Monthly Archives: September 2021

Oxbridge JCRs and MCRs to be exempt from free speech law – The Tab

Posted: September 24, 2021 at 10:43 am

The exemption has been condemned as a ridiculous double standard by Labour MPs

The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill was amended early this week to exclude Oxford and Cambridge JCRs, MCRs and similar college-based student unions from the proposed legislation.

This amendment was criticised by Labour MPs who accused the government of creating a two-tier university system, with Oxford and Cambridge separate to other universities.

Michelle Donelan, the universities minister, told MPs in a debate on the bill that including Oxbridge student common rooms in the legislation would be unnecessary and overly bureaucratic.

She argued that,Colleges do fund their junior and middle common rooms. And to that extent, they can exert a lot of control over their activities, as these groups do not own or occupy their own premises, or run the room booking systems.

Whilst Oxbridge colleges were initially also exempt from the proposed Bill, they were added last week, and will be liable for any breaches. It seems that is assumed that the college would ensure that the student common rooms would abide by the law, without the JCR and MCR themselves running the risk of legal action.

Matt Western, the Labour shadow minister for universities, said: It is ridiculous for ministers to say that students in Warwick or Hull should be subject to unnecessary, burdensome bureaucracy and their student unions put at risk of being sued, but not the students of Oxford or Cambridge due solely to the makeup of the university.

The Bill is designed to combat what Gavin Williamson, the then Education Secretary, described as the chilling effect of censorship on campus.

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Statement by Human Rights Watch on the Proposed Amendments to the Press Arbitration Act – Human Rights Watch

Posted: at 10:43 am

Statement by Human Rights Watch on the Proposed Amendments to the Press Arbitration Act

Thank you for the opportunity to present comments at this event, and apologies for our inability to present the statement personally. Human Rights Watch has worked on human rights issues in South Korea for more than 35 years, and we are very concerned about the increasing use of punitive measures against peaceful speech.

The draft amendments to the Press Arbitration Law, which are the latest example of that trend, will seriously impair the rights to freedom of expression, freedom of information and media freedom, and will discourage critical reporting by the media if passed in their current form.

While we welcome the revisions to the bill proposed by the Democratic Party, the fact of the matter is those changes still do not bring it into compliance with international standards. Even as revised, the media can be severely penalized for even a minor factual error if a plaintiff claims to have been injured by the error, and face damages that are disproportionate to any harm caused.

Disproportionate sanctions such as heavy fines can have a significant chilling effect on freedom of expression in South Korea, which is already constrained by criminal defamation laws that should be abolished. This chilling effect is of particular concern when it impacts the press, since an independent and diverse media that disseminates a wide range of information and ideas plays a critical role in supporting the functioning of a democratic society.

While the deletion of the presumption of intent in certain circumstances is presented as a positive step, we note that it has been replaced by language that appears to put the burden on the defendant to show that they acted without intent or gross negligence. If the media is forced to bear the burden of proof, the bill will continue to force journalists to choose between revealing their sources or facing heavy damages.

It is particularly troubling that this bill seeks to impose punitive damages on the media alone. While South Korean law currently allows punitive damages in certain limited types of cases, there is presently no general punitive damages law. This bill could thus allow imposition of punitive damages on a press report, but not on those responsible for wrongful acts on which the press is reporting.

Members of the National Assembly should reject the revised bill and ensure that any new proposal complies with international standards for freedom of speech.

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Mary Trumps Attorney Says Donald Trump Lawsuit Over New York Times Expos Is Doomed To Failure – Deadline

Posted: at 10:43 am

Mary Trumps attorney says that Donald Trumps lawsuit against his niece and The New York Times is doomed to failure and another effort to stifle freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

This is the latest in a long line of frivolous lawsuits by Donald Trump that target truthful speech and important journalism on issues of public concern, said Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., who is representing Mary Trump. It is doomed to failure like the rest of his baseless efforts to chill freedom of speech and of the press.

