Blogs

PAS 2050 - Carbon Footprinting of Products Interview

20th Nov 2008 by Alex Briggs

PAS 2050 - the new carbon footprinting methodology for products (goods and/or services) sponsored by DEFRA and the Carbon Trust has now been published by BSI. The document is now available for implementation by organisations looking to determine and verify the carbon footprint of specific products.

In this video interview, Paul Smith, Project Leader for Carbon Labelling and Footprinting at Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA), talks about how PAS 2050, the new Carbon Footprinting methodology for products can benefit organisations. He explains the verification and certification processes and the value to a brand’s image and reputation that independent assurance can offer. He also talks about how PAS 2050 relates to existing environmental standards, such as ISO 14001 and ISO 14064.

Enhancing your organisation today while safeguarding it for tomorrow

17th Nov 2008 by razchaudary

The current economic climate and business environment makes business continuity a critical issue. Ensuring the preparedness of an organisation can strengthen its long-term viability, reputation, and financial success.

Some key facts:

85% of US businessses are within the private sector and include transportation, banking, and utilities.
Businesses vulnerable to natural disasters, computer viruses/cyber attacks, terrorist attacks, and viral pandemics.
For example, if the Internet stopped, U.S. retailers could lose $450 million a day in e-commerce.1 If an influenza outbreak occurred, New York state’s losses alone are estimated to be $49 billion.

(source: “Dealing With Disasters At Home and Far Away” by Zosia Bielski, National Post, June 21, 2008).

Certification journey - five easy steps

Step 1:
Certification starts with an assessment of the company’s existing crisis management, business continuity, disaster recovery, and emergency response plans.
Step 2:
A gap analysis is performed against a chosen standard, and will assess the organisional responses to overcome a range of disaster scenarios.
Step 3:
Identify key actions, assign responsibilities, and establish timings to address the identified gaps.
Step 4:
The organisation is now ready for formal certification once the process has been established.
Step 5:
The organisation can select the appropriate level of certification appropriate to its needs.
Three levels of certification levels

First-party certification: an internal self assessment and self declaration of certification.
Second-party certification:r eview by one with whom there is an arm’s length relationship, such as a customer, supplier, or parent organization.
Third-party certification: review by an • accredited third-party certifier. This is the most independent and objective form of certification.
Benefits of certification

Potential benefits of becoming “certification ready” include:

improve operational efficiency,
reduce liabilities,
boost stakeholder confidence.

TNT cites ISO 14001 as key to Environmental Performance

12th Nov 2008 by Alex Briggs

TNT cites ISO 14001 as key to Environmental Performance TNT UK/Ireland and their use of ISO 14001 as the key to their overall environmental strategy was the focus of a Sustainable Business Magazine article in the October edition.
TNT uses management systems to underpin their business, currently holding four certifications in the UK/Ireland: ISO 9001 (Quality Management Systems), ISO 14001 (Environmental Management Systems) OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System) and Investors in People. TNT has reported significant competitive advantage from the achievement of verifiable environmental performance.

Neil Griffiths, director of health, safety and environment at TNT Express Services says: “In terms of business assurance, this is not just a tick in the box.”

Shoring up supply chain security

5th Nov 2008

In a blog by Volkan Sevindik, it looks at the supply chain and how security breaches can damage brands, break down partnerships and, ultimately, hurt the bottom line.

World’s best CSR companies? Think again

29th Oct 2008 by Alex Briggs

This Salter-Baxter report on the world’s leading CSR reporting companies has led to increasing debate. With companies such as British-American Tobacco, Nestle and Shell at the top of the rankings, controversy is the order of the day.

Sir Jonathon Porritt, the chairman of the government’s Sustainable Development Commission, and founder of Forum for the Future, led the attack on the report,

When any company is systematically mispricing risks and systematically misallocating capital it makes no sense to talk about corporate responsibility. We’re going to have to face the fact some of the measures used to judge relative CSR performance are useless. They don’t help shareholders. They don’t help citizens. They don’t help the companies themselves.

