Insight

The traditional 'take-make-dispose' economic model of production and consumption is inherently problematic. It is heavily dependent on the use of finite resources to satisfy increasing demand for products, leading to production methods and consumer habits that exacerbate problems of resource waste and environmental pollution.

Collins Dictionary’s word of 2018 was ‘single-use’, an unsurprising choice for a year during which public awareness of global plastic waste increased significantly.

It is a year since the UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy (commonly referred to as the ‘sugar tax’) was introduced as part of efforts to slow rapid growth in obesity rates. We consider what impact the levy has had on the drinks industry and public health, and what the future holds in terms of further action on sugar, nutrition and health.

We have been engaging with Royal Dutch Shell on a number of issues for over 20 years: from its operations in the Niger Delta, Ireland and Russia to its involvement in Canadian tar sands projects.

On 14 November, Rathbone Greenbank hosted an event organised by The Tablet, the long-established Catholic weekly journal. The evening’s guest speaker was Chris Patten (the Rt Hon. the Lord Patten of Barnes), former Conservative politician and last Governor of Hong Kong, who spoke passionately about his views on identity politics and the dangers of nationalism.

Rathbone Greenbank was delighted to support the 2018 Durrell Lecture, held on 15 November at the Royal Institution in London. 

In the aftermath of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate published a 2016 report indicating that the transition to sustainable energy would require around $90 trillion of global infrastructural investment over 15 years.

The Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) has launched a new guide that highlights the business benefits of sustainability and explains why it is key to the success of higher education institutions.

Rathbone Greenbank Investments has endorsed The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, launched this week at the Our Ocean Conference in Bali.