Sustainability consultancy Forest Footprint Disclosure (FFD) has released its Forest Footprint Disclosure Annual Review 2012 (undated), which reveals that 100 companies have voluntarily disclosed their forest footprint, an increase of approximately 15% from 2011. According to the report, Colgate-Palmolive Co, Groupe Danone, Gucci and HJ Heinz Company are among those that disclosed their forest footprint for the very first time.

Starting this month, Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APPG) will accept wood that has been grown from plantations only, in a bid to force its 20 suppliers to save Indonesia's natural forest. According to the WSJ, the company originally intended to give its suppliers until 2015 to stop cutting forest but moved that deadline forward in the face of pressure from environmentalists demanding more protection for Indonesia's forests and its endangered inhabitants.

Twitter has made available its latest Transparency Report (undated), which provides information about the number of data requests it received, content removal requests and complaints from copyright holders during the second half of 2012. According to The Guardian, Twitter received data requests from 30 countries, most of which came from the United States and were linked to criminal investigations. Twitter legal policy manager Jeremy Kessel stated that "[it is Twitter's] continued hope that providing greater insight into this information helps in at least two ways: first, to raise public awareness about these invasive requests; second, to enable policy makers to make more informed decisions".

Media and investment research company Corporate Knights has announced that according to its Global 100 list of 100 of the world's most sustainable corporations, Belgium-based materials technology and recycling company Umicore is at the top spot this year, followed by Natura Cosmeticos, Statoil, Neste Oil and Novo Nordisk.

Apple has released the Apple Supplier Responsibility - 2013 Progress Report (January 2013), which contains information about the company's 2012 supplier audits.

Container shipping company Maersk Line has announced that it has reached its 2020 goal of reducing carbon emissions by 25% from its 2007 baseline levels. Maersk chief operating officer Morten Engelstoft stated that the company achieved its target "largely from a combination of operational efficiency, network and voyage optimisation, slow steaming and technical innovation". Having reached its carbon goal eight years ahead of schedule, the company is raising its target to a 40% carbon reduction by 2020, said Mr Engelstoft.

Dow Chemical Co (Dow) is set to go trial and defend itself against charges it conspired to fix prices of chemicals used to make a wide variety of foam products. Dow was one of a number of companies named in the lawsuit which began five years ago, but was the only company not to settle before going to trial. The lawsuit alleges the companies conspired to fix the prices for urethane chemicals when the market began to fall in 1999 and the industry was inundated with excess demand.

Ikea Group (Ikea) will double its investment in renewable energy to US$4 billion by 2020 in its bid to reduce operating costs. Ikea reportedly intends to obtain 100% of the energy consumed at its stores and by subcontractors from renewable sources by 2020. Reportedly, the company owns 250,000 solar panels, most of which are in the United States, and has invested in 126 wind turbines in northern Europe to cover 34% of its energy use.

Forum for the Future (FFTF) has announced that Tata Global Beverages, Unilever, Yorkshire Tea, Finlays, the Ethical Tea Partnership, the Sustainable Trade Initiative, Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade International have come together for the Tea 2030 project, with a view to "understand the key challenges facing the [tea] sector to 2030, and develop creative innovations that will build a successful and sustainable sector across the globe".

Barclays Bank (Barclays) chief executive Antony Jenkins has released "a strict new ethical code of conduct" to Barclays', which is applicable to the bank's 140,000 staff worldwide, highlighting the need for Barclays to become "a values-driven business". Mr Jenkins has reportedly given staff "an ultimatum" that they must quit the bank if they do not agree with the code. According to Sky News, Mr Jenkins admitted that banks had become "too aggressive ... [and] too disconnected from the needs of [their] customers".