Getting Lippy - cosmetics, the environment and health
Christian Aid report into the real face of Corporate Social Responsiblity
Fair Trade Fortnight
World's highest treehouse
FoE Green Electricity guide
Real Nappy Week
Aldermaston march against WMDs
Peace not War festival
Mars mission a waste of money
Balls to Child Labour
The UK’s first footballs to bear the Fair Trade foundation logo
are being launched in March to celebrate both the Fairtrade Foundation’s
10th anniversary and Euro 2004. FootballsDirect® are imported by
The Fair Deal Trading Partnership UK from a Fairtrade Foundation-accredited
producer, located in the Sialkot district of Pakistan.
The company provides a decent wage for its stitchers, roughly 50% higher
than the industry average, which is enough to provide for a family’s
needs and to avoid the need to send children out to work. The company
was one of the first three enterprises to receive the International
Labour Organisation accolade ‘Without Child Labour’.
Approximately 75% of the world’s footballs are produced in the
Sialkot district of Pakistan for export to the world’s markets.
In the build-up to the 1998 World Cup in France, studies by groups like
Save the Children brought to attention the fact that children were involved
in the stitching of footballs. As a result, most major brands have taken
steps to ensure that children are no longer involved. Unfortunately,
some of the steps taken have reduced the income of families in Sialkot.
Some production is being moved to China, where particularly lower quality
balls are increasingly being part-produced by machines. Another measure
has been the concentration of stitching in larger factory units, which
can necessitate longer commuting times and can make part-time stitching
by women less easy.
FootballsDirect will be available exclusively from the Fair Deal Trading
Partnership from March 2004 and can be purchased online at www.fairdealtrading.co.uk
There are two varieties costing £14.80 or £34.80. The footballs
are made of plastic (non-PVC).
More information on the production process and issues surrounding football
production in Pakistan can be found on the website,
or write to sales@fairdealtrading.co.uk or phone 0845-3307599.
Getting lippy about
lippy
Evidence that products that promise youth, beauty and sexual attractiveness
may actually impair fertility and increase the effects of ageing, is
contained in a new briefing from Women’s Environmental Network
(WEN). ‘Getting Lippy: cosmetics, toiletries and the environment’
exposes the widespread use of synthetic chemicals, some of which are
linked to fertility problems, cancer, allergies and other health effects.
The cosmetics industry is big business – 93% of British women use
cosmetics and many women use more than 20 different products as part
of their daily routine.
Most modern cosmetics are “complex mixtures of industrially produced
synthetic chemicals” and: “Individually these cosmetic products
contain very small amounts of chemical ingredients – it is the
cumulative and combined effect of applying these ingredients in the
many everyday products which comprise our daily routine that gives cause
for concern.”
In a random check, WEN found preservatives (parabens) suspected of mimicking
the female hormone, oestrogen, in 57% of products.
The briefing is accompanied by an online list of ten companies (Akamuti,
Dr. Hauschka, Essentially Yours, Green & Organic Ltd, Green People,
Hempgarden, Pure Nuff Stuff, REN Ltd, Simply Soaps, Spiezia Organics
Ltd, Weleda (UK) Ltd) that have said they don’t use two sets of
ingredients WEN is most concerned about – parabens and synthetic
fragrances.. The list gives information about the companies’ other
product claims to help consumers make more informed choices about the
cosmetics and toiletries they buy.
Both the briefing and the companies list can be viewed online at www.wen.org.uk/cosmetics.
A printed copy of the briefing is available for 80p from WEN, PO Box
30626, London E1 1TZ.
Tel: 020 7481 9004
5, 6 Chop Down Styx
In Tasmania, a forest has seen the start of the world’s highest
tree occupation. A 65 metre high treehouse is being occupied by eight
activists from around the world in an effort to prevent the world’s
tallest hardwood trees being logged for export to Japan as woodchip.
The Tasmanian government and timber companies are planning to destroy
the island’s Styx forest in large-scale logging operations. The
threatened Styx Valley contains old-growth forest and is home to Eucalyptus
regnans, or ‘swamp gums’ - the tallest hardwood trees in the
world. Many are more than 80 metres tall - higher than Canterbury Cathedral
- over 400 years old and up to five metres wide at the base. Only the
famous Redwood trees of North America, which are softwood, are taller.
The tree-dwellers are keeping a weblog of life at the top so you can
read about developments as they happen. Check it out at http://weblog.greenpeace.org/tasmania/
You can also email the three paper manufacturing companies in Japan
(Nippon, Oji and Mitsubishi) asking them not to buy any woodchips sourced
from old growth forests. Go to http://www.greenpeace.or.jp/cyberaction/tasmania/form_en_html
UCATT (Britain’s construction workers’ union) and Greenpeace
joined forces in November to launch a new initiative to ensure that
UK construction companies stop fuelling illegal logging and the destruction
of the world’s last remaining ancient forests.
