News Archive
2010:
Sustainability indicators for the food supply chain - new book chapter published
The chapter 'Sustainability indicators for the food supply chain', published in Woodhead Food Series No. 194 'Environmental assessment and management in the food industry: Life cycle assessment and related approaches' (Edited by U Sonesson, J Berlin and F Ziegler) is a combined effort between a BRASS researcher, Dr Natalia Yakovleva and BRASS Alumnus Prof Joe Sarkis, as well as Dr T.W. Sloan.
Moulding minds for a sustainable future
Cardiff University is hosting ‘Sustainability Week 2010’ from today till the 12th of November, inviting academics, politicians, eco-activists and students for a series of seminars, lectures, film screenings and exhibitions. The week’s events aim to raise awareness about the importance of eco sustainability policies and every day practices, for reducing the detrimental human impact on the environment and the availability of resources.
Academics from Cardiff University’s various schools and research institutes, will highlight the sustainability research the University has engaged in and the scope of its practical applications; as well as the policies it has implemented across campuses like the ‘Eco-champions’ programme.
The week will also illustrate the environmental research and activism projects of the eco organisations associated with the University, like the Cardiff Conservation volunteers, the Riverside Community Food Co-op, Earthscan and the Ruperra Conservation Trust. BRASS has been involved with planning some events.
Moreover, students will be offered the opportunities to get involved with University and affiliated sustainability projects, and learn of practical ways to improve the environmental impact of their everyday lives. So join the campaign for an eco and resource empowered Britain. Access the event timetable below and get involved with Sustainability Week 2010 www.cardiff.ac.uk/sustainability/week
BRASS Research Manager, Diego Vazquez-Brust co-author on UNDP working paper
The paper, entitled 'Productive Inclusion of Smallholder Farmers in Brazil’s Biodiesel Value Chain: Programme Design, Institutional Incentives and Stakeholder Constraints', authored by Clovis Zapata, Diego Vazquez-Brust and José Plaza-Úbeda is related with BRASS research on poverty, vulnerability and business responsibility. The co-authors are BRASS alumni, Clovis is a former BRASS PhD Scholar and researcher and José was a BRASS visiting scholar. Available for download: http://www.ipc-undp.org/PubRural.do?active=2
Getting to the bottom of Corporate Social Responsibility
On Friday the 22nd of October, the BRASS Centre (Cardiff University) and the Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit (Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London) convened academics, representatives of NGOs and mining organisations, at the Stewart House, Russell Square for a conference titled “Corporate Social Responsibility and Stakeholder Engagement in the Extractive Sector”. Slides and photos from the event are available here.
The aim of the event was to engage the delegates in debate and discussion on the global practices of mining corporations and the extent of their social engagement with local communities where they performed their operations, to chart out a multi-faceted agenda for future research into the extractive sector.
The key note speakers:
- Fernanda Diez, from the International Council on Mining and Metals, explained the mining industry’s point of view on the opportunities and challenges to stakeholder engagement.
- Peter Frankental, from Amnesty International, argued that globally, the legal regulations on mining practices were being undermined, causing widespread violations of human rights and emphasised the need for better global governance mechanisms in the sector.
- Professor Diana Mutti, from the University of Buenos Aires, highlighted the challenges to corporate social responsibility in the mining industry in Argentina, arguing that conflict arises when communities feel their expectations of benefits have not been fulfilled.
The speakers during the academic paper session:
- Dr Veronica Broomes, from the Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, talked about the necessity of improving public awareness of research into mining practices and the potential of its practical adaptations for improving corporate social responsibility.
- Dr Elizabeth Bastida, from the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy Centre at the University of Dundee, defined the global laws advocating stakeholder engagement and corporate social responsibility, and highlighted the prevalence of lax approaches in corporate culture.
- Dr Chris Groves, from BRASS spoke of the South Wales Gas pipeline project and illustrated the economic barriers to the representation of local interests, and the consequences of a lack of stakeholder engagement.
- The final speaker during the academic paper session, Dr Gavin Hilson from School of Agriculture, Policy and Development of the University of Reading, reflected on ten years researching mining practices in Ghana, to explain how the culture of rapidly changing ownership in the mining industry has had a detrimental effect on the scope of corporate social responsibility.
The speeches were followed by workshops where the delegates brainstormed a research agenda to cater to multi-stakeholder interests, ranging from local communities, national governments to the environment.
At the closing of the event, Professor Ray Bush from School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds presented a speech, staunchly arguing that the corrupt and unethical practices of mining corporations, namely in the third world, were breaching universal human rights laws and increasing the levels of poverty, unemployment and under development in local communities, despite the existence of legal regulations. He appealed to the mining industry for a moral ‘wake up’ call, and argued that government officials needed to play a greater role in reining in the international practices of domestically based mining corporations.
