 Million Globally

4th Jan 2011 by Alex Briggs

8th Nov 2010 by Alex Briggs

Committee on Professional Competency Requirements commences its work

27th Jul 2010 by Madlen King

Following an extended consultation and selection process, the Committee on Professional Competency Requirements was established last month (June 2010) and started its work last week. The immediate priority of the Committee is to develop requirements for professional certification in the area of GHG management. Over the course of the next six months, the Committee members, [...]

Study questions food firms on HACCP experiences

23rd Jul 2010

A study looking at the views of staff and managers at food plants on HACCP has identified preparation for future regulation as the key motivating factor and staffing the number one challenge.

LRQA Business Assurance at work – LINPAC PAS 2050 Podcast Series, episode 2

20th Jul 2010 by Alex Briggs

Episode 2 in the LINPAC/LRQA PAS 2050 podcast series features an interview with LRQA Climate Change Manager, Paul Smith.

Paul Smith said: “As more companies follow LINPAC Allibert’s lead, environmental performance will be enhanced and verified product carbon footprint data will become an increasingly important factor in both domestic and commercial purchasing decisions.”

Australia addresses importance of verification of carbon emissions

19th Jul 2010

A recent e-newsletter from V-Carbon News covers the recent story about policy changes which are underway that directly impact the future of Oceania’s voluntary market.

21st Jun 2010 by Alex Briggs

Jon Poole, the recently appointed new chief executive of the Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST), told FoodNavigator.com that the industry needs to be pro-active and not reactive. In this FoodNavigator article, Poole said, “There’s a lot we can do by being pre-emptive.”

LRQA Business Assurance Quote of the Day, May 25, 2010

25th May 2010 by Alex Briggs

This quote is taken from the recent Just off the Starting Blocks – Benchmarking Sustainability and Carbon Assurance in the FTSE 350 report:

Verified data is the only credible way to assess whether we are lowering our emissions and meeting our targets as a country.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said the number of such breaches rose to 219 last year, an increase of 24 per cent from 2007.

China to focus on Food Safety in 2010

16th Mar 2010 by Alex Briggs

China has vowed to clampdown on food safety issues across the supply chain. In this Food Quality News article, China’s Vice Minister of Agriculture Wei Chao’an said,

Our agricultural products overall are safe and of high quality, but we must also recognize that while we transition from traditional to modern farming, many of our operations remain scattered, production methods are still backward and our supervision lags behind.

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Words into Actions – moving from inspections to process based Assessments

18th Feb 2010

ISO 22000, PAS 220 and FSSC 22000 are changing the world of Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS) assessments.

18th Dec 2009 by Alex Briggs

Episode 11 of the Lloyd’s Register Copenhagen Podcast Series is an interview with Karin Sjolin-Frudd, one of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO)’s leading environmental experts. Karin presented the results of an independent climate change and shipping study during the COP 15 conference in Copenhagen.

Lloyd’s Register Copenhagen Blog, December 18, 2009 – NGO’s, Shipping and an organisation turns 250 years old

18th Dec 2009 by Alex Briggs

Dr Anne-Marie Warris’ blog today is also an audio blog as she called us from outside of the Bella Centre last night to update us on the latest COP 15 happenings. The audio file is just above, and below is the transcript of her phone in. Just before this was uploaded, Anne-Marie called back to say,

The mood has definitely changed over the course of today, with optimism on both funding and the possibility of a deal being done creeping back into people’s thoughts.

Lloyd’s Register Copenhagen Audio Blog, December 17, 2009 – Energy Efficiency and the Rebound Effect

17th Dec 2009 by Alex Briggs

Lloyd’s Register Copenhagen Audio Blog, December 17, 2009 – Energy Efficiency and the Rebound Effect Today’s blog was phoned in by Sean Cuthbert, the Lloyd’s Register Energy’s leading climate change expert. The blog post is available as an audio file or as the transcript below.

