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Supply Chain

How organizations are working to address the myriad social, environmental and operational issues that can arise in complex supply chains

EMF: Unhealthy Food Production Making Healthy Eating Impossible

Hidden killers in food production are making healthy eating impossible for people around the world, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Read More...

Reducing Transport Emissions in Electronics Supply Chains, the 'SmartWay'

Electronics manufacturers are asking for more sustainability data from suppliers as the demand for CSR extends throughout the supply chain. Read More...

Tiffany & Co. Begins New Era of Diamond Transparency

Tiffany begins disclosing the provenance of its diamonds, commits to 100 percent geographic transparency. Read More...

World's Largest Palm Oil Trader Gives Forest Destroyers Nowhere to Hide

After an intensive global campaign by Greenpeace, Wilmar International has published a detailed action plan to map and monitor its palm oil suppliers. This week, the world’s largest palm oil trader, Wilmar International, published a detailed action plan to map and monitor all of its suppliers. If implemented, this would put the palm oil giant — which supplies 40 percent of the world’s palm oil — one step closer to finally eliminating deforestation from its supply chain, and would have major implications for the rest of the industry. Read More...

'Value Change' Program to Help Companies Handle Tricky Scope 3 Emissions

The recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) sounds an alarm: “Limiting global warming to 1.5°C …requires rapid and far-reaching transitions in energy, land, urban infrastructure … and industrial systems.” Read More...

The Art of Failure: Lessons for Brands from the Bottom of the Pyramid

Let me tell you a few things about failure — a subject on which I’m something of an expert. Read More...

When it Comes to Climate Change, Holiday Feasts Are Mostly a Mystery

This year’s holiday feasts will feature a bounty of meats, vegetables and other foods, many that people don’t know are big contributors to global warming. Read More...

Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN Launches New Partnerships to Help Farmers Scale Sustainably

This week, Land O’Lakes SUSTAIN (LOLS) has launched two new partnerships aimed at helping farmers scale their sustainability efforts. Read More...

New Global Map of Ancient, Endangered Forests Brings Conservation Science to Boardrooms

Today marks the public launch of a new online tool that will enable global companies to identify the world’s ancient and endangered forests. Read More...

Q&A: MSC on Its Plan to Put Fishing on a 'Pathway to Sustainability'

With the Our Ocean conference taking place in Bali, Indonesia, this week, ocean sustainability has been a hot topic: The event burst with sweeping commitments from the public and private sector alike aimed at cleaning up and protecting this precious resource. One such commitment came from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), which launched a £1 million Ocean Stewardship Fund. Read More...

Target, ADM Join Food Giants Rising to Ceres' AgWater Challenge

Today, Ceres and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announce the addition of Target and Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), one of the world’s largest agricultural processors and food ingredient providers, to the AgWater Challenge. The two companies’ new water stewardship commitments were shared today at the Financial Times Water Summit in London. Read More...

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. Read 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. Read More...

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. Read More...

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. Read More...

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. Read More...

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. Read More...

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." Read More...

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. Read More...

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. Read More...

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