A new tool promises to enable businesses to manage deforestation risks for any commodity, anywhere in the world. Led by the World Resources Institute’s (WRI) Global Forest Watch team, the GFW Pro platform uses more than 30 data sets from partners like Google and the University of Maryland to determine deforestation risk and help prioritise…

Gatwick Airport has partnered with Starbucks and Hubbub to launch what is billed as the world’s first ever cup reuse trial. Starbucks customers at the airport’s South Terminal will be given the option to borrow a free reusable cup for their drink instead of using a paper cup, which they can then drop off at…

Business leaders have welcomed the government’s announcement that it will legislate to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The net-zero target will replace the existing target to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050 laid down in the 2008 Climate Change Act. The CBI said UK business stood “squarely behind” the government’s commitment. “This legislation…

The cream of the foodservice and hospitality supply chain gathered tonight to hail the winners of the 2019 Footprint Awards for excellence in sustainable business practice. The Winners & Runners Up: The Special Achievement Award Sponsored by Essential Cuisine Winner: Celena Fernandez, Compass UK & Ireland Sustainable Use of Natural Resources Award Sponsored by Meiko…

DEFRA has invited tenders for a contract to assess "the economic, environmental and social impacts” of a ban on expanded polystyrene (EPS) used for food and drink. Last week, the government announced that plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds would be banned from April next year. The new tender suggests that attention has already turned…

One person is dying every 30 seconds in developing countries from diseases and illnesses caused by plastic pollution and uncollected rubbish dumped or burnt near homes, according to a new report. “We need leadership from those who are responsible for introducing plastic to countries where it cannot be adequately managed, and we need international action…

The Co-operative Group has issued a £300m first-of-its-kind “sustainability bond” and will use the proceeds to fund the promotion of Fairtrade products. At a time when other retailers, notably Sainsbury’s, are scaling back their promotion of Fairtrade, the Co-op said it intends to allocate the net proceeds of the sustainability bond issuance to the costs…

Unilever is using new technology that enables the black plastic used in some of its leading haircare brands to be recycled back into new packaging, in a move that could ultimately benefit food products. The consumer goods giant has partnered with waste management companies Veolia, Suez, Viridor and Tomra to trial the use of a…

A tax should be used to shift people away from ultra-processed foods rather than to make meat more expensive, according to a panel of experts. A simplistic tax on all meat is too blunt a policy tool, according to a jury at an event convened by the Food Ethics Council to scrutinise the idea of…