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☆ Retailers to tackle sustainability at key conference
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

They will discuss the challenges facing their businesses as inflation causes consumers in Europe and elsewhere to reduce spending. The European Commission is drawing up new rules on textile waste that will make companies responsible for managing the waste their products create. Decathlon, the world's biggest sporting goods retailer, sells repair services, spare parts and tools for people to repair their own bicycles, tents, and kayaks. Retailers are working with local authorities ahead of an EU law that will require member states to separately collect textile waste by Jan. 1, 2025. Firms including Decathlon, Mango, Inditex, and IKEA recently created an association in Spain for the management of textile waste.

☆ Lululemon’s Climate Goals Hinge on Replacing Oil With Plants
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Dieter Holger | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Lululemon Athletica Inc.’s need for crude oil for its leggings and other stretchy clothes presents a hurdle to meeting its climate ambitions. Its first products out this month are two shirts containing at least 50% nylon made from plant-based sugars instead of oil. A new Lululemon shirt contains at least 50% nylon made from plant-based sugars instead of oil. Lululemon’s push into biomaterials is part of a goal to make all of its products with sustainable materials by the end of the decade. Biomaterials also can help Lululemon more swiftly reduce its climate impact because using recycled materials is challenging, Ms. Speck said.

☆ The man accused of killing CashApp founder Bob Lee made a 'planned and deliberate attack,' prosecutors allege
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The man accused of killing Bob Lee planned the attack, prosecutors said in court papers. Momeni appeared in a San Francisco court Friday and is due to be arraigned on April 25. The man accused of killing CashApp founder Bob Lee planned the attack, prosecutors said in court documents released Friday. The San Francisco Police Department, which recovered a four-inch knife at the scene, arrested Momeni on Thursday. He appeared in a San Francisco court Friday and was scheduled to be arraigned on a murder charge, but did not enter a plea after the hearing was postponed until April 25.

☆ Asian Americans are anxious about hate crimes. TikTok ban rhetoric isn’t helping
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

And the Chinese government’s authoritarian approach to numerous other issues clashes with important American values, said many Asian Americans interviewed for this article. Concerns about China have gone mainstream as US national security officials and lawmakers have publicly grappled with state-backed ransomware attacks and other hacking attempts. People rallied during a "Stop Asian Hate" march to protest against anti-Asian hate crimes on Foley Square in New York, on April 4, 2021. But to Chu, the incident was an example of the way politics surrounding China, technology and national security have fueled anti-Asian sentiment. “Asian American issues are American issues, and all Americans deserve to be treated with respect.

Greg Becker, who was the longtime CEO of Silicon Valley Bank, pictured last year. "Looks like Silicon Valley Bank is in some deep shit," Uncommon Capital general partner Jamie Quint tweeted. Startup founders scrambled to get their funds out of Silicon Valley Bank after its collapse. Andreessen Horowitz announced this week that it will continue banking with Silicon Valley Bank "for the foreseeable future" but is crafting a longer-term plan to diversify. Even so, he added, "I think we'd be supportive, as they stabilize, for them to be one of many partners that our founders bank with."

☆ Tech pressure, Yellen everywhere: How Washington scrambled as SVB collapsed
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Yellen heads to the White House, Brainard meets with her staff and holds Zoom calls in her wood-paneled office in the West Wing. Treasury staff hustle to get Yellen on CBS News' "Face the Nation" program on Sunday, in an attempt to reassure markets. White House officials draft news releases with various scenarios, uncertain until shortly before 6 p.m. if an acquisition can still happen. As he leaves Delaware to return to the White House, Biden tells reporters he will make a statement on Monday. Treasury and White House officials reach out to members of Congress and their staffs throughout the evening to explain the plan, with discussions continuing into Monday.

WASHINGTON, March 12 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Sunday said she was working closely with banking regulators to respond to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SIVB.O) and protect depositors, but a major bailout was not being considered. Yellen told the CBS News "Face the Nation" show that she had been working with regulators to "design appropriate policies to address the situation," the largest bank collapse since the 2008 financial crisis, but declined to give further details. "But we are concerned about depositors and are focused on trying to meet their needs," Yellen said. California banking regulators on Friday closed SVB, appointing the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver to protect depositors at the startup-focused lender. The collapse of the startup-focused bank has raised concerns about runs on regional banks, and the ability of small businesses that banked with SVB to pay their employees.