Professor Bush's speech stirred debate and led a participant to suggest the discussant's views were biased against the industry and not reflective of current industry practice. However, the suggestion that the views of the discussant were not grounded in reality was refuted strongly by many other participants. Based on their own work on mining issues in developing countries, especially in Latin America, Africa and Asia, they spoke about harrowing incidents of human rights abuses from large mining companies. Several participants were of the view that the mining industry had to reform its practices; otherwise politically-driven campaigning would be the only means to compel adherence to international law.
Reflecting on the event, Dr Diego Vasquez, senior research manager at BRASS said, “The conference was quite a success. I was impressed by the delegates’ enthusiasm and depth of insight into a complex and global issue such as CSR. The workshops were beneficial as we gained valuable multi-disciplinary agenda outlines for future research into CSR and stakeholder engagement.”
BRASS feeds into UNESCO Cymru-Wales Committee
Cerys Ponting, BRASS' Knowledge Exchange & Networks Manager has been recently appointed to sit on the UNESCO Cymru-Wales Committee for a 3 year term of office from Oct 2010.
The Cymru-Wales Committee's 2009 - 2010 Annual Report will be launched later in November at the Senedd, Cardiff Bay.
UNESCO is the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organisation. UNESCO Cymru-Wales is a Committee of the UK National Commission for UNESCO and is the focal point in Wales for UNESCO related policies and activities.
Lori Frater: Raising the ‘bar’ on Biodiversity activism
BRASS research manager, Lori Frater, has recently joined the Biodiversity Media Alliance (BMA), an organisation aimed to boost the media coverage of biodiversity issues. The BMA networks journalists, NGOs and environmental activists through online social networking, conferences and workshops, and facilitates the media and policy debate on climate change and environmental protection.
The organisation functions in collaboration with; the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a group which provides local solutions around the world to environmental and development issues; the International Institute for Environment and Development, a prominent policy think tank on sustainable development; and Internews, an organisation dedicated to local media development at the global scale.
Lori Frater is an environmental lawyer and researcher, specialising in international environmental governance with a particular emphasis on the role of biodiversity conventions. Her current research looks at the role of international law in delivering local-level conservation for migratory species.
She has experience of advising international, multinational, pan-regional, national and private organisations on environmental issues, developing biodiversity policies, targets and regional biodiversity strategies. Since 2009, she has been regularly working in radio news and assisted with the coverage of the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December, for BBC Radio Wales.
The Green potential of British Human Rights Laws
BRASS PhD student, Radoslaw Stech, has developed a guide entitled ‘Human Rights and the Environment’ for the Environmental Law Foundation (ELF), to raise awareness amongst UK citizens about the everyday applicability of British Human Rights laws in addressing issues regarding the environment, health and family welfare.
Funded by the British Equality and Human Rights Commission, the 17 page guide uses simple language to explain the articles of the Human Rights Act, 1998 as well as the European Convention on Human Rights, highlighting how British citizens can practically enforce their tenets. In particular, the guide shows how environmental issues can have a direct effect in undermining human rights. It explains how a greater awareness and enforcement of British Human Rights laws can legally oblige societal authorities to tackle environmental issues.
The ‘Human Rights and the Environment’ guide contains brief descriptions of cases from Turkey, Spain, Romania, Italy, Russia and the UK. In each case, respective governments have been held accountable for the breach of Human Rights laws due to a lax approach to the environmental concerns associated with areas like property management, defence tests, industrial management, transportation and community infrastructure. Moreover, the guide also includes a glossary of legal terms within Human Rights legislation.
The ELF has been providing people free legal advice on environmental issues since 1992. The guide is another one of their initiatives to facilitate the growth of awareness regarding the legal tools available to citizens to tackle environmental issues and safeguard public welfare.
Law and Your Environment is a ‘hit’ in cyberspace
An online resource compiled by BRASS has shot up in popularity on the World Wide Web. Law and Your Environment (L&YE), an online resource which provides users comprehensive information on environmental law, achieved an 89% increase in web access in the previous month, with over 13,000 new visitors, ranging from the United States, India and the Philippines.
L&YE was inspired by the International Aarhus convention of 1998, part of the UN ‘Environment for Europe’ process, which identified the necessity for public access to information on environmental matters. Commissioned by the UK Environment Law Association (UKELA), the centre conducted research and consultations, and discovered a lack of easy public access to legal and regulatory information on environmental issues. Other sites, the research found, lacked objective information and provided links to resources as opposed to plain English information.
Based on its findings, the BRASS centre developed L&YE as a public portal containing extensive information and analysis on environmental issues and legislation.