On Monday, Trump sued over the Times 2018 expos on the Trump family taxes. In his lawsuit, filed in New York Supreme Court (read it here), Trump claims that his niece, the Times and its reporters engaged in an insidious plot to obtain confidential and highly-sensitive records which they exploited for their own benefit and utilized as a means of falsely legitimizing their publicized works.

The Times investigation alleged that Trump participated in dubious tax schemes in the 1990s that substantially increased the fortune he inherited from his parents estates. Among other things, the expos alleged that Trump set up a sham corporation to shield gifts from his parents from taxes and also helped his father, Fred Trump, take improper tax deductions. All told, according to the Times, Trump received $413 million from his fathers real estate businesses.

Mary Trump chronicled her participation in the Times series in her book, Too Much and Never Enough, which when published last year triggered a lawsuit by Donald Trumps brother Robert. But a New York judge refused to issue a restraining order to block its publication, concluding that a confidentiality clause in an agreement that she signed in 2001 was too broad.

In his lawsuit, the former president also names New York Times reporters Susanne Craig, David Barstow and Russell Buettner. The suit claims include breach of contract and unjust enrichment by Mary Trump and tortious interference with a contract by the Times and its reporters. The lawsuit claims that the expos caused Trump at least $100 million in damages.

A spokesperson for the Times said, The Timess coverage of Donald Trumps taxes helped inform citizens through meticulous reporting on a subject of overriding public interest. This lawsuit is an attempt to silence independent news organizations and we plan to vigorously defend against it.

Some First Amendment advocates agree with Mary Trumps attorney.

Roy Gutterman, director of the Tully Center for Free Speech and professor at Syracuse University, said in a statement that reporters are protected to gather information, even things they should not have, such as tax records that were leaked to them. The Supreme Court has acknowledged that reporters can rely on leaked materials as long as they did not break to law to get them. There is not a scintilla of evidence that the Times broke the law to collect this information. This is another example of an attempt to use tort law to punish reporters for obtaining leaked information.

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Global Online Gambling Platform Market 2021 Research Report With COVID-19 Update with Growth Analysis and Emerging Trends by 2027 Bulk Solids…

Posted: at 10:43 am

The market research report Global Online Gambling Platform Market released by MarketsandResearch.biz is expected to gain traction during the forecast period 2021 to 2027. The Online Gambling Platform market factors involve opportunities, growth trends, restraints, issues, substitutes, competitions, and market dynamics. The research report offers details of the necessary components present in the market that tend to either influence the market growth or has an adverse effect on the market growth. The focus of the report is to build a growth map for global market research. The report provides comprehensive information on the background of the market. The report offers a pictorial and graphical presentation for a better understating of the market condition.

The growth map assists the users in formulating strategic plans and marketing ideas to achieve business objectives. The factors provide a reasonable judgment to the users and assist them in establishing the business strategies and techniques. The tools involve PESTLE analysis, PORTERs five forces, SWOT analysis. The Online Gambling Platform research report also provides market attractiveness graphs, developments by leading players, R&D strengths, new product success rate, business strategies, and financial ratio.

DOWNLOAD FREE SAMPLE REPORT: https://www.marketsandresearch.biz/sample-request/194522

The report covers the leading players existing in the market:

International Game Technology (IGT), Playtech, Microgaming, Betconstruct, Softgamings, Betsys, Sportradar, SBTech, Digitain, GammaStack, EveryMatrix, Novomatic, NetEnt, BetSoft, Scientific Games, Evolution Gaming, Playtika, Octro, Tencent, Boyaa Interactive

The geographical regions mentioned in the research report include:

North America (United States, Canada and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, and Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia, and Australia), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and Rest of South America), Middle East & Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, South Africa, and Rest of Middle East & Africa)

The report involves a type segment explaining the categories of the product:

