Responsible Production & the Circular Economy

Each day Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and media venues are bombarded with the idea of social impact and yet many do not understand the true meaning behind the movement. The business dictionary defines social impact as the effect of an activity on the social fabric of a community and well-being of individuals and families in that community and around the world. How can one person, one organization, one business, one CEO make a social impact that will be felt by many?

Several years ago, Eduardo Camarena thought he had lost everything. He no longer had a job, was going through a divorce, and had to move away from his children. He got so low that "even the sun couldn’t warm me".

Shortly afterwards, his grandfather passed away.

But Eduardo had one thing left to cling on to. A promise made to his grandfather that he would look after the family’s coffee plantation and make it successful.

Today, Eduardo runs a thriving coffee farm, is helping raise his children, and is a source of help and advice to other farmers in the region.

How did he turn things around?

By joining the Nescafé Plan, which over the last decade has helped give farmers like Eduardo across the world the support they need to grow more and better coffee, and to do so sustainably.

Each year at FCA, we put on our creative hats to explore what matters most to the Company, to our stakeholders and to the world in general. Earlier this year, we turned to our student interns for a fresh look on two critical topics: the future of mobility and human rights in the supply chain. To make things more interesting for all involved, the two events were structured around role-playing.

When we launched our Sustainable in a Generation Plan just one year ago, we knew it was a critical moment. A range of issues continue to face our global community—including climate change, poverty, obesity and water stress. That’s why we decided to invest more than $1 billion to start tackling them within our own supply chain.

When dozens of people across the country got sick from eating contaminated romaine lettuce this spring, Walmart did what many grocers would do: It cleared every shred off its shelves, just to be safe.

Product stewardship covers the full lifespan of our equipment – from the supply chain to the customer’s job site to remanufacturing. This means taking active steps to reduce potential environmental, health and safety impacts, as well as optimizing operational quality and efficiency throughout the life of the product.

With a longstanding commitment to protect and restore the outdoors, Timberland constantly seeks ways to make its products responsibly and minimize its impact on the environment. Today, in partnership with socially-conscious recycling company Community Recycling, the brand announces an easy way for consumers to recycle their gently used clothing, footwear, and accessories – from Timberland or any brand – to create both environmental and social value.

By 2050, countries around the world must find a way to produce more food than they have in the past 8,000 years to accommodate population growth—all while minimizing the agricultural sector’s contribution to climate change.

Pella’s director of strategic innovation discusses how to balance sustainability and energy efficiency while working to inspire architects, designers, and homeowners.

Large corporations such as Starbucks, Bacardi Rum, Marriott Hotels, Alaska Airlines, and American Airlines have promised to phase out their plastic straws, cities such as Seattle have banned all plastic utensils including straws from bars and businesses in the entire city, San Fr