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	<title>Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 &#187; News</title>
	<link>http://www.cslondon.org</link>
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		<title>Commission statement on Play Fair report and factory conditions</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 today welcomes positive action but challenged LOCOG to explain delays in acting to prevent labour standards infringements in LOCOG merchandise. Following the release of the Playfair Campaign and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) report which details extensive workers’ rights infringements in two Chinese factories which make London 2012 merchandise, LOCOG has now agreed to embark on a wide-ranging programme that will build on work that has gone further than any previous games’ organisers in tackling workers’ rights. The Commission welcomes this move by LOCOG. Shaun McCarthy, Chair of the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 said, “LOCOG and Playfair have shown that real change in this challenging area is possible with commitment. Their joint action plan is ground-breaking and they should be congratulated. We will only see improvements in labour standards in the events industry when organisers are prepared to go the extra step, and today’s joint agreement is just that.” However the Commission does question why it has taken the release of an undercover dossier to push LOCOG into action. The Commission has pressed LOCOG for months over core issues including full disclosure of its supply chain. “We advised LOCOG to require &#8230; <div class="readMore"><a href="http://www.cslondon.org/2012/02/commission-statement-on-play-fair-report-and-factory-conditions/" class="arrow">Read more </a></div>]]></description>
		<link>http://www.cslondon.org/2012/02/commission-statement-on-play-fair-report-and-factory-conditions/</link>
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		<title>Commission publishes sustainable Games preparations review</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The Commission has published a review detailing what London 2012 organisers are doing to ensure sustainability standards are met during the Games-time period, and setting out recommendations where further work is needed.   The review, titled In Sight of the Finishing Line, focuses on how London 2012 is preparing to deliver the time-critical sustainability challenges facing organisers during the Games, and recommends areas for immediate improvement or action.   Overall, the Commission finds that good progress has been made towards meeting many sustainability commitments. London 2012 has committed to be the ‘most sustainable Games to date’ and has put robust plans in place to achieve this. There has been effective use of innovation in almost every area. LOCOG and ODA Transport achieving certification to BS 8901 – the British Standard specification for a sustainability management system for events – and the GLA City Operations team working towards certification is the first time any Olympic and Paralympic Games has achieved a standard like this. It is also a first for any major international event.  There is evidence that London is on track to achieving this significant goal, such as the impressive work towards its zero waste commitment, and the delivery of the food vision. &#8230; <div class="readMore"><a href="http://www.cslondon.org/2012/02/commission-publishes-sustainable-games-preparations-review/" class="arrow">Read more </a></div>]]></description>
		<link>http://www.cslondon.org/2012/02/commission-publishes-sustainable-games-preparations-review/</link>
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		<title>Commission statement on ticket-printing contract</title>
		<description><![CDATA[It has been reported in the press that LOCOG has awarded the ticket-printing contract to the American company Weldon, Williams &#38; Lick. The Commission is not involved in LOCOG’s procurement process, and was consequently not involved in the decision to select a printer for the tickets.  However, the Commission is keen to understand how sustainability issues were factored into the decision to appoint Weldon, Williams &#38; Lick, given that transporting tickets from the US to the UK will result in carbon emissions, regardless of the mode of transport.  The Commission will be asking LOCOG to confirm how sustainability considerations were taken into account during the procurement process; in particular focusing on the environmental sustainability of transporting the tickets from abroad. The Commission will also be asking LOCOG about the employment value that the contract represents, in light of the 2012 Games’ aim to provide employment opportunities within the UK.    The preliminary advice from LOCOG to the Commission is that British companies were invited to tender for the contract, and that the contract was awarded on the basis that the company met all of their criteria around security, budget and scale and has specialist systems in place to personalise, print &#8230; <div class="readMore"><a href="http://www.cslondon.org/2012/02/commission-statement-on-ticket-printing-contract/" class="arrow">Read more </a></div>]]></description>
		<link>http://www.cslondon.org/2012/02/commission-statement-on-ticket-printing-contract/</link>
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		<title>Shaun McCarthy clarifies media inaccuracies re stadium wrap procurement</title>
		<description><![CDATA[There is a great deal of inaccurate reporting surrounding Meredith Alexander’s decision to quit the Commission. We were sad to see her go but respected her decision. However, her resignation has sparked a media flurry that largely failed to understand the Commission’s true role. We are not an apologist for Dow, LOCOG or any other company, but an independent body whose remit focuses solely on whether the London 2012 Games will deliver its commitments towards a sustainable games and legacy. •   The media have reported Meredith as saying the Commission ‘publicly repeated Dow’s line that it bears no responsibility for Bhopal’. This is untrue: we have never made any kind of statement, supportive or otherwise, on Dow’s relationship to the Bhopal disaster.  •   So what does the Commission do? We provide assurance over everything from employment in the host boroughs to the catering during Games-time. We analysed green energy choices, argued against the use of HFCs on the Olympic sites, and reviewed waste management plans. Our reports and reviews are not just passed around the Games organisers; they are publicly available for anyone to read, and we actively promote our recommendations. We’re also not afraid to call out organisers and sponsors when we have objective &#8230; <div class="readMore"><a href="http://www.cslondon.org/2012/02/shaun-mccarthy-clarifies-media-inaccuracies-re-stadium-wrap-procurement/" class="arrow">Read more </a></div>]]></description>
