Coca-Cola, concerned about the environment

Coca-Cola entered into a partnership with the WWF. By engaging in this partnership Coca-Cola set new objectives concerning water consumption and a reduced emission of greenhouse gases. Following this objectives they want to reduce the impact of their activities on the environment.

Coca-Cola wants to be a sustainable company, so they have to make an efficient use of the natural resources because succesful companies know how to keep on growing but still phasing out their consumption. By 2012 Coca-Cola will try to reduce their water consumption by at least 20% despite the fact that the expansion of the company will cause an increase of the consumption. Coca-Cola also planned to reduce its emission of carbon dioxide by 5% by 2015.

Apple daily too violent?

On the website of the Apple Daily, the most popular newspaper in Taiwan, you can daily watch videos and photos of events, such as students who beat each other up just for fun or boys photographing girls in all kinds of circumstances. One of those clips was a clip of Tiger Woods which started a debate over media freedoms and responsibility and government regulation.

Groups who are concerned about the welfare of children already protested outside the offices of Apple Daily's. The Taiwanese government wants to prevent the irresponsible new media products to harm the youth. They want to restrain the often sensational and violent content. Apple Daily's has been already fined $30.000. The government want to regulate the Web animations by opening 5 TV stations in Taiwan to help produce action news in amore secure way.

Nike involved in slavery?

Child labor is still a fact! It's a world known fact that Nike uses children in it's production of it's soccer balls in Pakistan. You think this is slavery or not? Despite having laws that prohibits slavery and child labor, the government of Pakistan hasn't take any measures so far.

This fact is already known for years, so why hasn't anybody done anyhting yet? The government of Pakistan is showing lack of power and willingness to do something. Why? They don't have the resources to provide a better education, all their money goes to military business. Only 3% of the total gross domestic product goes to education! It seems that only a boycott of the united nations would be a solution to this problem.

http://www1.american.edu/TED/nike.htm

Is Apple green enough?

According to a GreenPeace report Apple is not environmentally friendly enough. Many of their products seem to contain hazardous substances, such as PVC, that most companies have already abandoned. It also performs poorly on product take back and recycling. In fact, the report states that, when the environmental impact is taken into account, Apple ranks at the bottom of the list. Even though the report was only based on information that is publicly available, these facts surely are relevant.

Apple says, as a reaction to the growing criticism over its environmental record of late, that "it recognizes its responsibility as a global citizen and is continually striving to reduce its environmental impact". Let's hope that Apple really means what it says here and that it will take suffeciënt measures to reduce its impact on the environment.

Oliver Vander Cruysse

Join sweating in the sneaker sweatshop

You want to know in what conditions your sneekers are made? Play Sim Sweatshop.


Sim Sweatshop is an educative game that informs you about working conditions in the sneeker industry.

To save on production costs, large 'respected' clothing companies outsource the manufacturing of their products to low-wage countries in so called sweatshops. In those factories, who are spread all over the world, people have to work in bad working conditions, don't have any syndical representation, are forced to make long workweeks and are underpaid.

Sim sweatshop tries to let people understand how much sweat and tears has preceded when nice sneekers are sold in our stores.


Jord Willo

Service bundling

Big telecom and cable companies claim that buying a package of their services, including for example a phone line, internet and television service, is the way of the future. The companies offer discounts on these service 'bundles' for new subscribers and the convenience of being able to cancel services you don't want after the free introductory period.

The problem is that in many cases these promises seem to be untrue. Customers suddenly get a very high bill they didn't expect and afterwards it's very hard to cancel a service they don't want anymore.

Now the big question is if service bundles are really making live easier and cheaper for the consumers or is it just a new way for these companies to make their profits even bigger and try to monopolise the market?

Oliver Vander Cruysse

The corporate social responsibility(CSR) of Kellogg's

The Kellogg company clearly understands the importance of business ethics for preserving the grace of the community, their employees and, of course, the consumers.

The company has a wide range of CSR practises such as community investment, ethics and compliance and the environment. In 2005 it even got the Donor of the Year Award for its frequent donations to food banks. Kellogg's also invests in the futures of minorities and women through scholarschips and financial contributions.

To realize all of this the company has several programs, such as Kellogg's Care$ and the Kellogg Corporate Citizenship Fund. The growing importance of ethics clearly didn't go unnoticed by this leading nutrition company.












Oliver Vander Cruysse