Here are the business stories making the headlines across the North-east, Scotland and the UK this morning.
Lego abandons effort to make oil-free bricks
Danish Toymaker Lego has abandoned its effort to ditch oil-based plastics from its bricks after finding that its new material led to higher carbon emissions, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.
Lego found that bricks made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET), would lead to higher carbon emissions.
"We tested hundreds and hundreds of materials. It's just not been possible to find a material like that," Lego Chief Executive Niels Christiansen told the Financial Times.
Sir Keir Starmer ‘no show’ in Aberdeen despite promised summer visit
Sir Keir Starmer is accused of “running scared” after failing to fulfil a promise to visit Aberdeen this summer to discuss controversial plans to end North Sea exploration.
The UK Labour leader is facing pressure to meet with industry and union figures who are worried about his position. He faced a major backlash in June after announcing the party’s energy policy in Edinburgh.
Sir Keir was expected to travel to the north-east during the summer to help allay concerns over the plans.
Three months on, and with summer over, the Labour leader has yet to visit, leading to claims he is avoiding the region.
Farmfoods eyeing up new supermarket on Aberdeen’s King Street
Farmfoods could transform an “eyesore” site on Aberdeen’s King Street into a new supermarket.
The frozen food specialist is considering turning a plot of land at the corner with Don Street into its latest North-east shop.
It would mean the demolition of a 50-year-old former barracks building.
Representatives from the chain recently discussed the plans with Old Aberdeen Community Council, the P&J has revealed.
Scottish businesses back net zero 'but fear ban on oil exploration'
Most Scottish businesses support net zero ambitions but believe stopping oil and gas exploration would harm the economy, a survey has found.
Businesses fear that economic conditions will worsen over the coming year as they deal with higher costs and interest rates, as well as weaker consumer demand, the latest Understanding Business report suggested. The cost of going green and a lack of government financial support are seen as barriers to cutting carbon emissions.
The quarterly survey of more than 500 companies was conducted in August and September by the Diffley Partnership and 56° North. Of the respondents, 74% indicated that stopping oil and gas exploration in UK waters, which is favoured by the SNP-Green government at Holyrood and Keir Starmer’s Labour, would not help the economy.
However, 68% support achieving net zero, despite having concerns about how this will be funded and what technology is required.
UK economy set to slow in second half, says KPMG
The UK economy is heading for a marked slowdown in growth in the second half of the year as high interest rates and policy uncertainty before a general election begin to bite.
In its latest quarterly growth forecast, the professional services firm KPMG said annual economic growth would slip from 0.4% this year to 0.3%, a notable slowdown from the 4.1% growth rate recorded last year when the economy was recovering from the impact of the pandemic.
The forecast, published in The Times, said the UK’s public finances were “fragile” amid pressure from MPs for Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, to embark on a tax-cutting blitz before a general election late next year.
University strikes: Scottish students in limbo as exams still unmarked
Thousands of students across Scotland are stuck in limbo and unable to secure jobs as they are still waiting to receive their degree results months after graduating.
The University and College Union (UCU), which represents more than 120,000 academics and support staff, ended its long-running nationwide marking boycott this month, but a backlog means thousands of exams and essays remain ungraded by lecturers.
Some students who attended graduation ceremonies in June, holding an “empty piece of paper”, may have to wait months to find out their final marks.