		<link>http://www.cslondon.org/2012/02/shaun-mccarthy-clarifies-media-inaccuracies-re-stadium-wrap-procurement/</link>
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		<title>Statement in relation to resignation of Meredith Alexander</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Following the resignation of Meredith Alexander, a Commissioner advising on supply chains and behaviour change, Shaun McCarthy, Chair of the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012, said: “I am grateful for the work and support that Meredith Alexander has provided to the Commission. I fully respect her decision to resign so she can shine the spotlight on the plight of the victims. I share Meredith’s views that what happened in Bhopal is an appalling human tragedy. I believe that this issue has raised wider questions about corporate behaviour, past and present, and how ethical issues are effectively factored into decision making. As per our remit, the Commission did provide retrospective assurance of LOCOG’s procurement of the stadium wrap and found that they had followed their processes and had opted for the most sustainable solution available out of the six companies that tendered. The issues raised by Dow Chemical’s supply of the wrap challenges organisations to consider new approaches that incorporate a broader range of ethical issues into decision making. This is why we agreed at our Commission meeting in January, at which Meredith was a constructive contributor, to address this in our forthcoming Annual Review. It is disappointing that Meredith &#8230; <div class="readMore"><a href="http://www.cslondon.org/2012/01/statement-in-relation-to-resignation-of-meredith-alexander/" class="arrow">Read more </a></div>]]></description>
		<link>http://www.cslondon.org/2012/01/statement-in-relation-to-resignation-of-meredith-alexander/</link>
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		<title>Statement in response to article in The Sun (19 January 2012)</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Statement in response to article in The Sun (19 January 2012) on alleged breaches of LOCOG’s Sustainable Sourcing Code in relation to Olympic and Paralympic merchandise. The Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 is seriously concerned about the alleged breaches published in The Sun today in relation to workers’ rights and working conditions in a manufacturing facility in China responsible for making Olympic and Paralympic merchandise. The Commission will be working with all relevant stakeholders to ensure this issue is resolved quickly, decisively and transparently and we will be making further comment in the coming days.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.cslondon.org/2012/01/statement-in-response-to-article-in-the-sun-19-january-2012/</link>
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		<title>Commission full response to Tessa Jowell MP</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The Commission has conducted a review of LOCOG&#8217;s procurement of the stadium wrap and the selection of Dow Chemical as the wrap supplier. During the review, the Commission received a letter from The Rt. Hon. Tessa Jowell MP asking a number of questions about this procurement. We have now completed the review and our response to Ms. Jowell forms the Commission&#8217;s position. The response can be read in full here.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.cslondon.org/2011/12/commission-full-response-to-tessa-jowell-mp/</link>
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		<title>Commission statement on the Active Travel Programme</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The London 2012 Active Travel Programme was launched by LOCOG in October 2011. The Commission is pleased to see a comprehensive set of walking and cycling routes available for Londoners and visitors to use in the lead up to Games-time, during the Games and after the Games are over. We are satisfied that there are adequate plans for bike parking at the Olympic Park and that all reasonable efforts have been made to enable people to reach venues by walking and cycling wherever possible. The London 2012 Active Travel website adequately signposts people to other information sources including a map of private bike hire venues and to the Transport for London Active Travel website. The Commission has previously noted that spectators travelling to the Games will be allocated free public transport and that this principle should be extended to spectators wishing to hire cycles.[i] We have now been advised that this would be logistically very costly and therefore is not a practical solution.  However, we note that the Mayor&#8217;s cycle hire scheme is already free of charge for the first 30 minutes, after an initial fee is paid for access to the scheme of £1 per day. We understand that the majority of casual users &#8230; <div class="readMore"><a href="http://www.cslondon.org/2011/12/commission-statement-on-the-active-travel-programme/" class="arrow">Read more </a></div>]]></description>
		<link>http://www.cslondon.org/2011/12/commission-statement-on-the-active-travel-programme/</link>
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		<title>Commission responds to letter from Tessa Jowell MP</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The Commission today received a letter from the Rt. Hon. Tessa Jowell MP requesting information about the Commission’s work in respect of Dow Chemical Company and it’s sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games’ Stadium Wrap. The contents of this letter have been posted on Ms Jowell’s website, and published here. The Commission has provided an interim response to Ms Jowell, which is also published here.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.cslondon.org/2011/11/commission-responds-to-letter-from-tessa-jowell-mp/</link>
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		<title>Commission interim statement on wrap sponsor</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The Commission is aware that a number of stakeholders, including Amnesty International and the Labour Friends of India, have voiced concerns regarding the IOC worldwide partner Dow Chemical and its involvement in the 2012 Games. The Commission’s remit does not extend to passing judgement on the corporate behaviour of any of the commercial partners contributing to the Games. Nonetheless, the Commission is speaking to key parties to fully understand the origins of these concerns, and we will form our advice to the 2012 Games&#8217; organisers accordingly. Where we consider it necessary and appropriate, we will make a further public statement in due course. The Commission’s expectation at all times is that any company that embraces the Olympic and Paralympic values should be an ambassador for these in all aspects of their business.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.cslondon.org/2011/11/commission-interim-statement-on-wrap-sponsor/</link>
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