Ethical Supply Chain Video Podcast Series Episode 1

27th Oct 2008 by Alex Briggs

Chris Harrop, Group Marketing Director for Marshalls in the UK is on the cutting edge of CSR, ethical supply chain initiatives, carbon labelling, workers rights and stakeholder engagement. Chris talked to us during the recent Ethical Supply Chain Summit in Berlin.
Chris shares his thoughts on some of the key topics that are facing global brands today, with the conversation ranging from competitive advantage for businesses embedding CSR as part of their business practice to Marshalls work with the Carbon Trust in becoming the first brand to carbon label their entire product range.

Watch Marshalls Stakeholder Engagement Interview in News Online | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Business Continuity Risks for China, India and Asia overall

27th Oct 2008 by razchaudary

According to Forbes Calamity Prevention “the business impact of planning to mitigate, respond to and recover from earthquakes will be significant all over Asia, even if no more earthquakes occur for many years.”
Recent earthquakes around the Pacific Rim in the last four months have registered 6.0 or higher on the Richter scale, the magnitude at which earthquakes are generally considered destructive.

Marks and Spencer and L’Oreal Highlight Berlin Ethical Trading Summit

22nd Oct 2008 by Alex Briggs

Louise Nicholls, the Ethical Trading Director for Marks & Spencer and Ariane Thomas, the Supply Chain Purchasing Director for L’Oreal were two of the stars of the Ethical Supply Chain Summit in Berlin last week.
Nicholls inspired the audience with “real stories” from M & S factories around the world. She talked about working with suppliers in Morocco and Kenya and the unique ethical dilemnas faced when working with local suppliers in those markets.
Thomas’ presentation was insightful in contrasting L’Oreal’s policy of working with suppliers to improve their performance rather than firing them if they fail to be 100% ethically correct.

Milk Scandal Spills over to Food Safety and Consumer Trust

14th Oct 2008 by Alex Briggs

This New York Times Media Group article raises the question “Is there more tainted food out there?”

The melamine scandal has heightened fears that the food business is racing ahead of the ability of governments to detect health-threatening contamination, whether accidental or deliberate.

Business Continuity Experts talk about the role of BC

14th Oct 2008 by Alex Briggs

Cheryl Vallender at www.disaster-resource.com has gotten a group of the world’s leading Business Continuity experts together to answer the question:

Where does Business Continuity Planning Belong in an Organization?

Cheryl’s article takes us right back to the beginning of Business Continuity through to taking a look at the current trends in global organisations.

www.BusinessAssurance.com to interview experts at Ethical Corp Supply Chain Event

13th Oct 2008 by Alex Briggs

Our editor will be on hand at this week’s gathering of some of the world’s leading supply chain experts and directors .

We will be blogging from the event, as well as providing our audience with some insight from some of the key topics discussed at the event.

We will be interviewing some of the supply chain world’s most influential thought leaders.

Starting with Monday, October 20th, we will be posting each day next week with either a blog post or an interview.

Is price driving the sustainability debate?

29th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs

Food manufacturers have begun a massive repackaging effort to address the environmental concerns of consumers. This article takes a look at the way that some global brands are addressing the issue, as well as how they are attempting to balance environmental concerns with consumer health concerns.

“Good for you” will increasingly be faced off with “good for the environment,” and food companies will find themselves redefining how their food products will retain appeal, according to Mintel International in Chicago.

ISO sends Social Responsibility Standard Draft to Committee

28th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) released its Social Responsibility Standard to the committee stage, moving it one step closer to being an official ISO standard.
Nearly 400 experts and observers from around the world met at the ISO Social Responsibility Working Group, held September 1-5 in Santiago, Chile. There they agreed that sufficient progress had been made in developing the draft international standard on social responsibility for the “working draft” to be taken to “committee draft” level.

Restoring Trust in CSR

26th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs

This video interview with Alan Knight offers insight into the new AA1000AS standard. The standard will be launched in London on the 24th of October.