☆ US Treasury's Yellen expressed confidence in regulators after meeting on SVB
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met with banking regulators on Friday to discuss the collapse of SVB Financial Group (SIVB.O) and expressed "full confidence" in their abilities to respond to the situation and that the U.S. banking system remains resilient, the Treasury Department said. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein"Secretary Yellen expressed full confidence in banking regulators to take appropriate actions in response and noted that the banking system remains resilient and regulators have effective tools to address this type of event," the Treasury said. California banking regulators on Friday closed SVB, appointing the FDIC as receiver to protect depositors at the startup-focused lender. And when banks experience financial losses, it is and should be a matter of concern." Reporting by Paul Grant; Editing by Paul SimaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ DoNotPay's CEO says threat of 'jail for 6 months' means plan to debut AI 'robot lawyer' in courtroom is on ice
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

DoNotPay's CEO says he will hold off on deploying an AI 'robot lawyer' in traffic case hearings. Joshua Browder said that he received 'threats' over the plan and feared facing 'jail for 6 months.' The ploy always carried a risk, as states closely regulate who can practice law. But regulators may still be a while away from contemplating a full-fledged AI lawyer in court. "We're seeing some reform in regulations around the unauthorized practice of law, and we're becoming less rigid," said Murphy.

☆ Investors sit on a plastic waste ticking bomb
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In the United States 73% of plastic waste ends up in landfills, where it takes up to 500 years to decompose. Using recycled plastic, while less energy-intensive than creating virgin plastic, can cost more overall. In March, 175 governments agreed to work out binding laws to end plastic pollution by end-2024. Reuters GraphicsFollow @LJucca on TwitterloadingCONTEXT NEWSRepresentatives of 175 countries endorsed in March a landmark resolution to develop international legally binding instruments to end plastic pollution. In 2008 the Netherlands introduced a packaging waste management levy.

☆ Here are 22 of the top LGBTQ news stories of 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

Here are 22 of our top LGBTQ news stories of the year. Ron DeSantis signed the controversial Parental Rights in Education law — or what critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill — on March 28. 'It’s already having an impact': LGBTQ people fear abortion rights reversalA supporter of gay marriage waves a flag in front of the Supreme Court on June 25, 2015. Nicola Goode / Prime VideoAmazon’s “A League of Their Own” series, which debuted Aug. 12 and was inspired by the 1992 cult classic by director Penny Marshall, brought much-needed representation to the screen for lesbians and other queer women, who celebrated how “gay, gay, gay” it was. Biden signs same-sex marriage bill at White House ceremonyPresident Joe Biden signs the Respect for Marriage Act on the South Lawn of the White House on Dec. 13.

☆ Inside climate tech's record-breaking year where the energy crisis, new regulation, and a maturing debt market helped European startups raise $17.5 billion
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Climate tech was a clear green shoot in a tumultuous 2022 but there will be a delayed correction. But there has been one green shoot: Climate tech. "We've just gotten started when it comes to climate tech," Emitwise's Cozzi said. Many climate tech companies have raised at high valuations, said Magda Lukaszewicz, principal at Balderton Capital. Energy and infrastructure companies are tipped as winners, while pure software plays may see some consolidation, climate tech investors and founders said.

☆ Fast-Fashion Brands Like Zara, Shein Create Mountains of Waste From Holiday Shopping, Returns
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Gad Allon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

A report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation found that, globally, less than 1% of used clothing is actually recycled into new clothes. Recycling clothes is expensive, and the existing technology isn't adequate to handle the volume needed to make a difference for the planet. While recycling clothing can be expensive, there are some companies that have figured out a way to limit waste by recycling. Time to be honestIn order to fix fast fashion, companies need to start being more transparent about their sustainability practices. It also ensures that the waste companies produce is out in the open.

☆ Amazon used enough plastic air packets in its boxes to circle the planet 800 times in 2021, an outside group found. The company said it used far less.`
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Amazon said its plastic packaging footprint came to 97,222 metric tons in 2021. Oceana estimated that Amazon used nearly 322,000 metric tons of plastic in 2021, more than triple what the company calculated. By Oceana's count, Amazon used 52% more plastic last year compared with 2019, the first year the group conducted its analysis. In 2021, Target, Walmart, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo each used more plastic packaging than the previous year, contributing to an overall 4.3% increase across brands and retailers. California, the largest economy in the US, passed a law in June to cut plastic packaging in the state by 25% over a decade.

