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Almost 40% of UK FTSE (Financial Times Stock Exchange) 100 board positions are now held by women, putting the UK second in international rankings for board representation, according to a new report by the government-backed FTSE Women Leaders Review. The Review monitors women’s representation in 24,000 positions on FTSE 350 Boards and in leadership teams of the UK’s biggest companies,...

Ofwat has published its decision to temporarily increase price caps in the business retail market by 0.49%, allowing retailers to share some of the unexpected bad debt costs that have arisen due to the COVID-19 pandemic with business customers. Bad debt costs relate to invoices or money owed that are unlikely to be recovered. The temporary amendment increases the maximum prices...

The retailer reports to have removed more than one and a half billion pieces of plastic from its UK business since launching its packaging strategy. In the last 12 months, 500 million more pieces of unnecessary plastic have been identified and removed. Tesco Quality Director, Sarah Bradbury, commented on the announcement: “We all have a responsibility to take care of our...

Which? is calling for a major upgrade to the UK’s Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure as their recent research finds that only 13 per cent of EV and Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) charging happens via the public charging network. Which’s annual car survey highlights low usage of the public network, with only 15 per cent of EV charging and...

Poetry’s role in communicating challenges and solutions to the climate emergency will be explored in a new project between poets at Aberystwyth University and the Centre for Alternative Technology. Members of the departments of Welsh and Celtic Studies, English and Creative Writing, and Geography and Earth Sciences will work alongside experts in zero carbon solutions at the Centre for Alternative...

Swirling river waters can trap lightweight microplastics that otherwise might be expected to float – depositing them in riverbeds where it can take up to seven years to transport them just a kilometre further towards the ocean, a recent study reveals. As rivers are in near-constant motion, researchers had previously assumed that lightweight microplastics were swept rather swiftly towards the...

The European Commission has announced an investment of over €110 million into LIFE programme integrated projects for environmental and climate protection, selected after a call for proposals covering the year 2020. The LIFE Programme is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment and climate action, and the new funding will support new major environmental and climate projects in 11 member countries...

Led by WRAP, leading organisations working in the food and drink industry have come together to support the development of a shared framework for measuring the impact of their global supply chains in a consistent way. According to the Non-Governmental Organisation, about 30 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to food systems. As food businesses work...

Scientists will begin work on four studies that will tackle key challenges facing the UK as it adapts to climate change and moves to net zero emissions. Led by the universities of Cambridge, Exeter, Glasgow and Oxford, each team will work to develop solutions to four issues: biodiversity loss, achieving net zero cities, helping rural communities adapt to climate change,...

Earlier this week Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, outlined proposals to secure more than £500 million for investing in climate action by issuing green bonds. The Mayor is committing £90 million of GLA funds to support the ambition: £4 million to develop high-impact green investment opportunities for the public and private sector, and £86 million to support a substantial...