Clock Ticking on 9001 Users

25th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs

ISO 9001:2008 is set to be published in the next few months. From the date of publish, current 9001:2000 certificate holders have 24 months to convert to the newer version. Companies whose three-year certificate cycle expires once 9001:2008 is published will only have the option of getting certified against the new version.

Steve Williams, Technical Manager, Certification at Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA) stated, “ISO and the IAF have agreed an implementation plan to ensure a smooth migration of accredited certification to ISO 9001:2008. They have stated that ISO 9001:2008 does not contain any new requirements. ISO 9001:2008 only introduces clarifications to the existing requirements of ISO 9001:2000 based on eight years of experience of implementing the standard. It also introduces changes intended to improve consistency with ISO14001:2004.”

Measuring your Supply Chain Performance

22nd Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs

This Supply Chain Market article takes an in-depth look at supply chain performance, asking some of the tough questions. Supply Chain Assurance is all about ensuring that your supply chain is functioning at maximum capacity and efficiency. The role of management efficiency is highlighted here.

Auditors pay the price for Beijing Olympics

19th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs

The tightening of visa restrictions around the recent Olympic Games in Beijing has had unintended consequences on the Quality Assurance industry, according to this Ethical Corp article.
Global brands producing in China have been unable to secure the auditors needed at Chinese factories to ensure that the quality of their products is right. A major fall out will be that people who have talked about moving production to other countries for some time are now actually having to do it to meet deadlines.

Even if (and there are no guarantees) things return to normal in September, it will be too late for these firms who need to get gear on boats in October for the holidays.
Now many are scrambling to find capacity in Vietnam, Bangladesh, etc., while any number of Chinese garment manufacturers (two thirds of whom operate on margins of less than 1.5% already) will go under.
A number of companies with production runs already underway are having to stall or delay work as they cannot get visas for their Quality Assurance (QA) staff to enter China.

Clarity and Transparency Needed for Green Claims

18th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs

Brands making green claims about their products need clarity on what they can and cannot say. This Ethical Corp. article highlights the difficulty for corporations in proving their green claims. The use of language, including sustainability and “low-carbon” were highlighted as terms that are difficult to prove and could potentially leave global brands open to criticism.

Are Standards helping or hurting workers rights?

17th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs

Two workers rights experts have held an insightful debate into Supply Chain standards and human rights for workers. Jeff Ballinger, academic, former union and NGO activist is clearly against standards as the end all solution for factory abuses, while Doug Cahn, consultant and formerly of Reebok, is in favour of standards and audits in bringing about change in supply chain factories around the globe.
This Ethical Corporation article features the full debate.

Supply Chain Security/Food Safety Video

16th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs

This link is to a flash movie on the key issues surrounding food safety and supply chain security.

The presentation is from O. Keith Helferich, Ph.D. -Professor, Supply Chain Management at Central Michigan University and
Instructor, Supply Chain Management, Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University, and John Spink, MS., Director
Packaging for Food and Product Protection Initiative.

Are Standards the answer to the Biofuels Debate?

15th Sep 2008 by Alex Briggs

The Gallagher Review, commissioned by the UK government and released in July, concluded the EU’s biofuels target of 10% of all fuels by 2020 could not be met sustainably and advised that targets be scaled back.

The report concluded that, while the current targets are not realistic under the existing regulations,

if robust, comprehensive and mandatory sustainability standards are implemented now, a genuinely sustainable industry could evolve.

This ClimateChangeCorp.com article goes on to discuss existing standards, as well as introducing the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels “Version Zero” proposed standard.

Japanese Government Launches Carbon Labelling Initiative

31st Aug 2008 by Alex Briggs

Japan is the latest country to commit to carbon labelling retail products. According to this Guardian article, about 30 companies will display their labeled items at an eco-products fair in Tokyo in December, and the first batches are expected to appear in shops at the beginning of April 2009.

The 3 M’s in CSR reporting

11th Jul 2008

The 3 Keys To CSR Reporting Are Materiality, Materiality And Materiality by Alex Hausman, CSR Reporting Manager, The Timberland Company.

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Compliance driving Global Supply Chains?

