EC Environmental Policy

France yesterday unveiled plans to reduce its carbon footprint by ceasing sales of gas and diesel vehicles by 2040 and then becoming carbon neutral by 2050, Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot said. France also plans to end coal-fired energy production by 2022, cut nuclear power use from 75% to 50% in eight years and halt imports of unsustainably grown palm oil and soy beans.

Shareholder pressure to phase out Styrofoam has not kept McDonald's from using foam cups in several Chicago-area restaurants this summer, though the company would not say where else it may be using them. The chain said it continues "to work with our suppliers on sustainable packaging options that reduce our sourcing footprint and positively impact the communities we serve."

Mayors of 52 of the world's megacities, representing more than 275 million citizens, have called upon G20 leaders to address climate change at the upcoming G20 Summit. In a joint statement, members of the C40 network urged the G20 to work closely with cities towards creating a more sustainable future.

The World Wildlife Fund has published a new report, Eating for 2 Degrees - New and Updated Livewell Plates, which outlines how simple steps, such as reducing red meat consumption, could help to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030. The report shares the minimal dietary changes needed to meet the Paris Agreement commitment to keep global warming below 2°C.

A federal court ruled Monday that the methane rule adopted under the Obama administration must be upheld by the current administration. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that the Trump administration had no right to delay the rule that limits methane emissions from gas and oil operations.

Volvo Cars on Wednesday became the first mainstream automaker to sound the death knell of the internal combustion engine, saying that all the models it introduces starting in 2019 will be either hybrids or powered solely by batteries.

Hershey has redesigned its display cases in such a way that by 2025, they will have reduced packaging material by 25 million pounds, the company says. The new display case is a one-piece design with no cover packaging. It also eliminates the center divider. With these and other changes, the cases use 32% less material, Hershey says. The cases also use about 62% less time to open and set up.

Google has partnered with The Common Ground Alliance - a group of the world's largest advertisers - to launch the Common Future Project, a global YouTube-based campaign that aims to engage "Generation Z" (aged 15 to 24) around the Sustainable Development Goals. Google will provide a grant to support and amplify the campaign.

Unilever has suspended sourcing from its palm oil supplier Sawit Sumbermas Sarana, following allegations that the supplier is involved in ongoing deforestation and peatland clearance in Indonesia.

BASF has partnered with Cargill, Procter & Gamble and German Development Agency GIZ to build a sustainable and transparent supply chain for coconut oil in the Philippines and Indonesia. The partnership is organized under a German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) program.

It is not among the world's biggest producers of oil and gas, nor the biggest consumers, but France is hoping to become an environmental pioneer with its decision not to issue any more oil and gas exploration licences. The government, under newly elected President Emmanuel Macron, has vowed to take the step as part of a transition towards more environment-friendly energy sources.

For thousands of years humans have existed on Earth, but it is only in the last 100 or so that plastics have entered our lives. These days you can barely go a minute without touching something made from some kind of plastic. But while we've been getting all swept up in the convenience that synthetic polymers bring us, the trash has been piling up. Millions of metric tons of plastic enter the ocean every year, and no one really knows where it is and what damage it is causing. So ... what are we to do about it?

Two years ago, Apple embarked on an ambitious plan to help its biggest suppliers switch to clean power sources. As of early June, the tech giant has managed to get eight partners on board.

Through the process, I gained an insight into the current state of corporate sustainability: how far it's come in this sector, and how far it still needs to go. Here are three themes that emerged.

US toy firm Radio Flyer has revealed its safer material strategy in a webinar this week on the Chemical Footprint Project (CFP).

Radio Flyer

Supplier collaboration and sustainability can drive innovation and growth in top supply chains, but only 43 percent of suppliers feel fully empowered to collaborate with their partners, says new research from 3M. Surveying 237 suppliers across the U.S., the report uncovers insight on the most urgent trends, opportunities and challenges facing suppliers today.

This month BNP Paribas, the world's seventh-largest financial institution, announced a new palm oil policy that sets responsible palm oil production as a pre-condition for financing. The policy requires that companies receiving financing protect forests and indigenous people. It also requires companies to adhere to strict human rights and labor standards, end the use of hazardous pesticides, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, among other significant measures. The move charts a new path for responsible financing that all major financial institutions should follow - or else face the growing consumer backlash against environmentally destructive institutions.

A cap-and-trade bill proposed last month by California state Sen. Bob Wieckowski also would set aside hundreds of millions of dollars for the California Climate and Clean Energy Research Fund. The bill is headed to a Senate committee hearing, which hasn't yet been scheduled.

British supermarket group Sainsbury's has launched its own in-house sustainability standard, provoking backlash from The Fairtrade Foundation and Fairtrade producers alike. Developed as part of its Sustainability Standards Program, the 'Fairly Traded' label is Sainsbury's attempt to simplify the complex landscape of certifications, while providing more direct support to farmers. But the Fairtrade community fears the move will put the producer-buyer relationship out of whack, with producers ultimately coming out on the losing end.