According to web figures for the past month, the most popular sections of L&YE were the Planning and Building works section, noise and nuisance FAQs, public rights of way, flooding and water pollution. Most notably, the Climate Change section achieved a 252% increase in user access.
New Virtual Sustainable Community Site launched
A new website allowing visitors to interactively explore a virtual sustianable community and learn more about the considerations involved in sustainable living has been launched by BRASS. The tool draws on case studies of real life sustainability programmes to give visitors information on the issues surrounding food, transport, energy and more.
BRASS PhD Scholar wins 'best doctoral paper award'
Fabien Martinez, BRASS PhD Scholar, presented the paper 'Rationale for Corporate Philanthropy: Syncretism & Altruism: The Case of Homelessness in Mulhouse (France)' 16th September at the Corporate Responsibility Research Conference 2010 in Marseille. He was awarded Best Doctoral Paper Award. Congratulations Fabien!
Professor Robert Lee is guest on ITV's 'Wales Tonight'
Professor Robert Lee has been interviewed for the 1st September edition of ITV Wales' flagship current affairs programme 'Wales Tonight'. The appearance is the most recent example of BRASS's extensive work with the media.
BRASS Researcher Peter Wells publishes new book
BRASS Research Manager co-edits a new book
Facilitating Sustainable Innovation through Collaboration - A Multi-Stakeholder Perspective - Sarkis, Joseph; Cordeiro, James J.; Vazquez Brust, Diego (Eds.)
ISBN: 978-90-481-3158-7
Joseph Sarkis and James Cordeiro are both alumni of the BRASS visiting scholars scheme, and the book is one of the outcomes an ESRC/SSRC grant awarded to James Cordeiro in 2008.
The book was launched at the 2010 Greening of Industry Network in Seoul in July and it will have a special session, Chaired by Dr Vazquez, at the ERSCP-EMSU ‘Knowledge Collaboration & Learning for Sustainable Innovation’ conference in Delft , 25-29 0ctober 2010.
Dr Hazel Nash seconded to Welsh Assembly Government
From 3rd August - 1st October 2010, BRASS Research Associate Hazel Nash will be working with the Planning Policy Branch of the Planning Division, Welsh Assembly Government.
One of her main tasks will be to review existing planning policy on waste in the context of new policy drivers such as the Revised Waste Framework Directive, the new Waste Strategy for Wales and the current emerging sector plans.
Professor Robert Lee Investigates the Liberalisation of Legal Services in Europe
With the assistance of the City of London Law Society (CLLS), BRASS Co-Director, Professor Robert Lee has written a paper on the Liberalisation of Legal Services in Europe: Progress and Prospects. This paper was discussed by the CLLS with key contacts at the EU Commission in Brussels on the 14th and 15th December 2009.
The ambit of Professor Lee’s paper is to improve the liberalisation of legal services in Europe through regulatory reform.
The paper begins by examining the historical development, the current state and future prospects for the liberalisation of legal services in Europe. These are successively the provision of legal services, mutual recognition and rights to establish law firms in host states. Professor Lee shows how far the liberalisation of legal services has come, extending multi-jurisdictional rights from a limited and distanced provision of legal services to the right to establish law firms in host states.
Whilst the paper commends the liberalisation of the EU legal services markets carried out to date, Professor Lee argues that the various European legal services markets’ entry requirements still restrict international law firms from following corporate clients and providing cross border services.
The paper stresses that:
The need for regulation is generally a consequence of market failure: there is little evidence of market failure in the corporate legal sector.
Given the differences between legal services provided for corporate clients and those provided for private clients, it may be more effective and proportionate to adopt differentiated strategies of regulation.
Regulation of corporate firms should be “firm based” (i.e. focussed on law firms rather than individual practitioners).
Professor Lee concludes,” Economic growth in the Single Market has been enhanced by the ability of law firms to follow and support the global activities of their clients. Against this background, it is imperative to search for mechanisms that will allow ease of access throughout Europe for both consumers and providers of commercial legal services.”
David McIntosh, Chairman of the City of London Law Society says:
The CLLS’s commissioning of Professor Lee’s paper was in response to the European Commission having invited us to make proposals in line with a declared intention to dispense with unnecessary and destructive cross-border regulations where it is in the interests of consumers to do so.
Professor Lee’s carefully researched proposal fits these aims and should be given priority over unsustainable protectionism on the part of bar associations in some European countries who are reluctant to accept the improving influence of cross border competition from renowned international law firms.
A copy of Professor Lee's paper can be downloaded by clicking here. A further modified version of the paper has been published in Legal Studies magazine (Legal Studies, Vol. 30 No. 2, June 2010 pp. 186-207).