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Lloyd’s Register Copenhagen COP 15

16th Dec 2009 by Alex Briggs

Lloyd’s Register COP 15 blog
LRQA Copenhagen links of the day:
December 17, 2009
December 16, 2009

Copenhagen Podcast Series
Episode 10, Interview with Paul Genoa, Nuclear Energy Institute
Episode 6 Final episode with Dr Anne-Marie Warris
Episode 5, Standards and Schemes interview with Madlen King, LRQA

Skeptics, Standards, and Peak “Everything” – Lloyd’s Register Copenhagen Link of the Day, December 16th, 2009

16th Dec 2009 by Alex Briggs

Today’s Lloyd’s Register Copenhagen COP 15 blog post is from Sean Cuthbert, one of our leading climate change experts. Sean attended an oil industry meeting at the COP 15 conference and here are his thoughts.

Skeptics, Standards, and Peak “Everything”

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5 Tips: Leverage Internal Auditing To Reduce Costs & Streamline Business Processes

15th Dec 2009

This FREE OnDemand Webcast provides 5 Tips suggested by LRQA field assessors that can help your organization maximize the benefits you should receive from your internal auditing program and your management system in general.

New ISO 9001:2008 Standard Published – what does it mean to you?

15th Dec 2009

This on-demand webinar provides information on the new ISO 9001:2008 standard, including a brief of the changes from the 2000 version and how these changes may impact your management system.

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Lloyd’s Register Copenhagen Podcast Series, Episode 10, Interview with Policy Director, Nuclear Energy Institute

15th Dec 2009 by Alex Briggs

Episode 10 in the Lloyd’s Register Copenhagen Podcast Series is an interview with Paul Genoa, Policy Director for the Washington D.C. based Nuclear Energy Institute. The interview was conducted at the Bella Centre in Copenhagen, Denmark during the COP 15 Global Climate Change Conference. Lloyd’s Register Energy’s leading climate change expert, Sean Cuthbert, is the interviewer.

Changing Climate Change Behaviour, Lloyd’s Register Copenhagen Link of the Day, December 15, 2009

15th Dec 2009 by Alex Briggs

Changing Climate Change Behaviour, Lloyd’s Register Copenhagen Link of the Day, December 15, 2009 W Ian Hamilton is today’s Lloyd’s Register COP 15 blogger. He is the Technical Director for Human Engineering, a member of the Lloyd’s Register Group. His insightful post takes a look at what can be done to influence human behaviour in regards to climate change. May be the best post in the series yet?

Lloyd’s Register Copenhagen Blog, December 14, 2009

14th Dec 2009 by Alex Briggs

Lloyd’s Register Copenhagen Blog, December 14, 2009 Dr Anne-Marie Warris writes about the rapid changes that are happening at the Bella Centre, the home of the COP 15 Global Climate Change Conference negotiations.

20th Oct 2009 by Alex Briggs

Part 6 of the LRQA Aviation and the EU ETS webinar is the final one and features Madlen King, LRQA’s Global Climate Change Manager. This session was the final Q + A, following on from the technical update that Madlen presented. The new EU ETS amendments bring aviation into the scheme. With Aviation now entering the EU ETS, it is crucial that organisations, particularly airlines, understand the implications of their carbon emissions. Here is the entire webinar for downloading or watching.

LRQA Aviation and the EU ETS Webinar

20th Oct 2009 by Alex Briggs

This page contains all of the posts and tools connected to the LRQA Aviation and the EU ETS Webinar,

including:

a news story on the webinar and the new EU ETS Amendments which bring the aviation industry into the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme

the recordings of the webinar, part 1 and part 2

3rd Sep 2009 by Madlen King

On the 100th day count down to the international climate change summit in Copenhagen, China’s Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress passed a resolution stating that it will take steps to cut emissions and improve energy efficiency. Whilst this resolution has no binding effect on China’s Communist Party, this is a great step [...]

