The REP Wrap: eBay publishes first transition plan
Your weekly summary of corporate sustainability news.
eBay published its first climate transition plan this week. The online marketplace claimed to have cut its Scope 3 downstream transportation and distribution emissions by more than a fifth, closing in on its target of 27.5% by 2030. But it described the decarbonisation of its shipping activities as “a unique challenge” because it relies on third parties “to invest in and adopt cleaner practices and technologies…which are currently limited in availability”.
L’Oreal has announced the first set of sustainability-focused start-ups it will finance under the €100m accelerator programme it launched with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership last summer. Among the 13 named were Kelpi, a UK firm trying to use seaweed to create green packaging and Novobiom, a Belgian outfit exploring how fungi can be used to convert waste into high-value products.
Listed companies in the UK are outperforming their overseas counterparts when it comes to modern slavery. That’s according to analysis by London-based CCLA Investment Management, which assigned the 100 largest global listed companies outside the UK an average score of 45% on their modern slavery performance, compared with 60% for those within the UK.
Microsoft has laid out five principles for mitigating the impact of its data centres on communities, including a commitment to become ‘water negative’ and pay to ensure the sites don’t drive up electricity prices.
The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has submitted a proposal for a labelling regime under the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. It provides the basis for the design and implementation of an EU-wide system of standardised labels for waste-sorting and collection.
The UK High Court has confirmed that it will hear a case against Dyson, brought by 24 former migrant workers at Malaysian factories. The hearing, scheduled for 2027, centres on working and living conditions in Dyson’s supply chains, and will decide whether the appliance maker is ultimately liable for the alleged abuses.
The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants has published materials examining how culture shapes ethical behaviour in firms. “These are designed to support a global dialogue on key characteristics of elements such as ethical leadership, governance or incentives which influence ethical culture and behavior in accounting firms, informing the planned development of a global baseline,” the body explained.