BRASS PhD Scholar Alastair Smith wins Green Gown Award
Alastair Smith, BRASS PhD Student, last night accepted a Green Gown Award on behalf of Students in Free Enterprise Cardiff for the ‘Your Uni Fruit & Veg Co-op’ initiative which promotes the consumption of more environmentally benign and accessibly priced food ingredients to the Cardiff University staff and students. The prestigious annual Green Gown Awards dinner took place at the Swan at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, London on 16th June 2010.
Alastair, Project Co-ordinator for the Your Uni Fruit & Veg Co-op said “I am thrilled to accept the award on behalf of Students in Free Enterprise Cardiff, and am pleased that we have achieved further recognition for all the hard work that everyone has put in to make this such a success!”
The Your Uni Fruit & Veg Co-op project was developed by the Cardiff Student in Free Enterprise (SIFE) group in response to work undertaken with a community fruit and vegetable cooperative in Riverside, Cardiff. The Co-op saves around 360 individuals £2.50 on the equivalent supermarket cost of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as the associated food miles and packaging. The Co-op has also become an example of best practice and even been incorporated as the core component in a documentary film made about the social enterprise opportunities available at Cardiff University.
The Co-op operates every Tuesday at the heart of the student union and provides a convenient access to purchase bags of fruit, vegetables, salad and stir fry ingredients that are both locally sourced and accessibly priced. Orders can be made during term-time from the new online order facility http://sife-cardiff.co.uk/products.aspx
For further information about SIFE Cardiff, please contact Alastair Smith smitham3@Cardiff.ac.uk.
BRASS Book wins ‘Business Book of the Year’ Award.
On May 28, 2010 Professor Ken Peattie, Director of the BRASS Research Centre, and his co-author Frank-Martin Belz of the Technische Universität München School of Management received the award for the “Best Business Text Book 2010” from the German Academic Association for Business Research at a ceremony in Bremen. The award has been made for their book “Sustainability Marketing: A Global Perspective” published by Wiley on 5th June (World Environment Day) 2009.
The award for an outstanding new text book is given by the German Academic Association for Business Research, and only new text books (1st edition) can be submitted for consideration
“Sustainability Marketing” was the unanimous choice of the competition judges Professor Dirk Matten (York University, Toronto); Professor Klaus Backhaus (University of Münster, Germany); Professor. Dr. Lutz Kruschwitz (Free University of Berlin).
The book has sold more than 1,500 copies in its firs nine months and has been adopted by lecturers in countries across the world including USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Sweden.
It provides a new sustainability-orientated vision of marketing for the 21st Century. The book shows how the complexities of sustainability issues can be integrated into marketing decisions through a systematic step-by-step approach. These steps involve an analysis of socio-environmental priorities to complement conventional consumer research; an integration of social, ethical and environmental values into marketing strategy development; a new consumer-oriented sustainability marketing mix to replace the outmoded and producer-oriented ‘4 Ps’ mix; and finally an analysis of how marketing can go beyond responding to social change to contribute to a transformation to a more sustainable society. Without taking such steps, marketing will continue to drive global crises linked to climate change, poverty, food shortages, oil depletion and species extinction, instead of helping to tackle them
ESRC CASE PhD Studentship
Changing and Adapting to Animal Health Risks in Wales: Social Impacts of the Eradication of Bovine Tuberculosis
Cardiff University; School of City and Regional Planning
Applications
are invited for a 3 year fully funded PhD studentship starting in October 2010.
The studentship is funded by the ESRC and the Welsh Assembly Government.
The scholarship will cover the cost of academic fees; provide a £15,290 basic maintenance grant from the ESRC plus a further £2000 per annum from the Welsh
Assembly Government.
About the project
Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) is a serious animal health disease. In many parts of England and Wales it is out of control leaving many farmers learning to ‘live with disease’. This has had serious consequences for the well-being of farmers and vets, and affected the attempts to develop new ways of managing the disease. In 2008, the Welsh Assembly Government announced an eradication strategy which included a
range of voluntary and compulsory biosecurity measures, as well as a controversial badger cull in an area of high bTB incidence.
The aim of this research is to examine the effect of these policies upon biosecurity practices and the well-being of farmers in Wales. In particular, the research will
examine:
1. The health and well-being impacts of living with and without bovine Tuberculosis.
2. How agricultural disease prevention practices are developed in response to bovine Tuberculosis.
3. How networks of support and co-operation develop to help farmers deal with the demands of living with bovine Tuberculosis.
The intention is to use an in-depth ethnographic approach focussing on farming communities in an area of Wales currently with high levels of bovine Tuberculosis.