LRQA launch Environmental Webinar Series

3rd Sep 2009

26th Aug 2009 by Madlen King

Firms in Australia and New Zealand appeared at a carbon-trading conference in Melbourne this week and made urgent appeals to regulators in both countries to come to agreement and clarify targets, timelines and rules for reducing GHG emissions reuters reports. Both countries have provided proposals to tackle their emissions via carbon trading mechanisms, however both [...]

LRQA Business Assurance Quote of the Day, 18 August, 2009 FOOD SAFETY

18th Aug 2009 by Alex Briggs

Last year the world had a wake-up call with the sudden oil and food price rises. While we know the price of our food, the full environmental costs and the costs to our health are significant and hidden. We need a radical rethink of how we produce and consume our food.

Work-Life Balance – a luxury or necessity? Lack of Work-Life Balance has significant risks to the organisation; including loss of productivity, poor health, and higher absenteeism. By offering flexible work arrangements to employees can help companies navigate the troubled times. By offering periods of unpaid leave or options to work part-time, companies may be able to avoid massive retrenchment and still retain their talented employees.

Canadian Independent Review Board Highlights Need for Third Party Help

24th Jul 2009 by Alex Briggs

a href=”http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/669868″>This article in the Canadian Star talks about the recent listeria outbreak that caused the death of 22 people and cost the government over $3 million.
The independent commission has come back to the government with six key suggestions to improve the state of Food Safety in Canada.

Death in Chocolate Vat brings Health and Safety to forefront in Food Industry

20th Jul 2009 by Alex Briggs

This Food Navigator article highlights the seriousness of health and safety for food manufacturers. With 3 deaths in the UK over the past few months, many firms in the Food sector are looking at OHSAS 18001 certification as a way to help them manage their risk and reduce health and safety incidents.

Socially responsible investment and its impact to your company

20th Jul 2009 by Richard Gunawan

Socially responsible investment and its impact to your company Companies that fail to disclose their ESG performance will find it more difficult to obtain funds from institutional investors. Several pension funds, for example, consider climate change a key criterion and will exclude companies that cannot substantiate their environmental commitments.

6th Jul 2009 by Richard Gunawan

Hong Kong says good bye to plastic bags After years of debate, the plastic bag levy finally will be introduced to Hong Kong on July 7th, 2009. Consumers will have to fork out HK$0.50 (or US$0.07) per plastic bag. Some consumers and retailers are concerned with the levy, as they will have to pay more.

Food Safety Webinars Engage Large Global Audience

3rd Jul 2009

The second LRQA Food Safety Webinar, “FSSC 22000 Certification” brought some of the world’s largest global brands and LRQA together, with LRQA’s Global Food Expert, Cor Groenveld, delivering two interactive 90 minute web-based seminars.

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The real cost of health – occupational health and safety system

3rd Jul 2009 by Richard Gunawan

Most companies seem to focus on the measurable aspects of an occupational health and safety system (OHS). This means they rely on LTIs, incident reports, accident reports or other such tangible measures.

Companies may overlook the health of their employees and its impact on the organisation in this process. While the consequence of an injury is high – directors and management may be prosecuted for neglience in some countries like Australia and Singapore, health and wellbeing is equally important to the success of the organisation.

Episode 3 LRQA Business Assurance Trust and Transparency Podcast Series

2nd Jul 2009 by Alex Briggs

19th Jun 2009 by Alex Briggs

Episode 2 of the 10 part LRQA Business Assurance “Trust and Transparency” Podcast Series. This episode focuses on the “Accountability Gap” that was highlighted in the What Assures Consumers in an Economic Downturn Report. The research for the report was conducted in the UK by YouGov, commissioned by AccountAbility , sponsored by the Co-operative and supported by LRQA. The “AccountAbility Gap” refers to the difference between what consumers think an organisation’s responsibility is and how well they are at living up to that responsibility.

Business Assurance Thought of the Day – Guardian Climate Change Summit Notes

16th Jun 2009 by Alex Briggs

Here is a collection of notes and thoughts from Guardian Climate Change Summit 2009 in London yesterday, most of which were posted yesterday on our www.twitter.com/lrqa page.