8th Jul 2008 by Alex Briggs

This Retail Bulletin article discusses the results of a recently published survey on supply chain issues. According to the 100 UK supply chain professionals surveyed, supply chain managers spend up to 52 days a year keeping abreast of, and complying with regulation and legislation relating to the supply chain.
The research found 84 per cent spend up to 52 days a year on compliance while 16 per cent claim even more time. More than half (58 per cent) claim to be either concerned or very concerned about operating in an increasingly regulated environment.

India sets up Food Safety and Standards Authority

8th Jul 2008 by Alex Briggs

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India will be set up by the end of July, 2008 while the first set of food safety norms may come out within the next two months, according an Indian Government official.

Money driving IT decisions, not environment

7th Jul 2008 by Alex Briggs

A new IT survey from Rackspace has revealed that corporations are less likely in 2008 than in 2007 to base decisions on the environmental impact.

Check-out Carbon report leads to Carbon Labelling debate

3rd Jul 2008 by Alex Briggs

Blog posts on events are supposed to be written immediately following the event or not at all. I am going to break that rule and write about a great Carbon Labelling event that took place on Monday, June 30th at the Lloyd’s Register HQ in London.
Forum for the Future, the sustainability charity in the UK, […]

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Transparency increases for Carbon Footprint reporting

3rd Jul 2008 by Alex Briggs

Six years ago, not many of us were discussing climate change, carbon footprinting, carbon labelling. Global warming was starting to be discussed, and a few cutting edge companies were promoting their CSR activities.
Scientists reports, celebrity efforts and government/corporate commitments have significantly changed that landscape.
The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) has also played a major role in […]

Carbon labelling – crunch time

2nd Jul 2008

Has the credit crunch begun to affect what you put in your shopping basket? How about the Carbon crunch?

Are good intentions enough?

2nd Jul 2008

Telling customers about your environmental targets is all well and good but, as Paul Thomas argues, they are meaningless if you do not know how they are to be achieved.

Introduction to ISO 22000

23rd Jun 2008 by Alex Briggs

http://22000-tools.com/what-is-iso-22000.html

ISO Magazine focusses on Food Safety

23rd Jun 2008 by Alex Briggs

The latest edition of the ISO Magazine is dedicated to ISO 22000, the food safety management system standard. Case studies from Kraft, Danone, Arla Foods and the Van Drie Group highlight the issue.

Talking to kids about climate change

19th May 2008 by Alex Briggs

Talking to kids about climate change Stonesfield Primary School in my village in the UK recently celebrated Eco-week, a week of activities centred around environmental issues, ranging from recycling to greenhouse gases. When I heard about it, I approached the lead teacher in the campaign, Miss Eastwood about getting more information. On this site, we have podcasts, as well as articles […]

PepsiCo Honored With 2008 Energy Star Partner of the Year Award

2nd May 2008 by razchaudary

Pepsico has won an Energy Star Partner of the Year Award for its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiencies

Six Steps to an Ethical Business Culture

25th Apr 2008 by Alex Briggs

This blog post takes a look at what it takes for a “for-profit” business to develop and maintain an ethical business culture.

Where there is a will, there is a light

24th Apr 2008 by Alex Briggs

Through the hard work and creativity of Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, and his Grameen Bank, Bangladesh is leading the way on solar energy. This ClimateChangeCorp article explains how Bangladesh is reducing its carbon footprint and creating jobs in the process.
Is anyone watching or listening?

Changes on the way for Medical Device conformity

18th Apr 2008 by Simon Emeny

Changes on the way for Medical Device conformity

The Medical Devices Directive (MDD) 93/42/EEC is well established. As is common with the EU, they decided that it couldn’t be left alone and instituted a review on its functioning. In summary, the conclusions were that the existing legal framework is appropriate, but that its implementation could be improved, including further regulatory clarification.

The Biofuels Debate: Do we feed people or cars?

15th Apr 2008 by Alex Briggs

With the new Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) coming into force today, oil companies are required oil companies to ensure all petrol and diesel they sell in the UK contains a minimum level of biofuel. This article in the Independent takes a closer look at the debate over the use of farm land as a transportation fuel source.