Online Casino, Sports Betting, Esports Betting, Online Lottery, Other

ACCESS FULL REPORT: https://www.marketsandresearch.biz/report/194522/global-online-gambling-platform-market-2021-by-company-regions-type-and-application-forecast-to-2026

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MediaTrooper to go live in Mississippi alongside BetMGM this weekend – Yogonet International

Posted: at 10:43 am

The digital marketing agency expects to provide advertising and information services to the state's authorized betting operators. BetMGM announced Thursday the launch of its mobile App at Gold Strike Casino Resort in Tunica. MediaTroopers is now live in a total of 15 states, and earlier this month received a temporary sports betting supplier license in Arizona.

Digital marketing agency MediaTroopers will be going live in Mississippi this weekend alongside online sport betting operator BetMGM, announced the company on Thursday.

The marketing company, focused on generating leads and acquiring paying customers for online casinos and sportsbook operators, aims at providing top-quality advertising and information services to the states authorized betting operators.

We have not one, but two causes for celebration this weekend, said Sam Segal, MediaTroopers CEO. The first is launching our activities in a new state, which is always exciting. The second is the fact we are entering Mississippi with one of the best sportsbook operators in the country which is BetMGM.

MediaTroopers is licensed and operational in 14 other US states, including Arizona, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Indiana, Tennessee, Illinois, Washington DC, West Virginia, Virginia, Iowa, and Wyoming.

The digital marketing agency plans to leverage its decades of combined experience in regulated online gambling to deliver a wider audience in the state with up-to-date news on sporting events, game predictions, great sportsbooks, and online casino offers.

Mississippi is a state we are really looking forward to work in, added Segal upon the announcement. Its sports fans have tons of soul, and we are looking to bring them more excitement and fun with safe, legal, and responsible sports betting.

BetMGM announced on Thursday the launch of its mobile app at Gold Strike Casino Resort in Tunica, Mississippi. MGM Resorts also counts with retail sports betting in the state at its Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi.

Weve had great success with the opening of the BetMGM Book Bar & Grill at Gold Strike and are thrilled to complement our retail offering with the launch of the BetMGM mobile app in Mississippi, said BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt on the announcement.

The BetMGM mobile app is now available for download in the state, and utilizing geolocation technology, enables all guests on-premise at Gold Strike to place pre-game, live in-play, futures and parlay wagers from any mobile device.

Earlier this month, MediaTroopers was granted a temporary sports betting supplier license for Arizona by the states Department of Gaming. The companys portfolio powers operations by US online casinos and sportsbooks including heavyweights DraftKings, FanDuel, MGM, Golden Nugget Casino, and Bet Rivers.

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Rush Street Interactive Partners With The American Gaming Association’s Have A Game Plan. Bet Responsibly. Campaign – PRNewswire

Posted: at 10:43 am

CHICAGO and WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --As part of Responsible Gaming Education Week, Rush Street Interactive, Inc. (NYSE: RSI) ("RSI" or the "Company"), a leading online casino and sports betting company in the United States,today became the newest partner of the American Gaming Association's (AGA)Have A Game Plan.Bet Responsibly.public service campaign.

The Have A Game Plan campaign focuses on educating sports fans about the core principles of responsible sports betting: setting a budget and sticking to it, keeping betting social, knowing the odds, and playing with trusted, regulated operators. Through its commitment to the campaign, RSI will integrate Have A Game Plan content into its consumer marketing, employee training, and overall responsible gaming strategy.

"Responsible gaming is at the core of our business and joining AGA's Have A Game Plan campaign is an important extension of these efforts," said Tammi Barlow, RSI director of corporate social responsibility. "It is crucial that our industry prioritizes the protection of those who are vulnerable to gambling problems and others affected by their behavior. Through this partnership with AGA, we will continue to provide our players with new, user-friendly tools and resources to wager responsibly, while ensuring our employees are positioned to provide the best possible customer service and care."