First session thoughts and notes
Quote from Gavin Neath, Senior VP Unilever “Organisations need to learn humility.For the past 30 years, environmental groups were right, businesses were wrong.”
Mars looking to work with PAS 2050 the carbon Footprinting for products, according to Fiona Dawson, Managing Director, Mars, UK

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ISO 14001 and Stakeholder Credibility

16th Jun 2009 by Alex Briggs

ISO 14001, the environmental management systems standard, is increasingly being seen as a tool to help organisations engage with their stakeholders.
VWS has been working since 2006 with a project team drawn from all of the their divisions to implement ISO 14001 and achieve certification. This was awarded following a detailed audit of all five of VWS’s UK sites by Lloyds Register Quality Assurance (LRQA).

Live Twitter updates from the Guardian Climate Change Summit 2009

15th Jun 2009

The Businessassurance.com editor is at the Guardian Climate Change Summit in London today and will be providing live updates from the event on Twitter. Follow the editor here: www.twitter.com/lrqa
Businessassurance.com is there as an official media partner.

Aviation in the EUETS.

11th Jun 2009 by Madlen King

With effect from 2010 the aviation industry will be brought in to the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS).Each aircraft operator will be administered by one Member State only (the state where an operating licence was issued OR the state in which the aircraft operator’s emissions in the base year are most [...]

Management Systems in Not-for-Profit Sector

11th Jun 2009 by Richard Gunawan

Siingapore Zoo (part of WRS) is an example of a not-for-profit organisation in Asia that successfully deployed ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 to achieve its objectives.

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Episode 1 LRQA Business Assurance Trust and Transparency Podcast Series

9th Jun 2009 by Alex Briggs

The 10 part “Trust and Transparency” podcast series is here! Harriet Lamb of The Fairtrade Foundation starts the series with her insight on what it takes for organisations to rebuild consumer trust. She also talks about Fairtrade and how they have done during the current economic downturn. She also shares her thoughts on the What Assures Consumers in an Economic Downturn report, the latest in a series from AccountAbility, sponsored by the Co-operative and supported by LRQA.

June 8, 2009 Thought of the day – Climate Change

8th Jun 2009

The recession will be big, but climate change will be bigger.” Nicholas Stern.

New research shows recession is forcing rethink of supply chain strategies

5th Jun 2009

A recent article on supplychainstandard.com reports on the results from a new survey PRTM conducted following the collapse of the credit markets. The new survey results and analysis reflect the views of more than 75 global manufacturing and service companies.

TOMAL® identifies QMS certification as a key business strategy during major economic changes

4th Jun 2009

14th Apr 2009 by Alex Briggs

Kraft, one of the world’s largest food brands, has spoken out on the importance of an effective, customised food safety management system. A company spokesman said, To be effective, food safety plans must be tailored to each particular product and manufacturing condition. He also added that Kraft was committed to continious improvement, stating There is [...]

Business Assurance Thought and Link of the Day, March 31st, 2009: Food Safety

31st Mar 2009 by Alex Briggs

Todays thought and link of the day both refer to a new report, Keeping America’s Food Safe.

Only one percent of imported foods are currently inspected, even though approximately 60 percent of fresh fruits and vegetables and 75 percent of seafood Americans consume is imported.

American Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative FAQ’s

27th Jan 2009 by Madlen King

American Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative FAQ’s published

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), an initiative of the North East and Mid Atlantic States of the US have published an updated FAQ document. The FAQ document contains useful information for parties interested in submitting a Qualification Application or Intent to Bid for RGGI CO2 Allowance Auctions.

Global Cap-and-Trade still on the cards for Aviation

22nd Jan 2009 by Madlen King

Representatives of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) have confirmed that despite the implementation of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme for aircraft operators flying into, out of and intra EU Member States, they will continue to progress plans for a international cap and trade scheme for carbon emissions from aviation.