☆ Big brands set to miss plastic sustainability targets
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Joe Brock | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The study by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the United Nations Environment Programme also revealed that some companies - including Coca-Cola (KO.N) and Pepsi - are using more virgin plastic despite a pledge to reduce its use. Dozens of major brands have in recent years set targets to increase plastic recycling and reduce the use of single-use packaging in partnership with the Ellen MacAurthur Foundation, as part of efforts to burnish their green credentials. The headline pledge was that 100% of plastic packaging would be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, but this goal will "almost certainly be missed by most organisations", the environmental group's report said. Greenpeace said the report is evidence that voluntary corporate targets have failed and called on the U.N. to forge a treaty that forces governments and companies to use less single-use plastic packaging. "This underlines the need for governments to ensure that the global plastic treaty ... delivers major reductions in plastic production and use," said Graham Forbes, Greenpeace’s USA Global Plastics Project Leader.

☆ Premarket stocks: Why America's job market hasn't imploded
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Mortgage rates are at their highest levels since 2002, consumer spending and business investment is falling and the Federal Reserve is fighting persistent inflation with higher interest rates. “While job openings should continue to fall in the months ahead, the fact that they remain well above normal levels should continue to support strong job growth, possibly all the way into 2023,” said David Kelly, chief global strategist at JPMorgan Funds. The job market is good for workers but it’s not good for inflation. The problem is that this time around, the shape of the job market is different. Oil stocks and health care companies are leading the market, with Chevron (CVX), Merck (MRK) and Amgen (AMGN) topping the Dow leaders list.

☆ Hair extension brand Nourie closed a $2.5 million seed round, a difficult feat for Black female founders
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Osahon Ojeaga is the cofounder of Nourie, a startup that soon plans to begin selling plant-based braiding hair extensionsNourie closed a $2.5 million seed round in September, a difficult feat for Black female founders. Here is the 14-page pitch deck Ojeaga used to generate funding to launch her brand. But after four years of being one of the few Black women in the room, and constantly fighting to be seen, she was burned out. That bad braiding experience left her frustrated by the limited options Black women had to protect their hair. In fact, as of 2021, fewer than 200 Black women had ever raised more than $1 million in venture capital.

☆ Analysis: G7 fails to reach intervention deal to ease pain of soaring dollar
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Banknotes of Japanese yen and U.S. dollar are seen in this illustration picture taken September 23, 2022. With a strong push from Japan, finance leaders of the Group of Seven advanced economies included a phrase in a statement on Wednesday saying they will closely monitor "recent volatility" in markets. "Many countries saw the need for vigilance to the spill-over effect of global monetary tightening, and mentioned currency moves in that context. "I've said on many occasions that I think a market-determined value for the dollar is in America's interest. "It's impossible to reverse the yen's downtrend with solo intervention," said Daisaku Ueno, chief forex strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities.

☆ Best Apple Watch bands for working out in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-01-28 | by ( Ellen Mcalpine | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Here are our favorite bands for working out with the Apple Watch. Apple Sport Loop ($49; amazon.com and apple.com)Apple Sport Loop AppleThe Apple Sport Loop is designed with tough workouts in mind. Nike Sport Band ($49; apple.com and bestbuy.com)Nike Sport Band AppleThis classic Sport Band is made from fluoroelastomer with compression molded holes that allow your skin to breathe throughout your workout. CaseMate Pelican Apple Watch Bumper ($20; case-mate.com)CaseMate Pelican Apple Watch Bumper CaseMateThe tough TPU construction of this watch bumper from Pelican means it’ll keep your watch protected from any mishaps or damage, whether you’re concerned about dust and dirt while out on the trails or worried about bumps from equipment in a weight room. Tefeca Breathable Sport Loop ArmBand for Apple Watch ($17.99; amazon.com)Tefeca Breathable Sport Loop ArmBand for Apple Watch AmazonDon’t feel like wearing your Apple Watch on your wrist?

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