Academic requirements
Applicants should have a first or upper second class UK honours degree or equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK in an appropriate area of study. The studentship is for students wishing to undertake a postgraduate degree by research who have already completed appropriate research training. Applicants must be UK or EU nationals.
How to Apply
Applications should consist of a CV (with 2 academic referees) and covering letter and sent to Dr Gareth Enticott by 11th June at 5pm. Applicants are also advised to contact Dr Gareth Enticott to discuss their application in the first instance. Interviews will be held:
w/c 21st June 2010
Dr Gareth Enticott: enticottg@cardiff.ac.uk, Tel: 029 2087 6243
School of City and Regional Planning
Glamorgan Building
Cardiff University
Cardiff
New report calls for tighter standards to green the car sector
The European Union target of reducing car CO2 emissions to 95 grams per kilometre by 2020 is not sufficiently ambitious, according to a new report.
A report commissioned by Greenpeace International, and written by researchers at the Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability and Society (BRASS) at Cardiff University, argues that a lower target of 80 grams per kilometre (g/km) can readily be achieved. A combination of new technology, weight reduction, performance reduction and downsizing could achieve this level.
The report, published today (20th may) , is launched at a time when EU ministers discuss the regulatory framework, as part of the European strategy on clean and energy efficient vehicles.
The current target is to limit CO2 emissions from new cars to 95 g/km by 2020. A review of this legislation is scheduled no later than the end of 2012, to agree how carmakers should reach the target. In this report, the authors have set out to demonstrate how the lower target of 80g/km is feasible.
Transport is considered to be the sector with the fastest growing greenhouse gas emissions in the EU. Under EU legislation adopted in 2009, the average passenger car sold in 2015 should comply with a CO2 target of 130 grams per kilometre (g/km).
One of the report authors, Dr Peter Wells said: “If the automotive industry starts to act now, it has ten years and considerable strategic flexibility to achieve a managed transition towards low-CO2 mobility. All the evidence on climate change suggests our response must be stronger and faster than previously thought. This report shows that the automotive industry can, and should, do more.”
Greenpeace EU transport policy advisor Franziska Achterberg said: “EU industry ministers are right to see clean vehicle technology as a way of maintaining the competitiveness of the European car sector. They should recognise that the single most important EU measure to achieve this is ambitious legislation. Stronger fuel efficiency standards will help the sector reduce its carbon footprint while maintaining a level playing field.”
To access the report, please click here
To read more about Automotive Research at BRASS, please click here
BRASS Supports Wales Sustainability Week>
BRASS is joining Cardiff University, individuals, organisations and communities up and down the country to celebrate Welsh Assembly Government’s first Wales Sustainability Week, between May 17 and 21.The week encourages people to take specific action to make Wales more sustainable, and also celebrates and promotes what is already going on.
From Monday 17 May, a special exhibition will housed in the VJ Gallery in Main Building of the winning entries in a recent photography competition organised by BRASS. Originally exhibited at the Senedd building in Cardiff Bay, the competition was open to everyone and was based on the theme: 'Discovering Your Environment'. Entrants were asked to explain how their image represented their environment and what this meant to them. To view the exhibition on-line, please click here
Cardiff University is also holding a Wales Sustainability Week Innovation Network event revealing how Welsh industry can benefit from the nation’s ambitions to accelerate its transition to a low-carbon energy economy. Professor Paul Peterson from the University’s Low Carbon Research Institute will present insights into future opportunities as more focus is placed on strengthening Wales’ expertise in this fast growing sector.
On the operational side, updates will also be provided on how we are working towards becoming a more sustainable University, including developments for more sustainable travel, and latest update on carbon reduction activities.
Following the success of the University’s own Sustainability Week in 2009, planning has also begun for Sustainability Week 2010. To be staged again during November, the week will be aimed at encouraging staff and students to become more sustainable in their everyday lives, as well as showcasing the University’s world-leading sustainability research. If you would like to stage a sustainability-related event during the University’s Sustainability Week 2010, email publicity@cardiff.ac.uk
BRASS Researchers shortlisted for Green Gown Awards
The Green Gown Awards, an annual initiative which recognises exceptional projects undertaken by universities and colleagues across the UK to become more sustainable has shortlised the concept of Micro Factory Retailing, one of the flagship projects within BRASS.
Developed by Dr Paul Nieuwenhuis and Dr Peter Wells, the innovation is based on the premise that car making models could in the future could involve a devolved network of small local car assemblers/retailers, or Micro Factories. The factories would assemble vehicles attuned to local tastes and conditions using sustainable technologies and a novel value creation strategy to escape over-production.