21st Jan 2009 by Madlen King

A new report carried out by Ceres where a team of investors and environmentalists studied the climate change policies of a number of the worlds largest tech and consumer companies see what the results were.

$1bn fraud…shakes business & consumer confidence

20th Jan 2009

There is a business continuity issue here as well. So, that benefit is bound to occur to the other IT companies which customers have high confidence in terms of the integrity of the management. The company had exaggerated its cash reserves by some $1bn (£661m)”.

The Economics of ISO 14001

13th Jan 2009 by Alex Briggs

BT Germany has just become the 5th BT country to be certified against the global environmental management system standard, ISO 14001, following a four-day external audit by Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA).
Jens Krause, BT Germany’s quality manager commented on the value of ISO 14001 certification, “As well as helping to retain business, we believe the improvements will save more than €900,000 each year, and cut our carbon footprint by 12 tonnes.”

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Food Terrorism tops 2009 Safety scare list

11th Jan 2009 by Alex Briggs

For 2009, Bill Marler, food safety advocate and managing partner of law firm Marler Clark, asked the food safety community to weigh in on the most pressing food safety challenges.

Top of the list was globalization, including the possibility of “economic or chemical terrorism”, which may not directly intend to scare people but is the intentional adulteration of the food supply motivated by profit, as in the case of the recent melamine scare in China.

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Consumers will choose green gadgets in 2009

9th Jan 2009

In the near future, the “greenness” of a gadget will have a big influence on whether consumers will buy it, suggests research just published.

Diversity in management system assessments

5th Jan 2009

John Symonds describes how ExxonMobil developed a diverse assessment structure for its management system that led to value-added benefits.

ACCA UK announces the winners of the ACCA Sustainability Reporting Awards 2008

5th Jan 2009

Winning companies were presented with their trophies at the ACCA Sustainability Reporting Awards 2008 ceremony on 3 December 2008.

Credit Crunch Supply Chain Predictions

18th Dec 2008 by Alex Briggs

25th Nov 2008

According to a report by the Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy (CIDRAP), a scenario is outlined where a pandemic disrupts the supply chain for coal, providing electricity and a critical element to support public health and organizational continuity.

The report suggests the next pandemic is likely to impact the global just-in time economy and will seriously compromise the public health response. The unavailability of skilled manpower will be unable to meet the surge of demand and ultimately restrict international and domestic travel/trade agreements.

72% of Americans want changes to produce safety activities

18th Nov 2008 by Alex Briggs

72% of Americans want the federal government to establish new safety standards for the growing, harvesting, processing and distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables even if they increase costs, according to a national survey commissioned by the Produce Safety Project (PSP).
“Consumers don’t want the produce section of their grocery stores to be casinos where they roll the dice on their family’s health and safety,” said Jim O’Hara, PSP director.

The Seven Steps To Successful Business Continuity Communications

15th Nov 2008

To successfully communicate with relevant parties during critical events, organizations need a system that can enhance their preparedness and contribute to the overall security of human, physical, and information assets.

This special report by the Varolii Corporation provides an overview of common steps organizations are taking in order to connect, protect, and account for their people, while enabling response teams and decision makers to coordinate a successful recovery and help protect assets and infrastructure—even such things as supply chain and key customer relationships.

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TNT cites ISO 14001 as key to Environmental Performance

12th Nov 2008 by Alex Briggs

TNT cites ISO 14001 as key to Environmental Performance TNT UK/Ireland and their use of ISO 14001 as the key to their overall environmental strategy was the focus of a Sustainable Business Magazine article in the October edition.
TNT uses management systems to underpin their business, currently holding four certifications in the UK/Ireland: ISO 9001 (Quality Management Systems), ISO 14001 (Environmental Management Systems) OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System) and Investors in People. TNT has reported significant competitive advantage from the achievement of verifiable environmental performance.

