In the News

Organic for everyone, the Wal-Mart way

Fortune Magazine
07/27/2006

By Marc Gunther, Fortune senior writer

NEW YORK (Fortune) -- The $300-billion global cotton industry uses more pesticides and synthetic fertilizers than any other crop. Cotton Inc., the industry trade group, says that's nothing to worry about, but you don't have to be a scientist to know that applying tons and tons of pesticides to the soil - more than 50 million pounds in the United States alone - probably isn't a good thing.

Follow the thread

Financial Times
07/22/2006

By Alan Beattie

It was when Peter Mandelson, Europe's trade commissioner, produced a bar of Fairtrade chocolate during his parliamentary confirmation hearing that it became clear how far the movement had come. Mandelson, a skilled practitioner of political image and branding, knows a bandwagon when he sees one.

Ellen Justifies Canceling of Agreements

The Analyst (Monrovia)
07/16/2006

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has been meeting with officials and members of the Liberian National Bar Association, in ongoing consultations with National Stakeholders. She briefed members of the Bar on the current state of affairs. The President reiterated the government's current review of concession agreements, saying "It is in the national interest."

Madam Sirleaf told the lawyers that government had no choice but to cancel and or review all concession agreements. The

A Dangerous Job in Colombia

New York Times
07/12/2006

Editorial

With President Álvaro Uribe of Colombia at his side at the White House last month, President Bush promised action, soon, on a bilateral trade agreement.

We strongly support free trade, but before an agreement can be completed, Americans need reassurance that Mr. Uribe’s government will do more to protect workers’ rights, instead of standing aside as union leaders are systematically killed.

Minimum wage for RMG workers likely by August

United News of Bangladesh
07/09/2006

The long-awaited minimum wage for the RMG workers is likely to be announced by August next, said former President of Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Anisul Haq.

The process to fix the minimum wage is on. It's hard to exactly say right now what would be the amount. But BGMEA is concerned about the country's garment sector and trying its best to save it from getting into further trouble, he told reporters after a meeting with a group of 16 garment workers' associations Sunday.

Not made in the U.S.A.

Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus,Georgia)
07/03/2006

Many versions of Old Glory are manufactured outside the United States -- but does it matter?

By Damon Lawrence

A proposed amendment banning desecration of the American flag failed by one vote in the U.S. Senate last week. It might have passed had David Krieger Sr. been able to vote.

"I don't believe in desecration of the flag," he said.

Krieger, a national sales manager for C.F. Flag, a Huntsville, Ala., a company that manufactures American flags, has other opinions about the Stars and Stripes.

Corporate America's hidden risks: Major headaches threaten companies that ignore their 'moral liability.'

FORTUNE Magazine
06/28/2006




By Marc Gunther

NEW YORK (FORTUNE) -- Most FORTUNE 500 companies employ brigades of lawyers to limit their legal liability. But how many worry about their "moral liability"? Probably not enough, if only because the lines are blurring between the two.

Wal-Mart Convenes Group of Experts to Discuss Sustainable Business Solutions for the Textile Supply Chain

PR Newswire
06/27/2006

BENTONVILLE, Ark., June 27, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- As part of its continuing efforts to identify sustainable solutions and practices in every area of its business, Wal-Mart is hosting a two-day meeting today and tomorrow on issues and opportunities related to the sustainable production and use of textiles.

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