The launch saw the release of a new UCATT report, ‘The case for
specifying timber from sustainable and legal sources’. The report
makes clear that only by purchasing timber certified by the Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC) can companies guarantee that timber used in their projects
is from well managed forests. The report will be distributed to UCATT
members, contractors, local authorities, housing associations and property
developers.
The UK is currently the largest importer of illegal tropical timber
in Europe, with approximately 60% of all UK tropical timber imports
coming from illegal logging operations in some of the world’s most
important rainforests, including the Amazon, Indonesia and central Africa.
The construction industry uses approximately two thirds of all the timber
sold by the UK timber industry. Central government contracts account
for 15 percent of UK timber use, and the public sector as a whole accounts
for 40 percent. The adoption of sustainable procurement policies by
the public sector would have a major impact on levels of illegal and
uncertified timber coming into the UK. At the launch, Greenpeace Campaign
Director John Sauven called for local government and government-funded
bodies and projects to adopt green procurement policies.
More info from www.greenpeace.org.uk
or Keith Bill at UCATT on 020 7924 7555.
The real face of Corporate
Social Responsiblity
Christian Aid is calling for laws to make multinational companies meet
basic social and environmental standards in poor countries.
The image of companies working hard to make the world a better place
is too often just that - a carefully manufactured image - says ‘Behind
the mask: the real face of corporate social responsibility’, a
new report from Christian Aid. The target of the report is the burgeoning
industry known as corporate social responsibility - or CSR - which is
now seen as a vital tool in promoting and improving the public image
of some of the world’s largest corporations.
But, as the case studies in the report - Shell, British American Tobacco
and Coca Cola - demonstrate, the rhetoric can also mask corporate activity
that makes things worse for the communities in which they work.
“Some of those shouting the loudest about their corporate virtues
are also among those inflicting continuing damage on communities where
they work - particularly poor communities,” says Andrew Pendleton,
senior policy officer at Christian Aid and author of the report. “Legally
binding regulation is now needed to lessen the devastating impact that
companies can have in an ever-more globalised world.”
‘Behind the mask: the real face of corporate social responsibility’
demonstrates how, over the past decade, companies have used an image
of social responsibility to oppose regulation and convince governments
in rich countries that business can put its own house in order.
• Shell in Nigeria claims that it has turned over a new leaf there and strives to be a ‘good neighbour’. Yet it still fails to quickly clean up oil spills that ruin villages and runs ‘community development’ projects that are frequently ineffective and which sometimes even widen the divide in communities living around the oilfields.
• British American Tobacco stresses the importance of upholding high standards of health and safety among those working for them and claims to provide local farmers with the necessary training and protective clothing. But contract farmers in Kenya and Brazil claim this does not happen and report chronic ill heath related to tobacco cultivation.
• Coca-Cola emphasises ‘using natural resources responsibly’. Yet a wholly-owned subsidiary in India is accused of depleting village wells in an area where water is notoriously scarce and has been told by an Indian court to stop drawing ground water.
You can download the report ‘Behind the mask: the real face of corporate social responsibility’ from www.christian-aid.org.uk. For hard copies or further info ring 020 7523 2421 or email jmelby@christian-aid.org
Fair Trade Fortnight
Fairtrade Fortnight this year takes place 1st-14th March and is the
tenth birthday of the Fairtrade Mark. The theme, ‘A Taste for Life’
is a celebration of quality, both quality of life for the producers,
and the quality of the products. Check out the Fairtrade Foundation
website for news of events happening in the two weeks: www.fairtrade.org.uk/get_involved_fairtrade_fortnight_2004.htm
Fairtrade facts
• The British public drink 1.7 million cups of Fairtrade tea, coffee
and cocoa each day and eat 1.5 million Fairtrade bananas a week.
• Fairtrade brands now account for 14% of the total UK roast and
ground coffee market.
• Green and Black’s Maya Gold Chocolate was the first product
to be awarded the Fairtrade Mark back in 1994. Cafédirect Coffee
and Clipper Tea followed soon after.
• There are currently 140 Fairtrade products on shop shelves.
• £2 is spent on Fairtrade products every second!
• Sales of products bearing the Fairtrade Mark have risen by 90%
to £63million over the past two years.
• 29 towns in the UK have become ‘Fairtrade Towns’.
New green electricity
guide
Friends of the Earth have just published a new green energy guide. Its
'Guide to Green Electricity Tariffs' provides information about the
different green tariffs on the market, and rates them according to how
clearly they benefit the environment.
All electricity suppliers are legally obliged to supply some power generated
from renewable sources (currently three percent) but some go further
and offer a better green deal. Friends of the Earth’s guide recommends
suppliers who go beyond the legal minimum, generating energy from renewable
sources and using green tariffs to increase demand for green electricity.