Neil Griffiths, director of health, safety and environment at TNT Express Services says: “In terms of business assurance, this is not just a tick in the box.”

Ethical Supply Chain Video Podcast Series Episode 2, Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) Interview

11th Nov 2008 by Alex Briggs

Frances Way, Supply Chain Project Director for the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), talked to us about the CDP’s Supply Chain Project. This is the second episode in a four part series. The interviews for this video podcast series were conducted at the Ethical Supply Chain Summit in Berlin.
Frances shared some of the key supplier insights that the CDP have gathered in their work with the world’s leading global brands, as well as the role that verification plays in the data that the CDP collect on global supply chains.
The video can also be found here .

ISO standards contribute to meeting World Food Day 2008 challenge

6th Nov 2008

World Food Day 2008 addresses what has been categorised by many as one of the greatest challenges of our time: climate change and its impact on food security.

What Price would you pay for green logistics?

6th Nov 2008

A new 3PL Logistics study says ‘green’ supply chains are essential for future business success yet the majority of logistics executives are unwilling to spend the money to make it happen.

World’s best CSR companies? Think again

29th Oct 2008 by Alex Briggs

This Salter-Baxter report on the world’s leading CSR reporting companies has led to increasing debate. With companies such as British-American Tobacco, Nestle and Shell at the top of the rankings, controversy is the order of the day.

Sir Jonathon Porritt, the chairman of the government’s Sustainable Development Commission, and founder of Forum for the Future, led the attack on the report,

When any company is systematically mispricing risks and systematically misallocating capital it makes no sense to talk about corporate responsibility. We’re going to have to face the fact some of the measures used to judge relative CSR performance are useless. They don’t help shareholders. They don’t help citizens. They don’t help the companies themselves.

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AA1000 Assurance Standard launched

27th Oct 2008

AA1000 AS is an international sustainability assurance standard that can be linked to other dominant business audit and assurance standards. Sustainability assurance provides a comprehensive way of holding an organisation to account for its management, performance and reporting on sustainability issues.

Milk Scandal Spills over to Food Safety and Consumer Trust

14th Oct 2008 by Alex Briggs

This New York Times Media Group article raises the question “Is there more tainted food out there?”

The melamine scandal has heightened fears that the food business is racing ahead of the ability of governments to detect health-threatening contamination, whether accidental or deliberate.

A step forward in the development of sustainability assurance

13th Oct 2008

The global launch of AccountAbility’s AA1000 Assurance Standard (AA1000AS) 2008 will take place next week in London and be followed by numerous regional and country level launches beginning November 2008. The new AA1000AS (2008) marks a step forward in the development of sustainability assurance. As these issues become increasingly important for businesses and their stakeholders [...]

Business Continuity Success… Action Dependant

9th Oct 2008

ISO sends Social Responsibility Standard Draft to Committee

28th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) released its Social Responsibility Standard to the committee stage, moving it one step closer to being an official ISO standard.
Nearly 400 experts and observers from around the world met at the ISO Social Responsibility Working Group, held September 1-5 in Santiago, Chile. There they agreed that sufficient progress had been made in developing the draft international standard on social responsibility for the “working draft” to be taken to “committee draft” level.

18th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs

Brands making green claims about their products need clarity on what they can and cannot say. This Ethical Corp. article highlights the difficulty for corporations in proving their green claims. The use of language, including sustainability and “low-carbon” were highlighted as terms that are difficult to prove and could potentially leave global brands open to criticism.

Are Standards helping or hurting workers rights?

17th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs

Two workers rights experts have held an insightful debate into Supply Chain standards and human rights for workers. Jeff Ballinger, academic, former union and NGO activist is clearly against standards as the end all solution for factory abuses, while Doug Cahn, consultant and formerly of Reebok, is in favour of standards and audits in bringing about change in supply chain factories around the globe.
This Ethical Corporation article features the full debate.

Supply Chain Security/Food Safety Video

16th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs

This link is to a flash movie on the key issues surrounding food safety and supply chain security.