RSI's commitment to Have A Game Plan follows the Company's recent build out of its compliance and corporate social responsibility function and ongoing deployment of innovative responsible gaming tools within its products, such as its RushPay feature that enables fast, transparent, and non-cancellable withdraw and refund capabilities.

"As legal sports betting increases in popularity and availability, the success of the industry relies heavily on educating players about responsible gaming," said Casey Clark, AGA senior vice president. "We're proud to have Rush Street Interactive join us in this important endeavor."

As the market continues to expand, Have A Game Plan is aligning new and existing industry stakeholders behind a consistent responsible gaming message. RSI joins official campaign partners Monumental Sports and Entertainment, NASCAR, New York Jets, NHL, PGA TOUR, SeventySix Capital, Sinclair Broadcast Group, UFC, Vegas Golden Knights, and Washington Football Team, as well as other gaming operators and suppliers.

AGA'sResponsible Gaming Education Week, from September 19-25, educates consumers on responsible play and highlights responsible gaming's central role in gaming and sports betting.

For more information, please visitHaveAGamePlan.org.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. RSI's actual results may differ from their expectations, estimates and projections and consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as "expect," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts," "potential," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, RSI's expectations about its partnership with AGA and its promotions and initiatives related to this partnership. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Most of these factors are outside RSI's control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, without limitation, changes in applicable laws or regulations, unanticipated product or service delays, and other risks and uncertainties indicated from time to time in RSI's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, including those under "Risk Factors" therein, and in RSI's other filings with the SEC. RSI cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. RSI cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. RSI does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

About the AGA

The American Gaming Association (AGA)is the premier national trade group representing the $261billion U.S. casino industry, which supports 1.8 million jobs nationwide. AGA members include commercial and tribal casino operators, suppliers, and other entities affiliated with the gaming industry. It is the mission of the AGA to achieve sound policies and regulations consistent with casino gaming's modern appeal and vast economic contributions.

About RSI

RSI is a trusted online gaming and sports entertainment company focused on regulated markets in the United States and Latin America. Through its brands, BetRivers.com and PlaySugarHouse.com, RSI was an early entrant in many regulated jurisdictions and is currently live with real-money mobile, online and/or retail operations in ten U.S. states: Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Michigan, Indiana, Virginia, Colorado, Iowa and West Virginia. RSI is also active internationally, offering its online casino and sportsbook in the regulated gaming market of Colombia on RushBet.co. RSI offers, through its proprietary online gaming platform, some of the most popular online casino games and sports betting options in the United States. Founded in 2012 in Chicago by gaming industry veterans, RSI was named the 2020 Global Gaming Awards Digital Operator of the Year and the 2021 EGR North America Awards Casino Operator of the Year, Customer Services Operator of the Year and Social Gaming Operator of the Year. RSI is committed to industry-leading responsible gaming practices and seeks to provide its customers with the resources and services they need to play responsibly. For more information, visit http://www.rushstreetinteractive.com.

SOURCE Rush Street Interactive

http://www.rushstreetinteractive.com

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Akon gives the play-to-earn poker platform a shoutout for being the next wave of gaming – Cointelegraph

Posted: at 10:43 am

Blockchain technology brings a faster and more convenient way to conduct transactions over the internet from retail to financials, even extending as far as online poker. As one of the most played online gambling games, poker has brought a rise in users, and in turn, an increasing number of fake websites, deterring new players from ever starting to play.

While many argue that online poker is not rigged, many concerns have stemmed from the lesser-known sites. Regardless of the number of licenses or other approvals an online platform may have, many are still skeptical of things operating completely right on the other side, whether it is the actions taken so the room can charge the highest rake or certain players being preferred.

With blockchain technology, every hand dealt is recorded, so players can have full transparency into gameplay. Therefore, players will no longer need to rely on an unknown third party making claims about their websites trustworthiness.