Timberland bringing CSR issues to the forefront

8th Apr 2008 by Alex Briggs

Timberland bringing CSR issues to the forefront This Neville Hobson blog post highlights Timberland’s CSR efforts, including the strongest sustainability information on product packaging out there.

Public Consultation on Future Regulation in the automotive area

8th Apr 2008 by Simon Emeny

The automotive unit of DG Enterprise and Industry has launched a Public Consultation on Future Regulation in the automotive area.

Clouds on the horizon - aviation and the EU ETS

19th Feb 2008

A recent blog looks at the current situation in avaiation and the EU ETS.

UK vs US forms of CSR, who is ahead?

19th Feb 2008

John Tepper Marlin posted a blog post looking at CSR in the UK and the US, titled ‘UK vs US forms of CSR, who is ahead?’.

Independent verification key to corporate credibility

14th Feb 2008 by Alex Briggs

This article talks about the the credibility that independent third-party verification of CSR reports brings for companies looking to stand out from the competition.

Climate Change, localised global approach

14th Feb 2008 by Alex Briggs

With climate change dominating headlines around the world, this Wall Street Journal article takes a look at the efforts of nine cities to reduce their carbon footprint and their energy bills.

Co-op Gets Serious: No caged hens, only Fairtrade hot drinks, reduce pesticides + packaging

11th Feb 2008 by Alex Briggs

The Co-operative Group, have announced transparent, detailed plans on addressing stakeholder concerns. They will ban the sale of eggs from caged hens, convert its entire own-brand hot beverage range to Fairtrade, reduce the weight of its wine packaging and add a further 66 pesticides to its prohibited list.

Climate Change’s first victims named, are you on the list?

5th Feb 2008 by Alex Briggs

Climate Change's first victims named, are you on the list? A team of global climate change experts has ranked the most fragile and vulnerable regions on the planet, and warned they are in danger of sudden and catastrophic collapse before the end of the century.
In a study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists identify the nine areas that are in gravest danger of passing critical thresholds or “tipping points.”

Wal Mart to pay more for sustainably sourced products

4th Feb 2008 by Alex Briggs

Lee Scott, CEO and President of CEO commented,

“The drive will see the retailer favour - and in some cases even pay more - for suppliers that meet our standards and share our commitment to quality and sustainability”.
“Paying more in the short term for quality will mean paying less in the long term as a company. Higher quality products will mean better value, fewer problems, fewer returns and greater trust with our customers,”

What is Product Conformity?

2nd Feb 2008 by Simon Emeny

Product Conformity – The assurance that the totality of a firm’s output satisfies accepted standards. For many, product conformity involves conferring a brand mark to the approved activity.

Complex supply chains

31st Jan 2008 by Gail Van Den Bos

We see a lot in the media about product recalls and product safety scares: these impact on brand reputation and cause customers to lose confidence.

And the items concerned come from supply chains that are a network of many unrelated organisations. These operate locally, nationally or internationally, all contributing to the delivery of a product or service to the end user, the consumer.

And these supply chains can be very complex. You may not realises it but:

Sustainability in the Food Supply Chain: Hype or Trend?

25th Jan 2008 by Cor Groenveld

A roundtable discussion was recently organised by LRQA’s Netherlands office. The focus was on sustainability in the Food Supply Chain.
Here is a brief synopsis of the topics covered and the key points raised.

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Cancer research threatened by too much management and excessive regulation

15th Jan 2008

The fundamental ethos and creativity of cancer research is threatened by too much management and excessive regulation, says a Keynote Comment in The Lancet Oncology, January 2008 issue. The Comment also adds that there is a serious lack of regulation harmonization between countries, a recent blog reports.

Where power resides - EU green legislation

14th Jan 2008

A blog by Richard on http://eureferendum.blogspot.com reviews the recent Financial Times story headed, “Industry attacks EU green legislation”.

