Fashion giant Ralph Lauren Corp, whose designs are sashayed on Hollywood's red carpets, has unveiled plans to trace wood pulp used in its clothes to avoid buying from regions destroying forests or violating human rights.
Laws and regulations to eliminate human-rights violations in global supply chains are multiplying. But companies shouldn't consider their current lack of "teeth" as a license to ignore them.
Innovative partnerships between private sector companies, voluntary organisations and governments can help solve global challenges and provide access to healthcare and food, according to a report by SCM World and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
A group of prominent religious leaders recently urged Australia to introduce laws to ensure forced labor is not used to produce goods sold in the country, saying ending slavery needed to be a national priority.
The more complex a company's supply chain, the more challenging it is to devise a sustainability program that ensures environmental protection from design and manufacturing to packaging and from product transportation to end-of-life disposal and recycling. A comprehensive plan that's truly innovative is called for.
A new procurement framework focuses on speed and expertise to help scientists fight public health emergencies such as an outbreak of Ebola or Zika. The new public health microbiology diagnostic framework will enable flexibility, speed and innovation in the development of cutting edge diagnostics and treatment tools, according to Public Health England (PHE), the statutory body that exists to improve the nation's health. PHE also expects it to generate savings on regular spend.
Fashion brands are being urged to keep their supply chains in Turkey, despite the widespread risk of Syrian refugees being exploited in supplier factories, according to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC). There has been "talk of brands shifting their purchasing elsewhere" amid increasing scrutiny and criticism of supply chains in Turkey, the BHRRC says, but responsible sourcing could provide decent work and valuable wages to Turks and Syrians.
American consumers prioritize risk-taking, adventure and living an exciting life when it comes to making purchases, according to global research by HSBC. This structural shift among U.S. consumers' purchasing habits is prompting companies to rethink existing marketing and business strategies.
The number of senior executives actively engaging in modern slavery issues has doubled among companies leading on the issue, according to a survey of businesses by the Ethical Trading Initiative and Hult International Business School. There were twice as many CEOs and other senior executives in their sample engaging in the issue since the Modern Slavery Act came into force last October.
Syrian child refugees have been found working in Turkish factories supplying British clothing chains, according to an investigation by BBC programme Panorama. Journalists said they found children in factories that were part of the supply chains of Marks and Spencer (M&S) and online retailer Asos.
