INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
Earlier this year, the World Bank announced a fundamental shift in its role of alleviating global poverty, by refocusing its financing efforts towards tackling climate change through the lens of SMEs. Last month, the group launched a new Climate Business Innovation Network (CBIN) during COP22 in Marrakech to help commercialize and diffuse clean technologies through developing countries.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
According to a recent survey of 287 sustainability professionals, working conditions are the most important sustainability issue in supply chains. That’s not too surprising; in the short time it’s taken to read this far, 153 people around the world have had a work-related accident.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
Yesterday, the European Commission (EC) announced it will begin phasing out coal subsidies and reduce carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2030 under a new clean energy package.
STAKEHOLDER TRENDS AND INSIGHTS -
On 21 September, Alliance 8.7 was launched during the UN General Assembly to end forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking and child labour. The aim is to galvanize political support and strengthen multi-stakeholder action on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8.7.
Taco Terheijden, Director of Cocoa Sustainability at Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate, reflects on the importance of SDG 8.7 and how the new Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation System within the Cargill Cocoa Promise will strengthen its efforts to tackle child labour and forced labour in the cocoa supply chain.
PRESS RELEASE -
Eastman team members are committed to investing in their communities, no matter where they are. At the Kohtla-Järve (KJ) site, team members have been involved in a number of endeavors that have made an impact in that small Estonian community.
Eastman began observing Earth Day events in 2013 in KJ. Volunteers recently used their time and talent to continue a tree planting project that was started last year.
In a commitment to environmental stewardship, 10 trees were planted last year in front of the administrative building, and another 10 trees were added this year.
PRESS RELEASE -
Finding meaningful work just got a little easier for thousands of Arizona residents when Goodwill of Central Arizona and Valley-based non-profit
Career Connectors announced today they would enter into partnership to help better serve those in career transition in the greater Phoenix area.
Goodwill, with 19 no-cost career centers across the Valley, has been extremely successful at helping local jobseekers find employment. Their career centers are funded through donations and Goodwill retail stores.
PRESS RELEASE -
Bank of America today announced a $40 million commitment to connect 100,000 teens and young adults to the skills and employment experiences needed for 21st-century jobs. Over the next three years, in partnership with nonprofit organizations across the country, the bank will fund summer internships, education and job training, and support diverse talent to help build a pipeline that will strengthen and enhance tomorrow’s workforce.
"Investing in young adults to help provide them the opportunities they need to build their career skills makes a meaningful impact in their lives and the lives of our communities," said Brian Moynihan, chairman and CEO, Bank of America.
PRESS RELEASE -
The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) issued its latest Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report – titled “Shared Goodness” – on June 9, showcasing progress made in 2015 against a variety of priority issues. Building on 2014, Hershey made continued progress through a range of efforts supporting the company’s commitment to responsible sourcing, ingredient transparency, simple ingredients and environmental sustainability. Additionally, 2015 marked the launch of Hershey’s Nourishing Minds program, the company’s global shared social purpose. The innovative program provides children in need with the basic nutrition they need to learn and allows Hershey to help address this critical issue with its deep expertise in food production.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
This year, Fashion Revolution’s annual campaign has expanded into a week-long series of events featuring hundreds of activities, stunts and social experiments across 84 countries worldwide. Throughout Fashion Revolution Week, April 18th to 24th, consumers will demand transparency and raise awareness of exploitation in the fashion supply chain by posting on social media using the hashtag #WhoMadeMyClothes.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
On Friday, the second annual Fashion Revolution Day, people in 66 countries around the world will challenge global fashion brands to demonstrate commitment to transparency across the length of the value chain, from farmers to factory workers, brands to buyers and consumers.One in six people work in the global fashion supply chain. It is the most labor-dependent industry on the planet, yet the people who make our clothes are hidden from us, often at their own expense, a symptom of the broken links across the fashion industry.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY -
In 2013, West Elm committed to invest $35M in artisan partnerships around the world through 2015. These partnerships create a number of benefits for both West Elm and the artisans they collaborate with.
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
When over 1,100 garment workers died in the Rana Plaza factory collapse in April 2013, it shined an unflinching light on the untenable conditions that many in the industry have long been forced to endure. Since then, consumers, activists and other stakeholders around the world have demanded that brands take immediate action to ensure that workers are not only safe, but paid fairly while they’re constructing the clothing we wear every day.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The Responsible Sourcing Network (RSN), a nonprofit dedicated to ending human rights abuses associated with the raw materials found in everyday products, today released a new report, Cotton Sourcing Snapshot: A Survey of Corporate Practices to End Forced Labor. The report includes survey results and ratings of 49 companies in the apparel and home goods industries reflecting steps companies are taking to identify risks and establish procedures to prevent cotton from Uzbekistan picked with forced labor from entering their supply chains.
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS -
For those within the fashion industry who have been working for many years to highlight the need for more transparent, traceable and accountable supply chains, the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh was a metaphorical call to arms. The days following the tragedy saw a plethora of articles calling for a more ethical fashion industry and we looked for ways to channel this energy and momentum into lasting change.
FINANCE & INVESTMENT -
The ice cream brand aims to help 5,000 female cocoa farmers in Côte D'Ivoire achieve financial stability and diversify their incomes, for greater prosperity in the cocoa-farming offseason, by 2025.