How organizations are working to address the myriad social, environmental and operational issues that can arise in complex supply chains
In the final week leading up to the Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) finals on June 5th, where the runner-up will be decided via live online public vote, we will feature daily articles introducing our semi-finalists. Today, meet LaborVoices.As an AAAS Science Policy Fellow for the U.S State Department’s Office of International Labor and Corporate Social Responsibility office, Dr. Kohl Gill was inspired to found LaborVoices while on a trade and labor delegation to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Read More...
In the final week leading up to the Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) finals on June 5th, where the runner-up will be decided via live online public vote, we will feature daily articles introducing our semi-finalists. Today, meet Efficiency Exchange. Read More...
Socially conscious Nestlé® Crunch® lovers can soon enjoy their favorite chocolate bar even more. At the National Confectioners Association’s Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicago today, Nestlé USA announced that it will source 100% certified, Nestlé Cocoa Plan cocoa beans for the entire line of Nestlé Crunch bars. Read More...
Fashion company Indigenous says some 75 percent of the artisans in its supply chain are no longer at risk of poverty and many have achieved milestones of financial security, with some even starting their own artisan workshops. Read More...
LaborVoices has announced a new partnership with Walmart that will provide visibility into the retail giant's supply chain through real-time, anonymized worker feedback, to help Walmart ensure safe factory working conditions throughout its Bangladeshi supply chain. Read More...
The current controversy over supply chain practices of global corporations such as Disney, Walmart and Sears in Bangladesh reminded me of Nike’s past and its subsequent corporate sustainability evolution. Fifteen years ago, Nike underwent arguably more intense scrutiny and brutal attacks for its global supply chain management policies and priorities. Read More...
H&M announced Monday it has publicly committed to supporting the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, which was initiated by IndustryALL Global Union and UNI Global Union in response to last month’s deadly building collapse that has claimed some 1100 lives. Read More...
An Ecoshift development team led by three PhD environmental scientists and policy analysts has developed a cloud-based system to help companies engage with their suppliers and use sustainability information to improve supply chain performance and reduce risk. Read More...
Pink slime. Pan-European traces of horsemeat. Escolar masquerading as white tuna. Some 30 states considering GMO-labeling legislation.The challenges and opportunities surrounding transparency affect consumers in ways that are deeply personal (if not downright intestinal) and raise the stakes for brands. Read More...
I do not speak Bangla. But I do know that if I walk up to an eight-year-old kid in the streets of Dhaka or Kolkata and show him a picture of Mickey Mouse, he will bond with me instantly. Such is the global power and influence of love, joy and friendship that beloved Mickey has been exercising for decades. Read More...
Corporate social responsibility has become more mainstream and developed a deeper sense of purpose in the past few years, and we should acknowledge the progress companies and their brands have achieved in this area. Read More...
Non-profit design and strategy group GreenBlue has released a set of guidelines aimed at protecting forests by taking a holistic approach to the life cycle management of paper products. Read More...
Hot on the heels of its announcement earlier this week of a goal to save 85 million gallons of fuel in 2013, United Airlines is launching a Sustainable Supply Chain (SSC) initiative in an effort to better understand the environmental performance of and deepen relationships with its suppliers. Read More...
In its latest investigation into the polluting effects of the textile industry, Greenpeace International has uncovered the dumping of industrial wastewater containing a cocktail of toxic and hazardous chemicals, and caustic water, directly into the Citarum River in West Java, Indonesia. Read More...
Sustainable Harvest Coffee Importers (SHCI) has embarked on a relief effort to help Latin American coffee farmers facing an outbreak of Coffee Leaf Rust Disease, known as Roya in Spanish — a parasitic fungus that is expected to destroy between 30 and 70 percent of the region’s organic coffee harvest. Read More...
UK grocery chain Sainsbury’s is now selling farmed fish certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) in what is apparently an industry first, according to The Grocer. Read More...
Sodexo, one of the world's largest food services and facilities management companies, has announced a partnership with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) that will help many Sodexo sites maintain a high standard of sustainability in their seafood practices. Read More...
Non-profit New Earth has released a new online portal to help supply chain stakeholders to better manage social responsibility issues and create incentives to collaborate and drive progress. Read More...
With Easter just around the corner, The Rainforest Foundation has teamed up with Ethical Consumer magazine to release a ranking of more than 70 UK chocolate brands to encourage companies to use more sustainably sourced palm oil. Read More...
International Paper has become a member of the Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN) in North America, a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) initiative focused on eliminating illegal logging and promoting environmentally and socially responsible forest management. Read More...