SB Brand-Led Culture Change 2024 - Last chance to save, final discount ends April 29th!

Supply Chain

How leading companies, NGOs and solution providers are working to address the myriad issues that can arise in any supply chain.

Advertisement
Milwaukee Startup Helping Small African Farms Turn Waste into Livelihoods

Cross-Posted from Waste Not. Agricycle wants to address poverty and put a dent in global food waste. So far, it has created nearly 7,000 livelihoods in Africa and diverted 177 tons of food waste — and counting.

Trending: Major Brands Partner to Cultivate Regenerative Ag Supply Chains

Allbirds, icebreaker and Smartwool throw their weight behind the industry’s first regenerative wool platform; and The North Face and three other companies join Indigo Ag’s program to incentivize farmers to shift to regenerative practices.

Environmental Risks to Cause $120B ‘Chain Reaction’ for Companies by 2026

The findings are a stark warning of the financial impact of environmental risks for both companies and consumers, as firms rally around the need for better management of environmental risks in product supply chains.

#WhoMadeMyClothes: Transparency Has Become a Fashion-Industry Imperative

When it comes to one of the world’s most polluting and exploitative industries, more and more consumers are demanding transparency. We have the technology to deliver end-to-end transparency and to support the reinvention of the fashion industry.

Why We Tell the Stories Behind Sustainable Products

Cross-Posted from Marketing and Comms. Telling the stories of the people and forests behind FSC-certified products deepens consumers’ connections with the brands, and demonstrates the impacts of responsible sourcing. We expect this is just the beginning, due to the clear signals of consumer demand for these stories.

Advertisement
New Tool Keeps Sky-High Eye on Sustainable Agriculture’s geoFootprint

The multi-stakeholder geoFootprint initiative, led by Quantis, allows businesses to assess risks posed by changes in climate, water availability and quality, soil health and biodiversity to secure supply chains and the future of food.

WEF: Decarbonizing Supply Chains Would Be Game-Changer for Fighting Climate Change

The opportunity for impact is especially high for consumer-facing companies, whose supply chain emissions far outweigh their direct emissions from manufacturing.

Bumble Bee Revolutionizing the Future of Food Through Radical Transparency

Cross-Posted from Redefining Sustainable Seafood for the Future. Bumble Bee’s adoption of blockchain is not just about dispelling doubt about its fishing practices — it provides a window into quality and supply chain management, which could unlock major savings for the company.

The Creative Collision of Circular Economy and Supply Chain in the Built Environment

The intersection of circular practices and supply chain in the built environment will be a ripe area for innovation as companies look to their real estate portfolios for opportunities to meet their ambitious sustainability commitments by 2030.

Collaborative SourceUp Platform to Accelerate Sustainability of Entire Sourcing Regions

IDH - The Sustainable Trade Initiative and brand partners including Mars, PepsiCo and Unilever have developed the platform to enable a landscape approach to sustainable commodity sourcing.

Advertisement
Supply Chain Partnership to Aid Small Ag Businesses Impacted by COVID

Root Capital, Keurig Dr Pepper, USAID and Ezrah Charitable Trust will help 150,000 farmers across Africa, Latin America and Indonesia; to withstand the current pandemic and build their resiliency for years to come.

The Next Frontier for Fairtrade: Living Incomes in Cocoa

Two forward-thinking brands have deepened their Fairtrade partnerships by making additional financial commitments to cocoa farmers in their supply chains.

Certifying Private-Label Brands Leads to 200% Increase in Farmer Premiums

Countless studies have shown companies no longer need to choose profits over people; valuing people and sustainability is profitable. Consumers vote every day with their dollars and are rewarding the brands that embed sustainability into their ethos.

Kao: Striving for 'Yoki-Monozukuri' (‘Excellent Manufacturing’) Through the Pursuit of 'Kirei'

Cross-Posted from Product, Service & Design Innovation. Kao’s new ESG strategy is centered on kirei (meaning “clean, beautiful and orderly”) — a Japanese word that is not yet well known worldwide but one that the company aims to make aspirational throughout the world.

Murals Honor the Farmers Behind Our Favorite Products, Benefits of Fair Trade

Cross-Posted from Marketing and Comms. The murals were part of a Fairtrade America campaign during October for Fair Trade Month, to raise awareness of Fairtrade’s positive impacts. Shoppers voiced their choice for Fairtrade and won various Fairtrade prizes.

Advertisement
Research: In a Post-COVID 2021, Fashion Will Trend Toward Sustainability

Cross-Posted from The Next Economy. Based on research conducted by the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol in 2020, here are three trends we can expect from the apparel industry — as we emerge from COVID-19 and toward a more sustainable future.

UN Business and Human Rights Forum, Day 2: What’s New in Mandatory Human Rights ’Due Diligence’ Law?

Companies are obliged to monitor and manage environmental and human rights standards in their supply chains. This week saw major steps forward in support for enforcing human rights due diligence by law, as well as major debates in shaping the new laws. Here are my 10 takeaways from the debates.

UN Forum on Business and Human Rights, Day 1: ‘The Most Vulnerable Are Always in Your Supply Chain’

What links the two major themes to emerge from the day — COVID and climate — is the need for companies to take steps to assist vulnerable people in supply chains, and to ensure their needs are always taken into account.

Scarcity Breeding Increasingly Innovative Water-Saving Strategies in Agriculture

By incorporating new technologies and tactics into farming practices, agriculture can promote more efficient irrigation and water management — and play a major role in global water conservation and reuse.

Brands, Retailers Must Prioritize Data to Improve Purchasing Practices, Supply Chain Resiliency

After decades advocating for business that prioritizes workers and the environment alongside profitability, it is obvious to me that any efforts to pivot to address changing consumer demand and market uncertainty will be futile if workers are treated as commodities or taken for granted.

Advertisement