In the Green Gown Student Initiatives and Campaigns category is the University’s Your Uni Fruit and Veg Co-op. Organised by the Cardiff groups of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) and volunteers from People and Planet, the Co-op is a social enterprise designed to bring well priced fruit, vegetables and salad to the student population; while generating a sustainable income source for the Riverside Community Food Co-op where volunteers aim to bring the same service to the community of Riverside in Cardiff.
Now in their sixth year, the Awards are administered by the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) the sector champion for environment and sustainability and governed by a cross-agency steering group of sector support agencies.
The winners are announced at a prestigious gala banquet at The Swan at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London in June.
To read more on Micro Factory Retailing, please click here
Dr Calvin Jones comments on major events plan for Wales
Dr Calvin jones has welcomed a 10-year plan by the Welsh Assembly Government to promote Wales as a destination for big name sporting, musical and cultural events but said the assembly government would need to be sure it was offering the right depth of advice.
Ministers want to capitalise on high-profile events like golf's Ryder Cup in Newport in October as a way to promote home-grown festivals and attractions. The strategy aims to identify "mega events" such as the Commonwealth Games.
Dr Jones said: "What you need to avoid is offering a very shallow, notional support.
"Event management is very complicated. It has very specialist skills and it does not necessarily follow that because the assembly government has money that it it has the necessary skills."
He cited the Rugby World Cup and the Wales GB Rally as events that took hold without the assembly government's initial involvement.
"There are others which have been the result of the assembly government's actions, such as the Ryder Cup, but they were rather unclear in their rationalisation on why we attracted them or how they are evaluated.
"The assembly government has spent a lot of money in the past on event support, with uncertain returns."
Dr Jones cited the Hay Festival as an example of an event that "ticks all the boxes".
He said it had "grown organically, was locally managed, punched on a world stage and was interested in local policy issues".
To read more about BRASS research on major sporting events, please click here
To read the full story, please click here
Social Marketing tackles grass fires in The Rhondda Valley
BRASS Research Associate, Dr Sue Peattie is leading an innovative social marketing project to address a major social problem in the Rhondda Valley.
Each year the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service fight a large number of deliberate grass fires in the south Wales valleys. The Easter holidays usually sees the biggest increase in the number of incident in the Rhondda Cynon Taff area, in particular Tonypandy. Earlier this month, firefighters across Wales were called to 100 grass fires in a four day period.
A series of activities including the "chance to be a fire fighter for a day" are being staged to divert youngsters from starting grass fires.
The two week 'Bernie project' will run over the Easter break in Rhondda Cynon Taff, a hotspot for deliberate fires. The activities have been designed with the help of experts at Cardiff University's Business School. The 'Bernie' project is described as a social marketing campaign using a cartoon sheep (Bernie) as the project logo and the slogan "grass is green, fire is mean".
Dr Sue Peattie said: "This approach goes beyond just raising awareness on the dangers of deliberately setting grass fires.
"It is about stepping into the shoes of the target audience, listening to them, understanding them and deciding the most appropriate action. For example, our nine-month intensive research found that young males in their mid-teens were more prone to start grass fires deliberately and, usually as a result of boredom, a desire for experimentation, thrill seeking, peer pressure, and a lack of enforcement. Based on this, we were able to develop diversionary tactics which look to alleviate these feelings."
Chief fire officer Andy Marles said: "Deliberately set grass fires are extremely unpredictable and can spiral out of control within minutes. The social marketing project is an innovative and new approach to addressing a major social problem."
Two New BRASS Working Papers Published
BRASS has published two new Working Papers. The first; 'A business perspective on the transposition of the WEEE Directive into UK law: Part I', written by Cerys Ponting and Hazel Nash draws on the findings of the first part of a study conducted in 2006,
examining the implementation of the WEEE Directive into UK law. The study draws
upon the views of relevant businesses and stakeholders to the WEEE Directive’s
obligations and the process of transposing these European obligations in the UK.
The second paper; CSR in the UK Nanotechnology Industry: Attitudes and Prospects , written by Chris Groves, Robert Lee, Lori Frater and Gavin Harper aims to provide a clearer understanding of the role which corporate social responsibility (CSR) currently plays in influencing the activities of companies involved in the nanotechnologies industry in the UK, and how CSR may contribute to building the material and social sustainability of the industry as part of a regime of adaptive and anticipatory governance.
BRASS PhD Scholar Llyr Roberts speaks at International Ethical Fashion Conference
BRASS PhD Scholar Llyr Roberts will be one of the speakers this week at the Fashioning and Ethical Industry (FEI) International Conference in London.
He will present the findings of a review of
what information high street retailers share with consumers about working conditions in the garment assembly factories they use.Llyr said: "There have been growing calls on fashion retailers over recent years to improve conditions in the factories they use in emerging economies, and this has increased the need for companies to disclose information about labour conditions with their customers.
