The REP Wrap: Lego hits halfway mark on plastics
Your weekly summary of corporate sustainability news.
Lego claims to have hit the halfway mark on its plan to replace single-use plastic bags with paper-based packaging across its factories. The new alternatives have been “verified as technically recyclable” in the EU, US and Canada, but it depends on local recycling guidelines.
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development has teamed up with more than 100 companies to create a portal that helps identify nature-related metrics and targets across operations and supply chains. For now, the tool focuses on agri-food, forest products, energy, the built environment, and pharmaceuticals. It was developed with support from Arcadis, The Biodiversity Consultancy, ERM, EY, PwC and Quantis.
Danone’s parent company has just become a B Corp, after getting more than 200 of its subsidiaries certified under the label over the past decade. According to B Corp, the French food giant’s efforts include “ensuring every employee has access to quality healthcare […] supporting farmers’ transition to regenerative agriculture practices, advancing its Science-Based Targets initiative goals, sharing water stewardship expertise openly and deepening community engagement around its sites and operations”. Danone employees now represent around 9% of the whole B Corp-company workforce.
Three quarters of large companies that are driving the energy transition aren’t disclosing or managing their water risk, according to new research. Clarity AI assessed more than 500 listed companies across sectors like green hydrogen, biomass, carbon capture, semiconductors, battery storage and critical minerals. It found that only 43% acknowledged any exposure to water risk – although nearly 90% of firms that do recognised such risks take action to mitigate them.
Green mining specialist Wier also published a report on water this week. It explores the potential impact of water inefficiency and uncertainty on mining companies’ social license to operate, investor confidence and operational resilience.
The proportion of firms citing peer pressure as a driver of biodiversity action has more than doubled since 2022, according to a survey by the Japanese business federation, Keidanren. A poll of 334 companies undertaken over the summer found that profit-making had fallen down the list of motivators for addressing nature issues.
The former chief sustainability officer at Oatly has gone to Abu Dhabi-based fruit company, Unifrutti Group. Ashley Allen left the oat milk-maker last year, having also spent time working on climate strategy within US government. Unifrutti is an unlisted company that has pledged to set a climate target in line with the Science Based Targets initiative by the end of 2025.