The technology itself brings a more fair mechanism that allows players to bet on a publicized algorithm, ultimately supporting the grand gambling experience. But, what is even more unconventional for online gambling is the concept of play-to-earn, bringing forth new opportunities to enhance game immersion and build an interactive metaverse. Platforms can use a metaverse to create a setting where players can collect digital assets, adding a new layer to online gaming and further extending its appeal to a new audience group.

Polker is one platform striving to make this experience a reality. The platform is currently preparing to release a play-to-earn beta game later this month with intended support for next-gen VR, 3D characters, visual effects and environments. The platform makes the game available for everyone to play, even those who want to sharpen their skills without putting any money on the line.

Their team shares, their mission is to increase interest in poker and NFTs in the cryptocurrency space. They continue, by merging the two, they can bridge the way for future projects while using blockchain as a mechanism to provide provably fair gameplay.

To bring a level of fairness to the blockchain, Polker leverages their patent granted technology, the True Random Number Generator (TRNG). TRNG begins with the players seed, combines it with the Polker platforms seed and the random nature of the block hash value, guaranteeing the randomness of the number generated. TRNG is used in conjunction with the potential of the blockchain to provide full transparency, further preventing cheating and other fraudulent practices. All gameplay data is stored in the hash of a smart contract, so the raw values can be compared and verified to prove no manipulation has occurred.

While the blockchain makes it trustworthy, the platform is also making a play for extended functionality. By leveraging Unreal Engine 4, a powerful 3D creation platform, Polker can create the immersive experience lacking from many major poker sites.

Other notable partnerships include Chainlink (LINK), an open-source, decentralized oracle network integrated into the Polker platform. The integration will provide a more decentralized and trusted service to players. An initial implementation of Chainlinks on-chain live price feeds will replace the current API in Polkers patented Multi Crypto Marketplace protocol.

Further, Chainlinks oracle system on the high-throughput EVM compatible with Polygon (MATIC) network will ensure the most up-to-date on-chain price data is available to players. A similar approach is already being leveraged by Augur, a prediction market that requires both live and precise data.

In light of this news, the Polker team has announced a giveaway of ten nonfungible tokens (NFTs), with the first prize being a Holo Ultra-Rare, previously sold for over 12,000 (3.38 ETH) on OpenSea.

Polker intends to make the online game platform more than just poker. With the rise of NFTs, online gaming is becoming a way for players to collect and earn NFTs that they can share with their friends and a larger community.

Recent announcements have also pointed to Sept. 24, 2021, as the date that the staking of Polkers native token will go live.

With many advancements to come, its no wonder why the R&B superstar Akon gave the platform a shoutout.

Disclaimer. Cointelegraph does not endorse any content or product on this page. While we aim at providing you all important information that we could obtain, readers should do their own research before taking any actions related to the company and carry full responsibility for their decisions, nor this article can be considered as an investment advice.

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How Different Countries Regulate the Gambling Industry – Qrius

Posted: at 10:43 am

Gambling comes in many shapes and forms. A simple Google search will reveal umpteen number of sites and sources to gamble online from the comfort of your home. These websites wont reveal or might reveal a bit later whether they are legal or not in your country of residence. If you gamble online, and it turns out to be illegal in your country, you could face a hefty fine and punishment for transgression of the law. To bypass this, you can play at Gclub because it is one of a few legit offshore casinos serving players from around the globe.

If it is not illegal, then you can have a bit of fun playing in a relaxed state of mind. These two scenarios are not the only ones that can happen. Thats why gamblers need to know whether it is safe to gamble from where they are, what the rules regarding online gambling are in their state or country of residence, and what could happen should they fall afoul of the law.

Several countries have different legislation regarding online gambling. Some have outright banned it, some have legalized it, and yet others are quite murky when it comes to details about such laws. This article attempts to bring some light to this issue.

The United States, Canada, and the UK are examples of countries with some form of rules and regulations concerning online gambling. We delve into them more below.

