The European Commission has confirmed that it will drop its 'circular economy' package, writes James Crisp, in the face of protest by MEPs and environment ministers. The EC's insistence that a future version would be 'improved' - but in in unspecified ways - only raised suspicions of a deregulatory coup by Europe's dirtiest businesses.
… landfill. It consists of six bills on waste, packaging, landfill, end of life vehicles, …
An anti-environment plot by Junckers' Commission would abandon agreed 'green' laws for clean air, waste reduction and recycling. But the leak of key documents to EurActiv has stimulated fierce opposition by Green MEPs and environment groups, while eleven EU countries have called on Junckers to hold to the green laws and speed up their implementation.
… waste by 2030; an 80% recycling target for packaging, such as glass, paper, metal and …
A Greenpeace investigation has exposed the massive efforts of global food and drink giant Coca Cola to defeat popular proposals to require deposits on single-use plastic bottles, writes Maeve McClenaghan. In fact, deposit schemes are working fine in many countries in which the company operates - it's a simple case of corporate profit before environment, oceans and wildlife.
… waters." A Coca-Cola spokesperson said: "Our packaging is not only valuable, but is also … two years Coca Cola is part of industry group Packaging Recycling Group Scotland (PRGS). In … ambitions to boost the sustainability of our packaging and seek their advice on where we …
The 'Biotechnology Food Labeling Uniformity' bill has been introduced to the US Senate to require clear, simple labelling of GMOs nationwide - informing consumers while saving manufacturers from a confusing patchwork of state regulations. Could it defeat the dreaded DARK Act?
… can find GMO ingredient labeling on food packaging, while ensuring food producers are … disclose the presence of GM ingredients on packaging. None of these options would …
Backed up the Information Commissioner, DECC refuses to release the documents it sent to the European Commission to support its massive subsidy package for the Hinkley C nuclear plant, writes Terry McAlister. But now the case will go before a tribunal which could order their release.
Hinkley C 'secret documents' may have to be disclosed Terry McAlister Guardian Environment | 21st March 2016 News Nuclear Energy Law Finance UK EU FOI Corporations hpc-ai-cut.jpg Backed up the …
The small state of Vermont is changing the face of US food as companies hasten to comply with its GMO labeling rule which comes into effect in July 2016. Mars and General Mills - and now Kelloggs and ConAgra - are the latest companies to announce their labels will comply with Vermont law US-wide - and many more are sure to follow.
… GMOs must be clearly labeled on food product packaging. The law has been implemented in as …
MPs today grilled EDF Energy supremo Vincent de Rivaz over the troubled Hinkley C nuclear plant in Somerset. He insisted that the project was definitely going ahead - but refused to say when the 'final investment decision' was due. Confused? Bewildered? Frustrated? So were the MPs.
EDF promises MPs: 'we will build Hinkley C!' But still no 'final investment decision' Paul Brown Oliver Tickell | 23rd March 2016 News Nuclear Energy Corporations UK France China Politics …
The French and the Chinese may be celebrating the UK's decision to press ahead with the Hinkley C 'nuclear white elephant', writes Oliver Tickell. But the deal is a disaster for the UK, committing us to overpriced power for decades to come, and to a dirty, dangerous, insecure dead end technology. Just one silver lining: major economic, legal and technical hurdles mean it still may never be built.
Hinkley C nuclear go-ahead: May caves in to pressure from France and China Oliver Tickell | 15th September 2016 News Energy Nuclear France China UK Politics Finance Corporations …
The increasingly militant protests by dairy farmers against low prices forced on them by the corporate 'free market' represent serious and effective resistance against the 'free trade' agenda being forced on the world by neoliberal governments, writes David Miller. They are the first steps to building a new global food system that respects food, people, culture and environment.
… These workers hold roles in production, packaging and distribution that may be filled …
A third of all food that's produced in the world is thrown away. What's going on? Diana Moreno finds some answers in her own experience working in a German supermarket. Leading the list is the mind-numbing 'culture of rush' that permeates high-volume, low margin retailing, and which subjects workers and customers alike to the soul-less logic of the production line.
… the delivery of new stock; they minimize packaging and sell stuff by weight; they give …
Using sophisticated financial engineering, Thames Water is making its customers pay almost the whole cost of its £4.2 billion London sewage tunnel. Is it time England ditched corporate ownership of its utilities and adopted Wales's 'non-profit' model?
Soaking the customer - Thames Water's £4 billion sewage money grab John Allen Michael Pryke | 4th July 2014 Comment Water UK Finance Corporations tw-burst-main-cut.jpg Using sophisticated financial …
Last February's explosion at the WIPP dump for long-lived intermediate-level nuclear waste from the US's nuclear weapons program remains unexplained, writes Jim Green. But with the site's history of ignored warnings, 'missing' safety culture, lack of supervision and dubious contractor appointments, it surely came as no surprise - and further accidents appear inevitable.
… for the development and approval of waste packaging and remediation techniques that may …
Right wing MEPs in the European Parliament including UK conservatives today voted car makers a 'get out of jail free' card over air pollution that's killing tens of thousands of citizens a year, allowing their vehicles to emit double the legal limit for nitrogen oxides.
