Business Briefs: social responsibility, fat in sewers, and fuel cell phone chargers

Thames Water has announced that it is to team up with hotels and restaurants in Windsor in a bid to prevent sewers in the town becoming blocked with solidified fat. Twenty-seven food outlets have agreed to install innovative devices, which will add micro-organisms to their kitchen waste and hopefully prevent the fat from hardening in pipework and the sewers.

Meanwhile in Manchester, sustainable development firm, Developing Futures, has proved that it practices what it preaches, and has been awarded the GoodCorporation marque – the sign of good business behaviour for companies that have demonstrated social responsibility throughout their operations. The company was awarded GoodCorporation status after meeting the standards required by a 21-point charter covering six key areas: fairness to employees, customers, suppliers, financial stakeholders; environmental protection and contribution to the community.

UK firm, Future Forests, is also keen on sustainability, and has announced that it has been appointed by the World Summit on Sustainable Development to take place in Johannesburg this September, to develop and manage the international campaign for the ‘Johannesburg Climate Legacy’. Businesses will be invited to purchase Climate Legacy Certificates – from US$1,000 to US$100,000 – in order to channel funds into a number of sustainable projects across South Africa in order to offset the 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide predicted to be produced by the Summit.

Finally, the Electric Fuel Corporation, based in the US, UK and Israel, has announced that UK supermarket Tesco is to stock its zink-air fuel cell mobile phone rechargers. The charger, which provides three charges and hours of talk-time, will be initially rolled out at 225 of Tesco’s 692 stores across the UK.