Well, that didn't last very long. About a month after announcing a major exclusive deal with retailer Target, Lady Gaga has dissolved the partnership citing Target's corporate culture of anti-gay rights political donations.

The announcement comes after Gaga began receiving a great deal criticism from her fans for partnering with a retailer that, while supporting of gay equality on the surface, funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars over recent years to stridently anti-gay rights politicians. Unfortunately for Target, the Gaga deal collapse is a PR disaster, and the the brand would have been better off never having partnered with her at all.Continue reading...

When it comes to climate change, consider the conversion of Admiral David Titley, Chief Oceanographer and Navigator of the US Navy. The former climate skeptic is now a climate crusader, convinced that this issue is the greatest challenge of the 21st century.

According to one estimate, about two-thirds of Interbrand's latest ranking of the top 100 best global brands could step up on the climate change front.

The research firm's new "Cool Brands versus Hot Brands" report (here's a .pdf) assesses the world's leading brands on their current and long-term policies around sustainability, carbon emissions, and specifically climate change.

An estimated 69% lack adequate policies, management systems and reporting, according to the analysis by EIRIS, which is short for Experts in Responsible Investment Solutions.Continue reading...

Marking National Breakfast Day in America, Kellogg’s hosted a kick-off event this morning with actress Melissa Joan Hart and its beloved cereal brand mascots, Tony the Tiger and Snap! Crackle! and Pop!, at New York's Grand Central Terminal.

It was more than just a feel-good photo opp and welcoming committee to offer free breakfasts to commuters flooding into Manhattan.Continue reading...

Marks & Spencer will open its most sustainable store to date, in Sheffield, England, next month. As outlined in its press release, it will be the first of a number of "Sustainable Learning" stores.

In the video above, Mike Barry, the retailer's head of corporate responsibility, explains its green commitment. Dubbed Plan A, it's an innovative eco and ethical program that aims to make M&S the world's most sustainable major retailer by 2015.Continue reading...

Tuesday, March 8th, marks the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. On behalf of the Avon Foundation, the brand's global ambassador since 2007, actress Reese Witherspoon, is being featured in a new PSA campaign that speaks out against domestic violence.Continue reading...

P&G is celebrating its first ever Global Diversity & Inclusion Week. Chairman and CEO Bob McDonald comments, "At P&G, we believe that Diversity and Inclusion is part of our DNA and in all that we do. It is explicit in our growth strategy which is to touch and improve more consumers' lives, in more parts of the world, more completely."

Otherwise, he notes, "we're going to miss opportunities to innovate, opportunities to delight* our consumers. If we don't do this well, we will not be able to communicate the purpose and benefits of our brands in ways that resonate with our consumers."

* a word we're hearing a lot lately.

Last week we saw GoodGuide come out with sustainability grades and give Levi Strauss an A for do-gooder denim moves.

Today sees the formal launch of an industry-based Sustainable Apparel Coalition, an almost unimaginable collection of commercial companies (including Levi Strauss) and brands, governmental agencies, and nonprofit organizations. The group is out to change the world by developing a set of common metrics and standards.

They may not have the flashiest logo, but they have bigger aims: namely, to develop "a comprehensive database of the environmental impact of every manufacturer, component and process in apparel production, with the aim of using that information to eventually give every garment a sustainability score," according to the New York Times.Continue reading...

"Part of my deal with Target is that they have to start affiliating themselves with LGBT charity groups and begin to reform and make amends for the mistakes they've made in the past...our relationship is hinged upon their reform in the company to support the gay community and to redeem the mistakes they've made supporting those groups." — Lady Gaga talks to Billboard for a cover story about the exclusive deal with Target for Born This Way, her upcoming album.

The big-box retailer last year angered the gay community after corporate donations to an organization supporting anti-gay policies and political candidates came to light last year, for which its CEO was forced to apologize. Billboard posts a transcript of its reporter's conversation with Target's VP of public relations about Lady Gaga's statements here.

(h/t Jezebel)