Most of the electricity generated in this country comes from gas and
coal-powered power stations, but these generate carbon dioxide, one
of the gases causing climate change. Britain’s inefficient coal-fired
power stations are a major source of this pollution and Friends of the
Earth’s ‘Carbon Dinosaurs’ campaign is calling for them
to be phased out and replaced with cleaner green renewable power [see
News, issue 85].
This year Friends of the Earth’s guide recommends four green energy
tariffs:
Ecotricity 121 (Ecotricity), RSPB Energy (Scottish and Southern Energy),
Unit[e] (Unit Energy Ltd) and Eco Energy (Northern Ireland electricity)
because they guarantee more support for renewable energy in a very transparent
way. Furthermore, the companies which offer them do not own any carbon
dinosaurs. Ecotricity and Unit [e] were both Best Buys in our Green
electricity tariffs report in issue 85. (Unit[e] is soon to change its
name to Good Energy.)
See www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/climate/press_for_change/choose_green_energy/
where you can also download a pdf explaining how the tariffs have
been rated. Or contact FOE on 020 7490 1555.
Real Nappy Week
Real Nappy Week, which is co-ordinated by Women’s Environmental
Network, is the annual focus of the nappy waste prevention campaign
and this year takes place March 29th-April 4th.
The Week brings together local authorities, local groups, members of
the NHS and individuals in a national campaign to promote practical
alternatives to wasteful products. Women’s Environmental Network
estimates that about 15% of parents now use ‘real nappies’.
Nappy waste prevention has been identified by the government as one
of two initial strands to spearhead waste minimisation in the UK.
For details of how to get involved, check out the website www.wen.org.uk/rnw
which includes a ‘Bronze Bottoms’ event. Supporters are being
urged to put a nappy on a statue and arrange a photocall on March 22nd
for a national publicity stunt. WEN has chosen the dolphin boy on the
Thames Embankment or Eros in Piccadilly Circus as its Bronze Bottom.
However, this was still pending permission from the local council at
the time of writing.
The Nappy Line on 01983 401959 gives callers details of their local
cloth nappy contacts whether they want to wash their own or use a laundry
service.
Stop the next generation
of WMDs
The UK is now gearing up to develop a new generation of nuclear weapons
at the Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Establishment near Reading. To show
how people feel about Britain preparing to build new weapons of mass
destruction a march from London to Aldermaston has been organised for
the Easter weekend (Friday 9th April to Monday12th April).
The march will begin with a major rally at Trafalgar Square on Good
Friday, and proceed to Southall, then on to Slough and Reading, ending
by surrounding the Aldermaston base on Easter Monday. The entire route
is about 50 miles and easily accessible from major public transport
links at all times.
The march has been called by Aldermaston Women’s Peace Camp, National
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), London Region CND and other
local peace groups. The organisers are looking for help in terms of
volunteers to march, support services for the marchers and donations.
For more details contact Aldermaston2004 c/o AWPC, 18 Greenway Road,
Bristol BS6 6SG, email info@aldermaston2004.net or see www.aldermaston2004.net
Peace Not War music
festival
To celebrate the first anniversary of the global peace protests which
took place on Feb 15th 2003, a ‘Peace Not War Music Festival’
is taking place from 12th to 15th Feb 2004 in east London, at the Hackney
Ocean. Peace Not War, the producers of last year’s double-CD anti-war
musical compilation, are expecting to raise £250,000 for the anti-war
movement from the festival. The Peace Not War Festival is intended to
prepare people for the next global protest day: March 20th.
The money will help to produce a series of four more Peace Not War cds
(the proceeds of which will go to peace groups around the world). So
far, about £50,000 has been raised from the first cd.
All the ticket details (£15 a night) and line-ups are on the website:
www.peace-not-war.org/Festival/index.html
or phone 020 7515 4702
Sending humans to Mars
won’t save the Earth
President George Bush’s announcement that he wants to send humans
to Mars is yet another sign of misguided priorities on issues concerning
science and technology, according to the UK organisation, Scientists
for Global Responsibility (SGR).
Initial estimates of the cost of a mission to Mars put the price at
about $1 trillion over the next decade or two. Such a large sum of money
could be put to much better use - for example, it is larger than the
estimated increase in global aid necessary to provide clean water for
all, eliminate hunger and malnutrition, and provide universal literacy.
The likely links between the Mars and US defence programmes should not
be overlooked either. Back in 1989, when George Bush Snr first seriously
raised the idea of a Mars mission, a US congressional report was published
arguing the military case for a major space presence - including a manned
Moonbase similar to that envisaged as a springboard for the proposed
Mars mission.
Meanwhile, Bush continues to claim that tackling environmental problems
like climate change is too expensive for the US economy.
SGR calls on scientists and engineers across the world not to be complicit
in this terrible misdirection of funds and to join them in pressing
for responsible science and technology spending which supports efforts
to eliminate poverty and protect the environment rather than indulging
in prestige projects merely to demonstrate political and military power.
For more information see www.sgr.org.uk
or phone 07771 883 696
