Supply Chain
How leading companies, NGOs and solution providers are working to address the myriad issues that can arise in any supply chain.
New Platform to Help Apparel Brands Illuminate Darkest Corners of Supply Chains
Laudes Foundation’s Transparency in Action portal features best practices, expert advice, tools and resources — including information on existing and upcoming legislation — for brands to take informed steps towards transparency and expand their current efforts.
EU Proposes Plan to Hold Companies Accountable for Human Rights Violations
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. The Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence would oblige companies to identify, prevent, and mitigate human rights and environmental violations in their value chain. But there is debate over whether companies can be reasonably expected to control their entire value chain, down to the smallest suppliers.
From Shores to Shelves: Codifying Ocean Plastic Supply Chains
Brands committed to increasing sustainability by putting ocean plastic to good use deserve the infrastructure and data they need to verify their products and meet the standards that consumers demand.
Knorr Gives Our Favorite Comfort Food a Planet-Friendlier Makeover
Cross-Posted from Product, Service & Design Innovation. Knorr’s ‘Plizza’ is the brand’s updated take on the classic dish that features plant-based, nutrient-rich ingredients from crust to toppings — in honor of World Eat for Good Day.
Meat Industry Conditions Still Perfect Petri Dishes for Next Pandemic
Marking two years of COVID-19, new research from FAIRR warns failure to improve crowded, high-stress conditions in animal agriculture fosters ideal breeding ground for new, zoonotic diseases.
Report: Regenerative Ag Practices Fundamental to Long-Term Health of Fashion and Textile Industries
Far from simply the latest buzzword, regenerative agriculture is an opportunity for brands to invest in a fundamentally different system that drives numerous benefits for people and the planet — from boosting climate resilience and reversing biodiversity loss to prioritizing justice, equity and sustainable livelihoods.
Driscoll’s Working to Scale Circular Plastics Economy, from Field to Clamshell
Cross-Posted from Chemistry, Materials & Packaging. Driscoll’s leads the produce industry in increasing the circularity of packaging and landfill diversion of agricultural plastics. It’s the first berry company to make public commitments and inject serious funding into innovation — with a goal to create economies of scale.
When It Comes to Sustainable Cotton, Transparency Is Material
Raw material sourcing is more important than ever. Evolving attitudes among brands, retailers and consumers are creating demand for greater sustainability and transparency — starting at the seed and throughout the entire supply chain.
Thai Coconut Giant Partners to Root a Rare Type of Labor Abuse Out of Its Supply Chain
It seems human rights abuses aren’t the only labor issues companies need to watch out for in their supply chains. Here, Thailand-based Theppadungporn Coconut Company details how it partnered to create the first audit scheme specifically designed to uncover monkey labor.
Climate Action Plans: How Do We Know If We’re Making Real Progress?
Cross-Posted from Walking the Talk. In our experience, it’s challenging to proceed from knowing your company’s emissions profile to crafting a climate action plan to reduce it. Successful companies will adopt the right mix of strategies for them — which is where the bigger challenge comes in.
Different Paths, Common Goal: How More Companies Are Providing Living Wages
Paying living wages throughout supply chains can mean changing business models, which can seem insurmountable. But a series of case studies from IDH shows how companies and coalitions are making real progress on their commitments.
5 Consumer Trends That Will Shape How Brands Source, Produce Goods in 2022
Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. Consumer insights demonstrate need for brands to make good on their sustainability and human rights claims, and make it even easier for shoppers to shop their values.
Tony’s Chocolonely Aiming to Spark Further ‘Conversation’ with UK Chocolate Lovers
Cross-Posted from Marketing and Comms. The ethical chocolate maker has released three ‘Conversation Bars’ — available exclusively online and at Waitrose through January 25 — designed to provoke discussion around systemic issues in the chocolate supply chain.
European Retail Giants Drop Brazilian Beef Over Deforestation Linked to Meat Giant JBS
The move comes following an investigation by Repórter Brasil and Mighty Earth that tracked deforestation-linked beef to European retail store shelves. JBS, the world’s largest beef producer, has long been on the radar of environmental NGOs and forward-looking investors due to its destructive practices.
Cotton Laundering Shows Risk of Business as Usual with China
China’s importance to global supply chains as a key source of raw materials and labor puts brands at high risk of inadvertently supporting forced labor. Right now, the focus is on the garment industry; but other industries should pay close attention and ensure they are closely monitoring their entire supply chains.
Integration Technology Can Improve Resiliency, Sustainability in Supply Chain Management
The pandemic-induced supply chain hurdles represent a reboot opportunity for companies. Here, we examine how companies can leverage modern integration technology to both improve supply chain performance and address sustainable supply-chain management practices.
Attention, Business Leaders: Environmental Rights, Human Rights Inextricably Linked
Cross-Posted from Walking the Talk. Perhaps the takeaway of the week is that the ‘next 10 years’ of business and human rights coincide with the 2030 deadline for us to halve carbon emissions — and that environmental rights are now very clearly seen as human rights. Companies pursuing a net-zero strategy must make human rights central, too.
2021 a ‘Landmark’ for Corporate Human Rights Litigation
Cross-Posted from Walking the Talk. On day two of the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights, delegates discussed how environmental damage is being viewed as a human rights violation in a growing number of court cases around the world — and that the UN Guiding Principles may increasingly be criteria in court judgements.
Where Is the New Roadmap for Business and Human Rights Taking Us?
As delegates from the UN launched the roadmap at day one of this year's Business and Human Rights Forum, full respect for human rights by business was described as a strategic — not just an operational — issue, requiring a change of corporate culture and of business models.
Natural Resources: Brands Partnering with Indigenous Communities on Forest Conservation
Cross-Posted from Collaboration. Consumer goods brands and retailers aiming to diminish their climate impacts or even become forest positive can find cost-effective solutions to protect forests when they partner with indigenous communities on the ground.
