CDP: US, Brazil, China and India least resilient against climate-related supply chain risks
Lack of preparation has left supply chains in Brazil, China, India and the United States more vulnerable to climate risks than those in Europe and Japan. However, suppliers in China and India deliver the greatest financial return on investment to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and demonstrate the strongest appetite for collaboration across the value chain, according to research released Tuesday by CDP and Accenture. The CDP supply chain report 2014–15 represents $1.3 trillion in procurement spend and includes organisations such as Cisco, Philips, L’Oréal, Unilever and 62 others taking action to mitigate climate change. “What is concerning is that, despite the increase in the number of companies assessing and reporting on their emissions, the data suggests that suppliers are making either marginal or no improvements in their development of sustainable supply chains capable of weathering climate risks and other natural disasters,” says Gary Hanifan, managing director of Accenture Strategy. (Sustainable Brands)
Human Rights
Human rights a path out of crisis and chaos, says Human Rights Watch world report
Governments make a big mistake when they ignore human rights to counter serious security challenges, Human Rights Watch said today in releasing its annual world report. In the World Report 2015, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 90 countries. “Human rights violations played a major role in spawning or aggravating many of today’s crises,” Executive Director Kenneth Roth said. “Protecting human rights and ensuring democratic accountability are key to resolving them.” The rise of the extremist group Islamic State (also known as ISIS) is among those global challenges that have sparked a subordination of human rights, Human Rights Watch said. Meanwhile a tendency to ignore human rights in the face of security challenges was a problem highlighted in the past year in the United States, with a US Senate committee issuing a damning summary of a report on CIA torture. (Human Rights Watch)
Consumers
IKEA sees sales of green products soar 58 per cent to over €1 billion
IKEA has revealed that demand for its greenest products jumped 58 per cent last year to over €1 billion as consumers embraced new clean technologies such as LED lighting, solar panels, and water-saving taps. “We look to green the entire range of our products,” said chief sustainability officer Steve Howard. “But these figures show how demand is growing fast for products that help customers benefit the environment through reducing waste, reducing water use, reducing energy use, or generating their own power.” Howard said progress was also being made with IKEA’s green procurement strategy. The company confirmed 41 per cent of its wood was FSC certified or recycled in 2014, while the share of cotton from more sustainable sources rose to 76 per cent, putting the company on track to meet its 100 per cent goal. (BusinessGreen)
Circular Economy
Carlsberg working to develop biodegradable wood fibre bottle
Beer giant Carlsberg last week announced its plans to develop the world’s first fully biodegradable wood-fibre bottle. After its participation on a panel on “Wasteless Supply” at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Carlsberg launched its three-year project with development partners to design a bio-based, biodegradable bottle made from sustainably sourced wood fibre, which it is calling the “Green Fibre Bottle.” The company will work alongside packaging company ecoXpac and in collaboration with Innovation Fund Denmark and the Technical University of Denmark. This latest project is one of several that form part of the Carlsberg Circular Community (CCC), an initiative in which Carlsberg and selected partners use the Cradle-to-Cradle (C2C) framework when designing new products, in an effort to ease the transition toward a circular, zero-waste economy. (Sustainable Brands)
Governance
14 outdoor companies pledge to boost women’s leadership
The Outdoor Industries Women’s Coalition (OWIC), along with REI and 13 other outdoor companies, have announced a new goal: boost and support women’s participation in key leadership roles. The pledge to accelerate women’s leadership, which was developed by the OIWC, was unveiled by REI CEO Jerry Stritzke last week. REI, along with other big-name signatories like Patagonia and The North Face, hopes the pledge will “drive change across the industry.” Stritzke also announced that REI will award its $1.5 million Mary Anderson Legacy Grant toward increasing women leadership in outdoor industries. Deanne Buck, executive director of the OIWC, noted that “companies with more women leaders also enjoy strong financial performance. One of the biggest challenges facing outdoor companies is competition for high-quality talent. This grant will give us the momentum we need to make the outdoor industry the employer of choice for women.” (Triple Pundit)
COMMENTS