Monthly newsletter | October edition | Read time: 6 minutes

Laudes Foundation. Accelerating the movement towards an inclusive economy.

You can feel that summer is over!

It’s been a really busy month.

We’ve been gearing up for COP26, where we will be concentrating on finance and the built environment. We’ll be mapping how the finance sector can push towards net-zero. And we’re funding the coalition leading the Cities, Regions and Built Environment Day. Follow us on Linkedin for more details.

Elsewhere, it’s exciting to see our partners continue a stream of milestones and great work. Here are just a few examples - and thanks to everyone for your dedication and hard work.

Wishing you all the best,

Your Laudes team

CanopyStyle reaches 400 brands
In a major milestone this month, Canopy - one of our key partners - has reached 400 brands committed to their CanopyStyle initiative. This is focused on keeping ancient and endangered forests out of our wardrobes, while moving the fashion industry towards next-gen and circular alternatives.

A new alliance to stop oil and gas exploration
Laudes Foundation is funding a new alliance, Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA), to stop oil and gas exploration. The Danish and Costa Rican governments are co-chairing the alliance. Laudes is a co-founder with KR Foundation, Sequoia Climate Fund and Bloomberg Philanthropies. BOGA will officially launch at COP26.

Bauhaus der Erde raises EUR 5 million from Brandenburg
Bauhaus der Erde, one of our built team’s major partners, has secured a new commitment of support from the state of Brandenburg in Germany of up to EUR 5 million funding from 2022. Bauhaus der Erde focusses on a new vision for the built environment, where we can live in harmony with the Earth’s natural systems. The ‘European Bauhaus initiative’ has also inspired the European Commission to launch new priorities to transform our societies, along three inseparable values: sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusion.

Improving the resilience of small farming communities in Brazil
The Inter-American Foundation (IAF) and Laudes Foundation are partnering to support smallholder farmers working in sustainable agriculture in Northeast Brazil. The partnership aims to improve farmers’ quality of life, food security, and access to markets through participatory certification.

Legal liability for social auditing
The use of third party audits has become a standard practice in the fashion industry to ensure worker safety and worker rights. However, a new briefing by our partner Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) shows some companies have “passed” audits while working conditions remain hazardous and human rights are violated.

This research was referenced in an open letter to EU policymakers signed by 15 civil society organisations and unions - including several Laudes partners - calling for social auditors and certifiers to be legally accountable under upcoming EU legislation.

Barcelona launches as a Doughnut City
The City of Barcelona in Spain has announced that it is embracing the tools and concepts of Doughnut Economics to guide actions to address the climate emergency and the city's ecological transition. Kate Raworth and the Doughnut Economics Action Lab is one of our finance team’s key partners.

Laudes, WEF and BSR launch new report: Lighthouse Action on Social Justice Through Stakeholder Inclusion

A new report by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with Laudes Foundation and Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) provides a roadmap for how businesses can partner with workers, communities and civil society to address social justice and equity. The report includes nine lighthouse cases, including our own partners OCA with Patagonia, and IDH The Sustainable Trade Initiative with a consortium of other entities. Amol Mehra, our Director of Industry Transformation, co-authored the report.

Read the report

Institute for Positive Fashion Report launch

Laudes Foundation, Good Fashion Fund and Fashion for Good’s Sorting for Circularity feature as leading examples of innovation, in a new report by the British Fashion Council. The Positive Fashion Report identifies 10 priority action areas to advance circular fashion, each which involves many different parts of the fashion ecosystem. The report concentrates on the UK fashion industry.

Fiscal Week debates European policy

FiscalMatters held a week of debate on European policy, including several of our partners - the New Economics Foundation (NEF) , Finance Watch and Mariana Mazzucato from the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP).

OECD Forum welcomes proposals for side sessions

The OECD is inviting proposals for side sessions, to be held alongside the 2022 OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector. The sessions will take place virtually on 21 - 25 February. Please find application details here.

Laudes Foundation

We're hiring an Executive Assistant, based in London, to support three members of the Laudes Foundation Management Team. The application deadline is 1 October.

International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)

Our partner International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) is recruiting for a new economic justice project officer and an economist. The deadline for applications is 1 November – please share with your networks.

12 October: Repeat, Regain or Re-negotiate? The post-COVID future of global apparel
Naureen Chowdury, Laudes Foundation Senior Programme Manager Labour Rights, joins a panel on the impact of COVID-19 on workers and factories in garment supply chains in Asia and the Pacific.

Website

Twitter