Responsible Production & the Circular Economy

CSRHub CEO and Co-Founder, Cynthia Figge, will be speaking at the Sustainable Brands New Metrics ’18 Conference, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, held on October 29-31, 2018. Cynthia will speak on October 30th on “The ROI of Embedding Social Purpose in Brand Strategy”. This session will look at some emerging best practices, along with challenges based on wide-reaching recent research as well as anecdotes from practitioners.

Nestlé Waters North America announced today that its Allentown, Pennsylvania factories received certification under the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Standard. Created and supported by prominent environmental conservation groups, development organizations, and industry leaders, the AWS Standard is the first comprehensive global benchmark for responsible water stewardship across social, environmental, and economic criteria. This achievement was confirmed through audits conducted by SCS Global Services (SCS), a leading international third-party certification body, and sole certifier to the AWS standard in North America.

On September 26th, The American Center for Life Cycle Assessment (ACLCA) honored individuals and companies advancing the application of life cycle assessment and innovation in environmental sustainability at LCA XVIII during the Annual Awards Dinner in Fort Collins, Colorado. Kohler Co. received the 2018 Corporate LCA Leadership Award.

When I was going into undergrad, I wanted to do something in the sciences and had always had a strong affinity for the environment. I can remember back to my elementary school days when we had a “cans for critters” campaign, where we collected soda cans, and all the money from the recycling went to the San Diego Zoo.

A deep affection for the goats that provide their product is built into Stickney Hill’s business model. Their ‘Happy Goat Program’ insists upon the highest standards of care from the local farmers who supply the dairy, ensuring that their cheeses aren’t only high-quality, but also kind. Their commitment to sustainability and animal-friendly practices make Frankie and Dave ideal partners for us at Nestlé.

“People want more than just a caffeine hit in their cup nowadays. Companies like Nestlé can do positive things as we ride this specialty coffee trend. Because they deal with farmers directly, they can drive social change in coffee-growing countries across the world.”

We recently launched Grown Respectfully to demonstrate how our global Nescafé Plan initiative works to help farmers across the world grow more and better coffee, and to do so sustainably, with benefits for the communities where they live.

Whirlpool Corporation's Integrated Supply Chain organization was named a recipient of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SmartWay® Excellence Award for a fourth consecutive year. This honor is the EPA's highest recognition for demonstrated leadership in freight supply-chain energy and environmental performance, recognizing a select group of the EPA's more than 3,700 top freight supply-chain partners.

In terms of total consumption of energy, pulp and paper is third among industrial sectors; only the refi ning and chemical industries consume more. However, environmental impact is affected not just by the amount of energy consumed, but also by the type of energy. On average, US pulp and paper mills derive nearly two-thirds of their energy needs from renewable sources that are considered carbon neutral. Sappi’s mills derive nearly 80 percent of their energy from renewable resources.

October marks the start of Fair Trade Month and the 20th anniversary of Fair Trade USA, the award-winning social enterprise and leading certifier of Fair Trade products in North America.

Looking toward the next 20 years, Fair Trade USA is poised to further scale its model -- investing significant capital in global expansion to foster sustainable development and community empowerment around the world, and adding focus domestically with the certification of farms in the United States for the first time. Fair Trade USA has also announced a goal to generate $1 billion in impact for farmers and workers by 2023.

Greening the Global Shopping Cart will be hosting a four-part webinar series highlighting EDF Climate Corps - with a focus on sustainable supply chain management.