CSR News Stories
US: Standard & Poor's launch Carbon Efficient Index
Standard & Poor's has launched the S&P US Carbon Efficient Index, which excludes the 100 most carbon-heavy companies from the standard S&P 500. It said that the new Index had an average annual carbon footprint around 48 percent lower than the standard Index.
Japan: Toyota, Panasonic and Aeon get credit for green credentials
Consumers in Japan rate Toyota and the most effective company in terms of green action, with Panasonic and Aeon in a distant second and third place.
Netherlands: Philips changes recycling to take producer responsibility
Campaigners have welcomed a move by Philips to change its approach to the recycling of its products so that the costs of recycling are part of the overall product price, rather than being paid by the consumer as an additional fee. Greenpeace said it had been campaigning against the company's opposition to laws that would oblige producer responsibility for electronic products.
India: Thousands protest Vedanta bauxite mine
A ten mile human chain has been formed by thousands of protestors against a proposed bauxite mine to be operated by multinational Vedanta.
Malaysia: HSBC action on palm oil criticised by government
HSBC has announced that it is to stop lending to some palm oil projects in Malaysia and Indonesia due to environmental concerns, and it expects as a result to pull funding from 30 percent of its current clients in the industry. The move has been attacked by the Malaysian government as being misguided.
Netherlands: Shell faces lawsuit over Nigerian oil spills
Oil major Shell is to face a suit in its home base based on accusations that its operations have led to environmental damage in Nigeria. The suit, which is to be brought by four Nigerian fishermen and farmers along with Friends of the Earth, will focus on activities in the Niger Delta region.
EU: Businesses told to avoid blacklisted chemicals
The European Chemicals Agency has released its first draft blacklist of chemicals that may soon be covered by new legislation that terms them as of Very High Concern, and is urging businesses to plan now for the point when the list is confirmed.
Ivory Coast: Lawyers walk out of pollution trial
The trial around the dumping of 500 tons of chemical waste by a company acting on behalf of Dutch firm Trafigura has been halted when defence lawyers walked out in protest at the company's absence from court.
Kazakhstan: Ministry threatens to block companies over environmental performance
Kazakhstan's Environmental Protection Ministry has said that it will take drastic action if oil and mining companies continue to fall short on meeting environmental regulations.
Starbucks accused of water waste
Starbucks coffee company has been accused by environmental groups of massive water wastage through the practice of leaving taps running in its 10,000 world-wide stores all day.
China: Consumers see environment a high priority
According to recent research by a number of WPP agencies, Chinese consumers now see the environment as a higher priority than do their US and UK counterparts.
Norway: Government pension fund drops Rio Tinto over ethical issues
The Norwegian government has criticised Rio Tinto for what it described as 'grossly unethical conduct' and environmental damage, and has moved to exclude the company from its pension fund.
UK: Advertising watchdog bans ExxonMobil ad over green claims
ExxonMobil has disputed a ban on its TV ad in the UK by the Advertising Standards Authority. The ban was provoked by the statement in the ad that liquefied natural gas is one of the most environmentally friendly fuels - a claim disputed by environmentalists.
US: Proposed Alaskan mine survives people's vote
A ballot question that would have prohibited a proposed gold mine from proceeding due to fears it will disrupt the key fishing industry, has been defeated.
Ghana: Call for companies to help clear up electronic waste
A spotlight has fallen on technology companies over the problem of the growing amounts of electronic waste in Ghana, with the government being urged to strengthen environmental legislation and the international community called upon to prohibit the export of e-waste to Africa.
Canada: Greenpeace breaks into site to protest tar sands
A group of campaigners from environmental NGO Greenpeace broke into a site owned by Syncrude Canada Ltd, a consortium of different oil companies, in Alberta to protest against the company's involvement in new oil sands developments.
Investors called on to avoid tar fields
Investors have been urged to avoid controversial projects to extract oil from tar fields after evidence that the process creates up to eight times more carbon emissions than standard oil production, as well as bringing higher environmental costs in other areas such as water use.
France: Caisse d'Epargne launches sustainability labelling
French bank Caisse d'Epargne has launched a labelling system to rate the sustainability of financial products, with a plan to extend the scheme to insurance and loan products by the end of the year.
Japan: Index to be introduced to rate companies on environment
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has said that it intends to introduce an Environmental Stock Index to evaluate business engagement with environmental issues within a year.
Punitive damages on Exxon Valdez slashed
The US Supreme Court has reduced a $5bn punitive damages award against Exxon Mobil relating to the sinking of the Exxon Valdez nearly twenty years ago to a figure close to $500m.
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Special Feature
Social responsibility and finance - on the precipice
In a recent article, the BBC's economics editor Robert Peston highlighted the fact that in 2012 the chances are that the economy - punch drunk as it is from the various flavours of debt crisis it has been pummelled with over the course of the year - will be hit by the collapse of a major bank and / or government.
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