Supply Chain
How leading companies, NGOs and solution providers are working to address the myriad issues that can arise in any supply chain.
Research: Supply Chain Performance, Not Profitability, Behind Food Firms' Traceability Schemes
According to a new study by the University of Milan, voluntarily implemented food traceability schemes are linked to a motivation to enhance information, safety and quality management with supply chains rather than a need to maximize profits.
BASF, Cargill, P&G, GIZ Team Up to Transform Coconut Oil Supply Chain
BASF, Cargill, Procter & Gamble and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH have joined together in a development partnership under the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development's (BMZ) develoPPP.de program. The partnership will help establish a sustainably certified and transparent supply chain of coconut oil in the Philippines and Indonesia.
Consumer Goods Forum Shares Best Practices to Eradicate Forced Labor from Global Supply Chains
In a bid to eradicate forced labor in global supply chains, a problem that affects 21 million people worldwide, The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) has released a new report, Business Actions Against Forced Labor, highlighting best practices in tackling the issue.
Mondelēz International Revs Up Forest Protection Efforts in Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire
Mondelēz International continues to make moves to clean up its cocoa supply chains by teaming up with governments across West Africa in an effort to tackle the problem of deforestation.
Ejido Verde: Protecting a Supply Chain While Empowering Indigenous Communities
Big news from Mexico – a groundbreaking regenerative economy project has just become official. The Patamban indigenous community, part of the Purepecha nation in the state of Michoacán, will be the chief beneficiaries of what will be a 12,000-hectare plantation producing a valuable commodity: pine resin.
How Cargill, Solidaridad Are Cultivating a Sustainable Palm Oil Industry in Colombia
The palm oil industry is undergoing a major transformation with public and private stakeholders ramping up efforts to make sustainability an industry mainstay. Last month Greenpeace suspended its active campaign against IOI Group after the palm oil producer announced plans to eliminate deforestation and exploitation from its supply chain. And earlier this week, BNP Paribas rolled out a new palm oil policy that sets responsible palm oil production as a pre-condition for financing.
3M Report Reveals Better Supplier Engagement Could Help Drive Innovation
Supplier collaboration and sustainability can drive innovation and growth in top supply chains, but only 43 percent of suppliers feel fully empowered to collaborate with their partners, says new research from 3M. Surveying 237 suppliers across the U.S., the report uncovers insight on the most urgent trends, opportunities and challenges facing suppliers today.
50 Major Companies Band Together to Stomp Out Illegal Tuna, Forced Labor
Fifty of the world’s largest businesses, retailers and fishing companies from across the tuna supply chain have banded together to stamp out illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in their industry, protect the health of oceans and eliminate forced labor from fishing vessels.
Walmart’s Project Gigaton: How to Get Started on Your Own Sustainability Journey
Recently, Walmart announced a bold initiative to cut a gigaton (aka 1 billion tons) of emissions from its supply chain. Achieving this moonshot will require many companies to act — and given the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, the timing couldn’t be better. I’m often asked, “Why did Walmart do this?” My 25 years of working with companies tells me the answer is obvious: Because it’s good for business!
New CDP Data Reveals US Suppliers Represent One-Third Global Carbon-Reduction Opportunities
Back in January, CDP released its annual Global Supply Chain Report 2017, highlighting the work of businesses around the world in helping reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In 2016 alone, the world’s largest purchasing organizations used their buying clout to drive down emissions by 434 million tons of CO2 — more than France’s total GHG emissions in 2014.
New MSC Report Spotlights Certification's Role in Delivering the SDGs
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has released a new report highlighting the positive impact certification can have in delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The MSC Global Impacts Report 2017 details more than a thousand examples of positive change being made by certified fisheries to safeguard fish stocks and marine habitats.
Sainsbury’s Ruffles Certifiers' Feathers with Launch of In-House ‘Fairly Traded’ Label
British supermarket group Sainsbury’s has launched its own in-house sustainability standard, provoking backlash from The Fairtrade Foundation and Fairtrade producers alike.
L'Oréal, McDonald's Commit to Nix Deforestation from Commodity Supply Chains
Forests play a critical role in mitigating global climate change and deforestation is responsible for 10-15 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, as well as habitat loss and social conflict. With the development of the Paris Agreement on climate change and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the protection of forests has become a top priority for policymakers, investors and consumers.
What about the ‘S’ in ESG? New Guidelines for Evaluating Companies’ Social Performance
When it comes down to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, more and more investors are looking at how companies perform on human rights. Guarding long-term investments against a potential fallout from social grievances has become part of their fiduciary duty.
Canopy, Rainforest Alliance Launch First-Ever Audit for Rayon-Viscose Supply Chain
Cotton is often king in discussions surrounding the creation of a more sustainable apparel industry, yet over 120 million trees are felled every year — 30 percent of which originate from ancient and endangered forests — to produce textiles such as viscose and rayon.
Q&A: Tim Greiner on the Key Players in the Sustainable Agriculture Revolution
By 2050, our global population will grow by more than 2 billion, which will require 70 percent more food. In addition to rising demand, companies are facing increasing scrutiny on the environmental impacts across their value chains. While improvements in processing and packaging are helping brands progress on sustainability, interventions at farm level are essential for driving real change. We recently spoke with Pure Strategies’ Co-Founder and Managing Director, Tim Greiner, to learn more about how brands and farmers both are working together to usher the industry towards a more sustainable future.
Wrangler Launches Soil Health Pilot Program to Bolster Sustainable Cotton Supply
The fashion and textile industry is in the midst of a paradigm shift with key industry stakeholders working to drive sustainable cotton towards the mainstream.
Groundbreaking Digital Platform Helps Businesses Identify Climate Risks Across the Value Chain
A new digital transparency tool is making it easier than ever for businesses to pinpoint climate change risks along their supply chains. Launched by data specialists Everycs, the open-source data platform Makersite is the first of its kind and allows users to map carbon footprints and assess environmental impacts at different stages of the value chain.
Coalition Calls on Fashion Industry to Adopt Transparency Pledge
Human Rights Watch is calling on the fashion industry to adopt and carry out the Apparel and Footwear Supply Chain Transparency Pledge. The organization contacted 72 apparel companies, asking them to publish information identifying the factories that produce their goods, addressing a key obstacle to rooting out abusive labor practices across the industry and helping to prevent disasters such as the Rana Plaza collapse.
Fashion Transparency Index Reveals Even Top Brands Lagging in Supply Chain Transparency
Four years after the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in which 1,134 people were killed, Fashion Revolution has released its 2017 Fashion Transparency Index, which ranks 100 of the biggest fashion companies on their social and environmental policies, practices and impacts.