Responsible Production & the Circular Economy

“Thank you, Linda McAvan for that introduction. I want to thank you and David McAllister and the Conference of Committee Chairs for giving me the opportunity to address you here in the European Parliament on climate change. And let me begin by thanking you for your leadership on climate change at a time when we all need to pull together for our common good.

Markets do more than help nations prosper. They can help solve our most pressing problems. Case in point: climate change. Financial markets have the potential to improve our prospects for tackling climate change, but only if we make climate risks and opportunities more transparent. Public policy, technology and consumer preferences are advancing, but this backdrop is complex and dynamic.

Shrinking your food footprint isn’t as daunting as it may seem. By eating in a more sustainable way, you can lower your environmental impact, protect ecosystems and contribute to food security not just for us, but for future generations, according to The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization.

Kingfisher’s aim is to make sustainability an easy choice for customers. It’s this vision that sets the path for everything they do, and that will help them achieve their ambition to create good homes by making home improvement accessible for everyone.

At UPS, we collaborate with other businesses to maximize results and tap into creative solutions. We’re clear-eyed about challenges and resources – by combining our skills, technology and solutions with other partners’, we make the impossible, possible.

Coca-Cola European Partners (ticker symbol: CCE) today launched its first Stakeholder Progress Report, outlining key achievements in the company’s sustainability journey in 2016 and providing consolidated sustainability performance data.

Nestlé Waters is also focused on being a good community partner for the long term. In 2016 alone, the company sponsored or hosted water education programs for some 3,000 local students, supported non-profits and community organizations in our spring communities with more than $100,000 in charitable contributions, and donated some 140,000 bottles of water to valuable local partners such as the Allentown Health Bureau’s Fruit & Veggies On The Move Program and the Allentown Rescue Mission.

UPS has been helping people and businesses move goods by focusing on the road ahead — both literally and figuratively. Our success reflects relentless attention to emerging trends, innovative ideas and transformative technologies that enable global commerce, growth and sustainable solutions.

On Wednesday, the Markle Foundation and Microsoft Corp. announced a three-year partnership to expand Markle’s Skillful initiative, a data-driven approach to connecting American workers and businesses in a rapidly evolving labor market. While advances in technology have helped the economy overall, some American workers are being displaced. Jobs in growing sectors increasingly require new skills earned through a post-secondary degree, certificate or credentialing program. Particularly vulnerable are the nearly seven out of 10 Americans who have transferable skills, but not a four-year college degree.

Albertsons Companies, one of the largest US supermarket companies, announced its support for SDG 14 by joining the Seafood Task Force and signing on to the pledge on Committing to Social Responsibility in Global Fisheries and Aquaculture, a voluntary commitment made by the privat