There are laws at federal and state levels in America. States also have the right to draw up separate laws and regulations for online gambling. Traditional gambling is more or less well-regulated, but online gambling has come under scrutiny for the financial transactions that take place in its name. Some states prohibit wire transfer of money in betting games unless both the states involved in the transaction have laws that specifically allow it.

Canadian legislation is not clear regarding online gambling, although it is not illegal. The Act in place does not have jurisdiction to deal with online gambling and cannot outlaw any websites or companies.

The UK has strictly regulated gambling in all its forms and has a commission that grants and withdraws licenses of gambling companies and websites. The primary objective of such legislation is to ensure that crime is not financed with the earnings from gambling.

Only eight countries in the world have banned online gambling or gambling in any form. These are:

Other countries often have murky laws or none at all about online gambling. This means that you cannot be penalized for playing online gambling in most countries of the world.

Countries that have little to no regulation for online gambling often choose the path of complete prohibition. Examples of this would include China, Hong Kong, and Russia.

Asian has the most restricted market and the most customers simultaneously. While the governments have attempted to ward off all forms of gambling except for government-run lotteries, several international websites are willing to accept gamblers from China.

Hong Kong has relatively more freedom concerning gambling but has largely chosen to follow chinas model and attempt to prohibit gambling altogether. Punishments are present for both players and operators.

In 2009, Russia enacted a sweeping on all forms of gambling, and online gambling fell into this spectrum too. Although there has been a slow reversal in this, the overall statement is still prohibition.

Countries that regulate online gambling have shown promising returns to them, while those who havent have seen illegal methods rise.

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4 industry leaders on what it takes to go circular – World Economic Forum

Posted: at 10:42 am

We take resources from the earth. We make things out of them for use. And then, we throw away whatever is left. The cost is borne out not only in landfills, but also through emissions, as our consumption fuels the climate emergency.

Yet, companies have been optimizing for the linear economy for over 200 years. Shifting the economy toward circularity requires major changes to business and operating models, supply chains, and B2B and B2C consumer behaviour. This level of disruption to business as usual often harms those most vulnerable, and circular solutions must contribute to a just, inclusive future.

More and more companies are taking on this complex challenge. As part of the Sustainable Development Impact Summit 2021, we asked top executives prioritizing the circular economy from four sectors about their lessons learned. Heres their advice on where to start, what to avoid and how to build momentum to jumpstart a companys circular transition.

Its an annual meeting featuring top examples of public-private cooperation and Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies being used to develop the sustainable development agenda.

It runs alongside the United Nations General Assembly, which this year features a one-day climate summit. This is timely given rising public fears and citizen action over weather conditions, pollution, ocean health and dwindling wildlife. It also reflects the understanding of the growing business case for action.

The UNs Strategic Development Goals and the Paris Agreement provide the architecture for resolving many of these challenges. But to achieve this, we need to change the patterns of production, operation and consumption.

The World Economic Forums work is key, with the summit offering the opportunity to debate, discuss and engage on these issues at a global policy level.

Tanah Sullivan, Group Head of Sustainability, GoTo

Adopt a mindset that circular is a business decision and should be treated by the company as such. At GoTo, this started with socialising a common vision and understanding of what circular meant in our context and what best practice actually looked like for our industry and region.

Before, we were struggling to translate our best-in-class roadmap (based on insights and standards from other companies) into a tangible and operational transition plan for our business units. Now, we see this common understanding and agenda leading to more engagement from the parts of the company driving business growth. Although still a work in progress, this is how we're approaching the operationalisation of our Zero Waste by 2030 commitment, and integrating it into every business unit's operations and objectives.

For more mature companies, the mindset shift means making investments in areas where there may not be direct or imminent business value or impact. For those at the beginning of this journey, it can start with small steps towards replacing existing materials (or, in our case, packaging) with more sustainable and economically viable alternatives. These small steps can have huge short-term impacts and set the path toward more systemic changes in the future.