The presentation is from O. Keith Helferich, Ph.D. -Professor, Supply Chain Management at Central Michigan University and
Instructor, Supply Chain Management, Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University, and John Spink, MS., Director
Packaging for Food and Product Protection Initiative.

Are Standards the answer to the Biofuels Debate?

15th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs

The Gallagher Review, commissioned by the UK government and released in July, concluded the EU’s biofuels target of 10% of all fuels by 2020 could not be met sustainably and advised that targets be scaled back.

The report concluded that, while the current targets are not realistic under the existing regulations,

if robust, comprehensive and mandatory sustainability standards are implemented now, a genuinely sustainable industry could evolve.

15th Feb 2008 by Alex Briggs

6th Feb 2008 by Alex Briggs

Wal Mart will require all suppliers of their own label products to meet the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) standards.

Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, said GFSI standards provide real-time details on where suppliers fall short in food safety on a plant-by-plant basis, and go beyond the current audit process required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Climate Change’s first victims named, are you on the list?

5th Feb 2008 by Alex Briggs

Climate Change’s first victims named, are you on the list? A team of global climate change experts has ranked the most fragile and vulnerable regions on the planet, and warned they are in danger of sudden and catastrophic collapse before the end of the century.
In a study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists identify the nine areas that are in gravest danger of passing critical thresholds or “tipping points.”

Wal Mart to pay more for sustainably sourced products

4th Feb 2008 by Alex Briggs

21st Jan 2008 by Alex Briggs

An article in The Observer brings home the harsh realities that consumers, business and government have to face in dealing with climate change.

Simpler is better on food labelling

21st Jan 2008 by Alex Briggs

A Food and Drink Europe article states that simple front-of-pack nutritional labelling and endorsement by health organisations are most efficient in informing consumers, according to a new Unilever study.
The article concluded:

It says: “The current challenge is therefore to come up with a harmonised European or even global front-of-pack labelling format across all foods.”

New Report claims shipping emissions could be double what we thought

21st Jan 2008 by Alex Briggs

A new report to be released is creating a lot of debate in the shipping industry. The report, conducted on behalf of the International Association of Tanker Owners (Intertanko), estimates that emissions from the shipping industry might be as much as double as previously assumed.

Alcoa Joins California Climate Registry

18th Jan 2008 by Alex Briggs

Alcoa is the latest organisation to sign up for the California Climate Registry (CCR), making their carbon emissions available to the public.

The CCR is awarding founding reporter status to companies that sign up to the scheme before May 2008, as an incentive for early membership.

30th Nov 2007 by Alex Briggs

Mattel apology to China not the end of it

25th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

When big brands started to manufacture their products in “cheap labour” markets, it was believed that the brands had all the power, with governments doing everything they could to create favourable economic incentives to those brands.

The latest in the Mattel “lead paint” story seems to have indicated that the situation has drastically changed.

Majority of big brands addressing climate change issues

25th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

A recent CDP study has shown that the majority of large global companies have gotten the climate change message. The report highlighted the actions and views of those companies concerning climate change. 95% of those companies viewing climate change as a risk having already implemented a greenhouse gas reduction programme.

How organic is organic? More bad news for British farmers

24th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

1st Sep 2007

What Assures Consumers? New global research sponsored by Lloyd’s Register, M&S and the Co-op shows that consumers want better independent, impartial assurance of corporations’ environmental claims.

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New report highlights Environmental Issues in online media

31st Aug 2007

According to a report from Nielsen BuzzMetrics, the environmental terms “green” and “sustainability” used online has heightened awareness of environmental issues and are hear to stay.

Suppliers suffer from supermarket price cuts

30th Aug 2007

An article in the Sunday Telegraph, Britain’s supermarkets are keeping prices low and suppliers are suffering.

Management systems to come under increased scrutiny

24th Aug 2007

According to an article in hammonds, Management systems to come under increased scrutiny in new Corporate Manslaughter Bill.