MEPs vote for killer car pollution at double the legal limit EurActiv | 3rd February 2016 News Pollution Transport Politics EU UK Corporations vw-smoke-cut.jpg Right wing MEPs in the European …
Industrial agriculture and industrial food processing have combined to produce something extraordinary, writes Julian Rose: 'KRISS the unrecognisable croissant'. Just don't make the mistake of confusing it with food. Devoid of nutrition, laced with hydrogenated oil and a long list of artificial ingredients, if you care about your own health and that of our planet - give KRISS a miss!
KRISS the croissant and our fatally fractured food chain Julian Rose | 13th October 2015 Comment Food Farming Corporations kriss-croissant-cut.jpg Industrial agriculture and industrial food …
Just as EDF was due to make its 'final investment decision' on Hinkley C, writes Oliver Tickell, another delay. In spite of incredibly generous subsidies, the company is unable to finance it. Its last hope is to persuade the French state to take a 10% stake in the doomed project.
Unable to raise Hinkley C nuclear cash, EDF turns to French government Oliver Tickell | 26th January 2016 News Nuclear Energy Finance Corporations UK France China hinkley-point-nuclear-pow-cut.jpg …
Apparent 'victories' in the fight against toxic chemicals - like the EU's failure to re-approve glyphosate yesterday - are illusory, writes Jonathan Latham. The real problem is not one of specific 'bad actors', but the entire system that allows new, likely to be toxic compounds to pollute the environment in near-total ignorance of their impacts. It's time to take our campaigning to a whole new level.
… three. France has a national ban on BPA food packaging. The EU has banned BPA from baby …
Hidden from mainstream media exposure, the World Bank and IMF loan has opened up Ukraine to major corporate inroads, writes Joyce Nelson. Loan conditions are forcing the deeply indebted country to open up to GMO crops, and lift the ban on private sector land ownership. US corporations are jubilant at the 'goldmine' that awaits them.
Ukraine opens up for Monsanto, land grabs and GMOs Joyce Nelson | 11th September 2014 News GMOs Corporations Food Farming Corporations Ukraine USA Russia ambushed-cut.jpg Hidden from mainstream media …
The European Parliament has had a great week, writes Molly Scott Cato MEP - for those who oppose GMOs in food and farming. MEPs voted on five occasions to say no to GMOs, and gave their support to agroecology as the only sustainable way to feed the world.
… monocultures, putting patents on life - and packaging it with a pesticide. The problems of …
Monsanto has acquired a commanding role in the biotech, seed and agro-chemical industries, writes Carmelo Ruiz. So why is the company desperate to merge with its rival Syngenta? The truth is the company is in deep trouble, as its top-selling Roundup herbicide runs out of steam, and its rivals combine to challenge its dominance.
Monsanto defeated? That's what the Syngenta merger shows us Carmelo Ruiz GMWatch | 27th January 2016 Comment Corporations Farming GMOs Finance monsanto-march-cut.jpg Monsanto has acquired a …
Global corporations and their lofty princes have outgrown the control of regulators, politicians and society, writes George Feiger. Such is their power that they can extract an ever-growing share of global income, block any moves to limit their freedoms, and loot our future wealth for immediate profit. The first step to regaining control is to keep private money firmly out of politics.
Cuckoos in the nest: clipping the wings of corporate capitalism George Feiger Aston University | 17th January 2017 Comment Politics Economics Corporations wef-cut.jpg Global corporations and their …
This week Finland cancelled its option for a second European Pressurised Reactor as the existing EPR project sinks into a abyss of cost over-runs, delays and litigation, writes Jim Green. It now looks like the EPR is a failed technology and its owner, French nuclear giant Areva, is fast running out of both money and orders as its 'hot prospects' evaporate.
Finland cancels Olkiluoto 4 nuclear reactor - is the EPR finished? Dr Jim Green Oliver Tickell | 15th May 2015 News Nuclear Corporations Energy Finance UK China France olkiluoto-snow-cut.jpg This …
There's been a big fuss about the 'ISDS' clauses in the TTIP trade deal that would allow US corporations to sue the EU and its member states for 'lost profits', writes Maude Barlow. But ISDS is already in CETA, the already negotiated EU-Canada trade deal - and nothing would be easier than for US companies to use it as their 'back door'. We must make sure CETA is rejected at its final hurdle.
… challenge Australian rules around cigarette packaging intended to promote public health. A …
According to classical economics Adam Smith's 'invisible' hand' of free markets produces the greatest good for us all, writes JP Sottile. But what happens when rip-roaring 'external costs' are left out of the equations? Wars, repression, pollution, resource destruction and climate change. And because that invisible hand is connected to Mother Nature, it's coming back to strike us.
… toothpaste, cleaning agents, inks, packaging and more." Ironically, … tons of plastic made annually ends up as packaging , and the market for …
The European Commission must not re-approve the 'probably carcinogenic' weedkiller glyphosate so long as its assessment is based on secret industry studies, actual products are not investigated, and in the absence of scientific criteria for endocrine disruption, write 66 MEPs in this Open Letter to Commissioner Andriukaitis, in charge of health and food safety.
EU must not re-approve glyphosate based on flawed EFSA study Michèle Rivasi 65 other MEPs | 1st February 2016 Comment GMOs Health EU Regulation Corporations Science weedkiller-cut.jpg The European …