The World Economic Forum has created a series of initiatives to promote circularity.

1. Scale360 Playbook was designed to build lasting ecosystems for the circular economy and help solutions scale.

Scale360 Playbook Journey

Image: Scale360 Playbook

Its unique hub-based approach - launched this September - is designed to prioritize circular innovation while fostering communities that allow innovators from around the world to share ideas and solutions. Emerging innovators from around the world can connect and work together ideas and solutions through the UpLink, the Forum's open innovation platform.

Discover how the Scale360 Playbook can drive circular innovation in your community.

2. A new Circular Cars Initiative (CCI) embodies an ambition for a more circular automotive industry. It represents a coalition of more than 60 automakers, suppliers, research institutions, NGOs and international organizations committed to realizing this near-term ambition.

CCI has recently released a new series of circularity roadmaps, developed in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), McKinsey & Co. and Accenture Strategy. These reports explain the specifics of this new circular transition.

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3. The World Economic Forums Accelerating Digital Traceability for Sustainable Production initiative brings together manufacturers, suppliers, consumers and regulators to jointly establish solutions and provide a supporting ecosystem to increase supply chain visibility and accelerate sustainability and circularity across manufacturing and production sectors.

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Robert Metzke, Head of Sustainability, Royal Philips

At Philips, we started by developing a clear picture of our global end-to-end impact, including supply, production and use of our material flows. We consistently embed a circularity mindset and principles across all parts of the company (business, markets, functions), starting with business strategy, innovation process, capital allocation, HR management and rewards, capability-building programs, site management, brand positioning, marketing, etc. Our sustainability ambitions and commitments are an integral part of our companys purpose and culture.

Embedding circularity in our core strategy and all businesses, markets and functions helped us to connect many initially independent initiatives, scale best practices and reap the economic benefits of circularity from pilots to impact. We moved from a sustainability strategy driven by a specific function within the company, to company-driven ambition and commitments. This approach fostered new solutions and ideas from many parts of the company/markets, as well as a broader sharing of best practices. Today, we have a clear roadmap of programs and structural initiatives across the company at the regional and global levels, that will allow us to deliver on ambitious 2025 targets and team up with other companies, NGOs and governments on platforms like PACE.

What is the circular economy?

Image: Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Ibrahim Al-Zubi, Chief Sustainability Officer, Majid Al Futtaim-Holding

When embarking on a circular business model, it is important to look at your pillars and targets day by day. Success isnt measured overnight, and each milestone resets with a new target. Staying committed to the course is what ultimately changes behaviours and mindsets and garners impactful results.

At Majid Al Futtaim, a circular business model is crucial to reaching our commitment to Net Positive in carbon and water by 2040. Five key pillars underpin the strategy:

1. understanding our organisational resource flows to reduce waste

2. implementing internal systems to maximise the value of resources

3. supporting our supply chain to progress towards circularity

4. engaging with our customers to help them make circular choices

5. supporting research and innovation to accelerate the global transition to a circular economy

Despite what was a challenging year, we are on track to meet the milestones in our roadmap and continue to forge partnerships to maximise the value of our waste. For example, since the start of 2020, Carrefour Kenya has been working with a local partner to recycle paper, plastic, metal and organic waste. As a result, 92% of their operational waste is now being recycled and over the year has offset 581,221 kg of CO emissions, equivalent to saving a forest area the size of 810 football pitches. Carrefour Georgia has taken on a unique partnership with the Caucasus Bears farm to provide their bears with older fruit and vegetables which can no longer be sold in store.

We have also undertaken a strategic review of the extent to which circular economy principles are embedded into our goods supply chain and started to measure our sources of waste to identify opportunities for improved measurement and reduced waste generation. Based on these, we will provide training and opportunities for closing the loop throughout our business. We hope to be able to systematically scale up this work.

