Supply Chain
How leading companies, NGOs and solution providers are working to address the myriad issues that can arise in any supply chain.
Addressing SDG 5: 5 Steps to Promote Gender Equality in the Supply Chain
In 2015, the world got one step closer to a better future when 193 countries committed to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a framework for addressing the global community’s most critical economic, social and environmental challenges. These goals aim to eliminate poverty and hunger, promote global access to healthcare and education, protect earth’s natural resources, achieve gender equality, and more.
Nespresso Pilots Weather Index Insurance Program for Colombian Smallholder Coffee Farmers
Nespresso has partnered with Blue Marble Microinsurance — a startup with the mission of providing socially impactful, commercially viable insurance protection to the underserved and incorporated by nine insurance entities — to launch a pilot weather index insurance program for smallholder coffee farmers in Colombia.
4 Steps to Building a Brand That Supports Smallholder Farmers
This summer, whilst working in Barbados, I got my hands on an old drum set and learnt how to play the classic four-on-the-floor disco beat. It felt great to (just about) crack something so quickly, partly because it makes a nice change from the day job — building ethical brands, which takes a lot longer than a couple of weeks.
Tips from Dr. Bronner’s, Sun World, Wrangler on Advancing Regenerative Ag Supply Chains
The winds are changing. Companies that have operated many steps removed from the farms and people that produce their raw materials are building stronger connections to their agricultural supply chains. This shift stems from interest to replenish soil and water supplies, and boost overall resilience and output through regenerative and thriving agriculture. Pure Strategies’ latest report, Connecting to the Farm, points to the best practices companies are using to get closer to the farm while advancing these critical sustainability aims and gaining valuable business benefits.
Greenpeace Finds US Retailers Have Vastly Improved Seafood Sustainability — in Some Areas
The 10th edition of Greenpeace’s Carting Away the Oceans report, released this week, found that while grocery retailers across the US have vastly improved on providing sustainable seafood, many have largely failed to take significant action on other issues pertinent to achieving sustainability in this area.
Reversing Supply Chain's Race to the Bottom
In 1911, the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire trapped over 200 mostly female workers in a New York factory after a scrap bin set the 10-story building ablaze. Many garment workers were unable to escape as the factory owners locked doors to stairwells and exits to limit unauthorized breaks and reduce theft. As a result, 145 workers perished and over 70 more were injured.
Counter Culture Coffee Gets FRANK! About Living Wages for Farmers
Counter Culture Coffee has released its annual Transparency Report, along with a limited-edition blend that highlights the true average price farmers are paid for their coffee; Counter Culture is the only roaster in the industry to provide this level of transparency into its sourcing model. "Viewing our business through a lens of sustainability has been an important aspect to our success for more than two decades," explained Brett Smith, founder and president of Counter Culture. "By sharing this report, we create accountability for ourselves — leading to a greater level of trust with our partners."
6 Considerations to Create a Sustainable, Ethical Fashion Brand
When Otero Menswear first decided to create an innovative, fashion-forward line of menswear, promoting both style and confidence, we were also committed to manufacturing every article of clothing with a high respect for both the environment and the people who are involved in every stage of manufacturing. As reasonable as these goals may seem, it turns out that the odds were stacked against us … but with a little heart and soul, we found a way. This article is to give you some tips on how you, too, can find a way through an industry that seems dead set on continuing in its harmful ways.
U.S. Biggest Purchaser of Goods At Risk of Being Produced Through Forced Labor
According to a new report, one in every 800 people in the United States is working under forced labor conditions. The findings are part of the Global Slavery Index 2018, the world’s most comprehensive research on modern slavery, launched Thursday by the Walk Free Foundation. The Index revealed that today, more than 400,000 people are working as modern slaves in the United States.
New Projects in Guatemala, Australia Sweetening Sugar Industry Sustainability Practices
Sugar has been a hot topic the past few years due to artificial and natural sweeteners entering the market and growing concerns about obesity and children’s health. The U.S.