"The internet is increasingly the main channel of communication between companies and consumers and offers a way to communicate a lot of information very easily. The websites of the 10 largest fashion retailers in the UK were therefore surveyed to see what information they disclose about Codes of Conduct, supplier factories and factory audits.
"The study found that, whilst retailer shares a great deal of information, disclosure by the others is patchy at best and is very poor in some cases. And a great deal of what is communicated by companies can be classified as ‘greenwash’ because it is exclusively focused on good performance with little or no reference to labour problems.
"All of this makes it very difficult for consumers to make informed decisions about the clothes they buy because information about working conditions in garment factories is simply not made available."
Llyr will speak at a session on Corporate Social Responsibility in the Fashion Sector chaired by Doug Millar, Professor of Ethical Fashion at the University of Northumbria. The other speaker will be Rosey Hurst, Founder and Director of Impactt Ltd, a company that advises a number of leading high street retailers on how to improve working conditions in supplier factories.
Fashioning and Ethical Industry works with students and tutors on fashion related courses to give them a global overview of the garment industry and to raise their awareness of current company practices and initiatives to improve conditions. It is a Labour Behind the Label project and receives financial support from the Department for International Development and the European Union.
This conference will bring together educators, industry experts, academics and selected students from across Europe to explore how fashion can be taught to inspire responsibility for the rights of the workers in the garment industry.
A copy of the conference paper can be found here
To find out more about Fashioning and Ethical Industry, please click here
To visit Llyr Roberts’ page, please click here
Two New BRASS Working Papers Published
BRASS has published two new Working Papers by BRASS Co-Director Professor Terry Marsden and Ina Horlings. The first Working Paper: Towards the real green revolution? Exploring the conceptual dimensions of a new ecological modernisation of agriculture that could ‘feed the world’ explores the idea that agroecological approaches could significantly contribute to feeding the world and thereby contribute to a 'real green revolution'.
In the second paper: Pathways for sustainable development of European rural regions: eco-economical strategies and new rural-urban relations the authors describe and analyze the variety of strategies in rural regional development followed in European regions by reference first to an analysis of 62 case-studies, and second, in a more in-depth analysis of 12 European regions. The central question is how promising these strategies are in terms of eco-economical development.
To view more BRASS Working Papers, please click here.
Discovering Your Environment: Social Science Week 2010
As part of Social Science Week 2010, the BRASS Centre has put together a photography exhibition at the Senedd exploring how we all feel about our environment and what our environment means to us. The competition, launched in January resulted in a large number of high quality images being submitted. The chosen images will be displayed alongside BRASS research images to demonstrate the impact of social science research on all our lives. The exhibition is supported by Jane Davidson, AM.
The exhibition will open to the public in The Oriel,The Senedd, Cardiff Bay from the 10th - 14th March 2010.
To find out more about Social Science Week, please click here
BRASS PhD Scholar Llyr Roberts interviewed on Ethical Fashion to mark London Fashion Week
Llyr Roberts has been interviewed on the BBC Wales Current Affairs Programme ‘Manylu’ about working conditions in factories supplying high street retailers.
Llyr was asked to explain how fashion supply chains are structured and how consumers can find out more about working conditions in the factories that make their clothes.
He told the programme:
"Fashion supply chains are notoriously complex because garment assembly has been largely outsourced to third-party owned factories in emerging economies all over the world. Local regulations on working conditions and pay are often very weak in these countries and many workers face dangerous working conditions and receive very low pay as a result."A number of retailers have introduced Codes of Conduct and factory audits in an attempt to tackle these problems. However very few retailers disclose details about the nature and frequency of these audits and about labour problems they have found in their supply chains. And this failure by companies to share this information either in stores or on the web makes it extremely difficult for consumers to find out where and how their clothes were made."
Llyr also highlighted a number of environmental concerns in relation to fashion: "Each one of us now buys 35kg of clothes every year on average but throw away 30kg into landfill. And
83% of the CO2 from clothes comes from washing, drying and ironing. So we could all help reduce the environmental harm by buying fewer clothes, recycling or donating clothes to charity, washing clothes at a lower temperature and avoiding the tumble dryer."The programme also hears from Gwyn Williams who works for a leading high street retailer in Sri Lanka, and follows a young consumer, Lara Catrin, as she seeks information about the origin of clothes from staff in high street shops in Bangor, North Wales.
