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The world’s most ethical clothing brands? No surprise to see Patagonia in the rankings, but Gap is up there in Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Companies ranking too. Ford is way ahead of other car global marques, while two Australian banks are banking honorees. Microsoft and Adobe are up there in the computer software segment, while Electrolux, Ricoh, Texas and Xerox are the most ethical consumer electronics brands.

Fifty one percent of global consumers aged 15 to 39 are willing to pay extra for products and services from socially responsible companies, compared to just 37% of respondents aged over 40, according to Nielsen’s Global Corporate Citizenship Survey.

Angry Birds is extending the brand from digital gaming into the real world by launching a series of theme parks around the globe. First to get Angry Birds kids’ animal-themed playground rides will be the Sarkanniemi Amusement Park in Finland (home country of Angry Birds outfit Rovio).

”We wanted to create a unique themed area and associate it with a strong and well-known brand”, says Miikka Seppala, md of Sarkanniemi Adventure Park. ”The Angry Birds characters were born in Finland but known worldwide by people of all ages.”

During SXSW, Nokia planted a worthy 44,000 trees in Texas – after a bad year of wildfires in the state – thanks to the mobile brand’s #ijustplantedatree campaign, writes Maria Stadtmueller.

“During our time at the Interactive portion of SXSW, we invited 50 of our favourite Twitter friends to help us out in our mission,” the brand says prior to the event. “They will take part in a 48-hour online Twitter challenge using the hashtag #ijustplantedatree.

France has one of the lowest levels of retail love, with UK consumers also only lightly attached to the sector, according to research from Havas Media and MPG Media Contacts Meaningful Brands analysis. People in Latin America and Asia Pacific demonstrate the highest levels of brand attachment towards retail. When thinking about retail outlets, consumers in Latin America and Asia Pacific focus on factors such as the community, job creation and the environment.

Eighty four percent of Chinese and three quarters of Indian consumers believe it is the responsibility of companies rather than governments to solve social and environmental issues, according to Havas Media’s ASPAC Meaningful Brands survey. But just two-thirds of respondents in China feel that they can make a difference to how companies behave, compared to 71% in India.

UK consumers are pessimistic about the year ahead, with 43% expecting the UK economy to be worse in the next 12 months, according to the Feeling The Pinch survey conducted by The Futures Company.

Guvera, the digital music platform which lets advertisers curate their own music channels, has launched its My Soundtrack Facebook app, designed to let brands boost their social marketing efforts by promoting a personalised playlist on their Facebook pages. Brands can embed and refresh playlists to keep followers and fans checking back to hear what’s new.