Microsoft, Tiffany & Co Lead Global Agreement on Responsible Industrial-Scale Mining
Led by leading companies Anglo American, ArcelorMittal, Microsoft and Tiffany & Co — and after a full decade of consultation among large numbers of stakeholders from the mining industry, organized labor, nonprofits, impacted communities and businesses — a global Standard for Responsible Mining was released today.
How a Practical Guide to Sourcing Sustainable Cotton Could Help Transform the Industry
‘I would like to source more sustainable cotton, but I’m not quite sure where to start. There seems to be an awful lot of standards out there, and I’m not quite sure what the differences are between them.’ ‘I’d like to increase the volumes of sustainable cotton I buy, but I’m worried about sourcing different types of sustainable cotton — does a portfolio approach work?’ ‘I want to source sustainable cotton. I just want this to be easy. I wonder how other brands are doing it.’ These are real challenges, from real people working for real brands and retailers, big and small, across the world.
Intel, HP, Apple Named Leaders in Taking Action Against Forced Labor in Tech
KnowTheChain has released its second ranking of the top 40 global information and communications technology (ICT) companies on their efforts and disclosure related to eradicating forced labor.
New Index Uses Data from Suppliers to Rate Brands and Retailers
What if rating brands and retailers, and not just suppliers, is the key to better supply chains? That is the goal behind a new index from Better Buying. The index provides sustainability professionals with previously inaccessible data about supply chains, as it empowers suppliers themselves to assess purchasing practices of 65 brands and retailers in the global apparel, footwear and household textiles industries globally.
How Driscoll's Is Creating Shared Value in Berry Supply Chains
The buyer-supplier relationship is changing in more ways than you might imagine. Consumers and retailers are increasingly demanding that suppliers demonstrate their sustainability: How are buyers and suppliers collectively adapting to changes in the market, as well as labor and environmental pressures? My conversation with Kelley Bell, VP of social and environmental impact at Driscoll’s, provided insight into how large food brands are approaching these challenges and what the conversation is like among leading businesses as they work to create shared value with and for their suppliers.
WAP: Helping Companies Navigate Hot Spots in Quest for Supply Chain Transparency
WAP Sustainability Consulting works with manufacturers and brands to help them meet customers’ expectations on sustainability – specifically around life cycle assessment (LCA), carbon management and product ingredient transparency, particularly in regards to chemicals management. We spoke with founder William Paddock to learn more about these current hot spots in the ongoing quest for supply chain transparency. What are some of the key issues or buzzwords of concern for companies right now? William Paddock: I tend to see organizations struggling with three things:
Farmers Are the Linchpin to Food Companies' Sustainable Sourcing Goals
Tyson Foods, the largest meat company in the U.S., is starting to step up to the plate on sustainability and respond to pressure from investors and consumers to tackle water risks in its supply chain. Recently, the company made a commitment to improve the water, soil and fertilizer practices in its far-flung feed grain supply chain — impacting more than two million acres of corn production by 2020, or about half of its corn supply chain. The measures have strong potential to both improve water quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Tyson’s move sends a strong signal to the rest of the meat sector that driving down the massive environmental impacts of growing animal feed is a smart business strategy.
New Tech Platform Makes Sustainability ‘Common Objective’ for Fashion Companies
A new digital platform aims to make sustainable business decisions easier for the fashion industry. By matching actors along the supply chain and providing data-driven, solutions-focused information, Common Objective (CO) hopes to improve the day-to-day practices of textiles and clothing companies around the world.
eKutir: The Human-Digital Platform Curating the Future of Food
As we get ready to select our semi-finalists for the 2018 Sustainable Brands Innovation Open, we wanted to check in with last year’s semi-finalists to learn about the impacts they continue to have on the business world. Here, we catch up with eKutir Global.
The Hundred People Behind Your Favorite Pair of Jeans
Have you ever stopped to think about how many people were involved in making the clothes you buy? Chances are you have heard about or read The Travels of a T-shirt in a Global Economy or listened to Planet Money’s piece on making a t-shirt. Both are incredibly interesting examinations of the effects of global trade on the fashion industry, developing countries and garment workers.