To listen to the programme, please click here
To visit Llyr Roberts’ page, please click here
Cost Barriers to Environmental Justice
BRASS PhD Scholar, Radoslaw Stech has co-authored a very influential report looking at the cost barriers to environmental Justice. The report, written by Radoslaw Stech, Professor Bob Lee (BRASS) and Deborah Tripley (Environmental Law Foundation) revealed that 56% of cases the Environmental Law Foundation advised to proceed between 2005 and 2009 were unable to do so because of fears about legal costs. Nearly 60% of claimants earned less than £15,000 a year.
The report was launched at the House of Lords in January and came at the same time as a senior judge has recommended that claimants should no longer have to pay the other side’s costs in environmental judicial reviews if they lose.
This recommendation would apply to all judicial review cases. Mr Justice Jackson says this would be the simplest and most obvious way to comply with the UK’s obligations under the Aarhus Convention, which it ratified in 2005.
The convention states that access to environmental justice should not be prohibitively expensive. Campaign groups have argued that the UK is in breach of the convention because currently individuals or groups are put off bringing cases because of the risk of having to pay thousands of pounds in costs if they lose.
Debbie Tripley, chief executive of the ELF, said: "We are cautiously optimistic that if the government implements these changes it would cure a lot of the problems we identified in our report."
To read the full report, please click here
BRASS Co-Director contributes to book on Environmental Standards
BRASS Co-Director Professor Bob Lee has contributed to a new book published on Environmental Standards. The book, titled: 'Derivation and Use of Environmental Quality and Human Health Standards for Chemical Substances in Water and Soil' is published by Routledge.
Professor Lee contributed to the chapter on ' Setting environmental Standards within a Socio-economic context'.
For more information on this book, please click here
Welsh Economic Review - Energy Edition
The latest Welsh Economic Review has just been published by the Welsh Economic Research Unit (WERU). Focusing on Energy, this edition includes an editorial by Professor Ken Peattie, an interview with Peter Harper, Centre for Alternative Technology and the following feature articles:
‘Energy Use and Production in Wales.’
Calvin Jones and Neil Roche, Welsh Economy Research Unit.
‘Energy Efficiency Improvements and Rebound Effects: Some lessons from the Scottish case.’
Karen Turner, Grant Allan, Peter McGregor and Kim Swales, Fraser of Allander Institute, Department of Economics, University of Strathclyde.
‘Sundance Renewables – The Story Behind a ‘Good’ Biofuel.’
Jan Cliff, Sundance Renewables
For more information on the Welsh Economic Review, please click here
Knowing Our Communities: A Social Marketing Approach
BRASS Director, Professor Ken Peattie has expressed the importance of government understanding communities and the behaviour of people within them in the latest issue of Local Service Board Update, produced by the Welsh Assembly Government.
In the article, Professor Peattie explains how social marketing is a vital tool which encourages public service efforts to influence behaviour. Social marketing focuses on how people feel and how to make the desired change more attractive. So instead of telling people how important diet and exercise are, or making them feel guilty about their lifestyle, it seeks out ways to make healthy lifestyles seem easy, fun, popular and affordable.
To read the full article, please click here
House of Lords Committee Endorse BRASS Nanotechnologies Evidence
The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee has suggested that the food industry is overly-secretive about its use of nanotechnology. In a report published today the Committee recommends that the Food Standards Agency should have a publicly available register listing foods and forms of food and packaging that incorporate nano-materials. As part of the Committee process, BRASS researchers were asked to give evidence based on their work in this area. In contributing evidence, Dr Chris Groves told the Committee that the Government should sponsor adequate and effective public engagement activities to help shape nanotechnology policy. This recommendation was taken up within the committee's final report.
BRASS evidence given to the Committee also raised concern about the continuing scientific uncertainties surrounding potential unseen health and environmental effects of nanomaterials which prevents industry from being able to say for certain which are safe and which are not. While the general legislation prevents companies from knowingly placing unsafe food on the market, it offers no protection in situations where companies are not yet aware that their product may be unsafe. The committee drew attention in its findings to these uncertainties, and has recommended that the government do more to ensure that research to close knowledge gaps is undertaken.
To read more about BRASS Naontechnologies' research, please click here
BRASS Co-Director Talks about Sustainable Food Security at Organic Producers Conference
BRASS Co-Director, Professor Terry Marsden has spoken at the annual Organic Producers Conference held at Harper Adams on Thursday 7th January. Professor Marsden was one of the plenary speakers at the conference and talked about the 'Contribution of agro-ecological approaches to food security'.
The conference The Plenary sessions thoughout the day focused on the big issues of Sustainable Food Security and Climate Change whilst the workshop sessions covered a range of technical and policy issues including livestock nutrition, varieties and breeding, fram economics, nutrient management, animal welfare, GM issues, biodiversity management, market trends and communicating the organic message.
For further information on this conference, please click here