Mattel recalls Chinese-made toys contaminated with lead paint

24th Aug 2007

According to an article in the New York Times, Mattel the world’s largest toy company, announced its second major recall in a month of Chinese-made toys contaminated with lead paint, . Mattel issued a statement, saying that it was recalling a total of 436,000 Chinese-made toys, that had “impermissible levels of lead.”

The AA1000AS 2nd edition

15th Aug 2007

The AA1000AS 2nd edition will be the world’s first mainstream corporate accountability standard to be developed using a collaborative wiki process.

Completion of the Voluntary Carbon Standard Framework

31st Jul 2007

The Voluntary Carbon Standard Steering Committee has completed its work and reached agreement on all components of the VCS at its July 15, 2007 meeting in London.

Could Organic farming feed the world?

30th Jul 2007

Authors of a new study in an NewScientist Environment article have said, switching to organic farming would not reduce the world’s food supply and could also increase food security in developing countries.

Will Walkers’ investment in carbon labelling pay off?

12th Jul 2007

Will Walkers’ investment in carbon labelling pay off? Ethical Corporation seems to think so. In the editorial for the July issue, Tobias Webb argues that the combination of cost savings and product differentiation will benefit Walkers considerably.

Climate Change Business Leaders Survey

9th Jul 2007

Climate Change Business Leaders Survey A recent survey undertaken by YouGov, on behalf of KPMG in the UK, interviewed business leaders to find out how they are responding to the issues and challenges surrounding climate change.

Nike returns to Pakistan

28th Jun 2007

Nike returns to Pakistan According to an article in Ethical Corporation, Nike plans to return to making footballs in Pakistan.

From what I understand of the Pakistan soccer ball industry, it’s a tough place to work. Not just for workers, many of whom, for cultural reasons, must work at home in pretty poor economic conditions.

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Long term business risks of climate change need to be faced, not ignored

16th May 2007

Continuity Central reports on a speech made by UK Environment and Climate Change Minister Ian Pearson

“Climate change already poses risks to businesses – and these will only increase in the future.”

Carbon Market Value has Tripled in 2006, Voluntary Market Needs Standards Development, Says World Bank Report

3rd May 2007

A report released by the World Bank yesterday at CarbonExpo in Germany announced that the global carbon offset market has tripled over the past year to $30bn. The EU Emissions Trading Scheme accounted for $25bn of this total.

WRI report on technological change required for emissions reduction

25th Apr 2007

The World Resources Institute has produced a report that outlines a blueprint for the technological change needed to reduce carbon emissions.

ISO launches new greenhouse gas standard

17th Apr 2007

The new standard, ISO 14065:2007, ‘Greenhouse gases – Requirements for greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies for use in accreditation or other forms of recognition’, complements the previous standard.

Quality compost to reduce landfill

3rd Apr 2007

Under current legislation in the UK, producers of compostable waste may need to apply for a license before they can spread it on land.

According to an article on the IEMA website, he new Quality Protocol proposed by the Environment Agency in England and Wales will mean that compostable products will be easier to dispose.

FT launches environmental awards

2nd Apr 2007

FT launches environmental awards The FT have launched their inaugural environmental awards; they’ll be presented on the 19th September in London, and are open to companies large and small.

City Businesses Urge for Research into Carbon Footprints

26th Mar 2007

The Financial Times ran a piece today on how 20 of the City of London’s large businesses have urged the Corporation of London to oversee a research project meant to identify key technologies and management solutions which will reduce businesses’ carbon footprints.

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9th Nov 2006

Materiality Report Today’s non financial reporting models are broken. The problem isn’t that CSR reports are ‘greenwash’. Or even that they are unread, unloved data dumps. The problem is materiality – determining and reporting on the non financial factors which really matter.

Management systems offer competitive benefits

1st Nov 2006

A major, independent study into the effects of ISO 9000 has found that organisations experience ‘strongly significant abnormal improvements in financial performance’ after deciding to seek certification.