Dr. Christian Haessler, Head, Global Circular Economy Program, Covestro Germany AG

The one most important thing is to get the whole company behind circular in both ACTIONS and MINDSET. Clear objectives and action plans are important, along with clear commitment from top management and guidance for all employees on how to participate and prioritise in such a transformation.

The transformation to a circular economy is comparable to the pathway to climate neutrality. It spans decades, so there is a "before" the transformation, but not yet an "after". To start the transformation, it will help to define circular objectives for the company overall as well as for all areas of the company, so all areas of the company can contribute. Attention has to be paid to sustainability and circular economy KPI setting, supplementing financial KPIs and balancing both. Messaging has to be consistent and repeated by line management. Information and Q&A sessions have to be abundantly offered as well as HR-driven change programs.

A version of this article was originally published on Forbes.

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4 industry leaders on what it takes to go circular - World Economic Forum

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LETTER: When will the housing bubble pop? – BradfordToday

Posted: at 10:42 am

The Housing Sector has been the prime mover in our economy, but it too will falter unless the government becomes involved in actually making "homes" for Canadians, letter-writer says

BradfordToday received the following letter from Steven Kaszabregarding the recent housing market:

Toronto and all of Southern Ontario, along with much of Canada has experienced an awesome increase in prices for their homes. No matter the type of housing, whether it be free homes, twins, condo's or townhomes their prices have skyrocketed in price, but certainly not their true value. What? How can a house price increase but its value does not?

Materials used to build new housing used to cost the same over time. That rule no longer exists. Seen the price of a 2"x4" lately? If you can find such material, its cost has pretty well doubled. Labor to build these houses remains the same.

I am talking about older homes. These were often built at a cost of say $100,000-200,000 but now sell for over a million dollars. Condos and townhomes sell for half a million dollars and upward in Southern Ontario. If one inspects a new house being built and can speak to a builder of these homes you will find materials that are often inferior in thickness, durability, and lasting value. 3/8"-1/2" chipboard instead of 3/4" thick plywood, parts of bricks instead of whole bricks. The men and women who work on times schedules are often contractors who are pressured to finish their work quickly and move on. The trades often work through the evening and night trying to finish their mission, often accomplishing their tasks by cutting corners like doing one coat of paint instead of the approved two coats.

A home built in the 1970-80s that sold for $250,000 then is not truly worth a million dollars, but the demand for a home has escalated the price and profits for their owners. Sure many people look to their homes as a retirement fund, but their need, their greed is leading their region towards a building bubble, a balloon forever inflating until it will pop one day. The developers and their allies in the real estate sector do whatever they can to increase prices and profits for themselves. Like a municipal government that continually institutes more services for their population knowing they can increase the fees and taxes over time. Build and they will buy. Our financial institutions will continue to issue mortgages and loans to these buyers.

Then one day the economy will begin to fail. Three per centgrowth in our national economy is a difficult thing to accomplish in Canada. We have a resource-based economy, with our manufacturing sector shrinking.

Real wealth cannot be created within the service sector. The Housing Sector has been the prime mover in our economy, but it too will falter unless the government becomes involved in actually making "homes" for Canadians. Relying upon the private sector is foolhardy.

Canadians need to move away from large urban areas and inject themselves into smaller cities, towns, and villages creating a need for housing in these communities. An "if we build they will come" attitude may be needed, with a good mix match of quality rental and ownership options. Private Developers will not build affordable housing. The whole reason there is a housing bubble in Southern Ontario rests upon the lack of supply. Why would a private developer build something without the promise of maximizing their profits? The solution on how to make affordable housing a reality throughout Ontario and Canada rests upon the shoulders of our elected officials within the Municipal, Provincial and Federal spheres.

Ontarians,go north, young and old. Create living communities where people are more important than profits.

Steven Kaszab

Bradford, Ontario

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LETTER: When will the housing bubble pop? - BradfordToday

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