TerraPass join the Federal Trade Commission hearing on carbon offsets

13th Jan 2008

TerraPass joined industry experts, environmental and consumer groups, and academics at a Federal Trade Commission hearing on carbon offsets, reports a blog written by Adam Stern.

Sustaining competitive advantage within the medical device industry

8th Jan 2008

Regulations controlling the manufacturing, marketing and usage of medical devices in the EU are forcing manufacturers to incorporate language translation. Read the full blog by Shy Avni, posted 8th january 2008.

Carbon, a new asset class?

12th Dec 2007

Investors are already testing the potential of markets in greenhouse gas emissions, but what are the risks and how can they be avoided?
by Charles Longden, December 3rd, 2007.

Health claims on food products often not used correctly

5th Dec 2007 by Cor Groenveld

Research from the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority in the Netherlands showed that many food products do not meet the EU regulations towards health claims on food products. The Authorities analysed 79 products and found 44 non compliances on 22 products against the regulations. The new EU Directive 1924/2006 towards claims is effective since July 2007 and it also covers health claims.

Health claims on food products often not used correctly

5th Dec 2007 by Cor Groenveld

TAPA Supply Chain Standard

30th Nov 2007 by Alex Briggs

The Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) is an association of security professionals and related business partners from various high technology manufacturing and transportation companies who have come together for the purpose of addressing the emerging security threats that are common to the relevant industries. The TAPA EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) brochure contains relevant information on the organisation, the TAPA FSR Standard and a list of the members and associate members.

VCS to help eliminate double counting of carbon credits

27th Nov 2007 by Alex Briggs

The new Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) is already starting to raise the credibility of the voluntary carbon market. Clearly stated in the VCS is that a registry will be established to ensure that voluntary carbon units (VCU’s) will not be double counted.

This National Review article highlights the fact that Kyoto Protocol signatory nations will no longer be able to count their carbon credits in both the regulatory and voluntary market.

Work life balance directive

26th Nov 2007

Regardless of the political attitude: setting a limit on working hours is an essential employees’ right. In 1993 the European Union introduced the “Working Time Directive” - designed to protect the health and safety of workers.

Supplier of a supplier still the problem of the manufacturer

30th Oct 2007 by Gail Van Den Bos

A recent article in The Observer newspaper in the UK, highlighted how a supplier to Gap Inc. had sub-contracted their work to another supplier where child labour was apparently found in use.

Fake food and drink on the rise

30th Oct 2007 by Alex Briggs

Counterfeiting costs the food and drinks industry an estimated $75 million, not to mention the damage to brand reputation and consumer confidence. With an increase between 2003 and 2005 of 250% in the volume of counterfeited food and drink items, there is a clear need for collaboration between industries and governments to fight the problem.

Is your beer safe?

30th Oct 2007 by Alex Briggs

Anheuser Busch has denied serious allegations by Greenpeace that their Budweiser beer contains traces of a genetically engineered strain of rice known as “Liberty Link”.
Liberty Link is a series of strains of GM rice from Bayer CropScience. Some of the strains are banned in a number of markets around the world for human consumption, but not in the US.
Due to Anheuser Busch’s position as the largest single purchaser of American rice, Greenpeace claims that the group had a responsibility to ensure it was fully aware of how it is sourcing ingredients.

Is the Kyoto protocol already outdated?

29th Oct 2007 by Anne-Marie Warris

Yet another report about the ‘failure’ of Kyoto Protocol. Whether it is right or not, my concern is that we are so busy complaining and repudiating Kyoto that we forget to look at what are the serious and sustainable options to achieve the reduction in GHG emissions we need.

Climate Change, Consumers and Verification

18th Oct 2007 by Alex Briggs

A new consumer research study has reiterated the results of the What Assures Consumers report.
Companies are currently winning interest and admiration (from a distance) but not trust and loyalty (closeness). Again, the need for independent, third-party verification of corporate green claims is a key point for business as it seeks to build consumer trust.

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Supply Chain metrics and benchmarking

18th Oct 2007 by Gail Van Den Bos

Is there any value to benchmarking in supply chains? And how reliable is the information? Is the only organisation that benefits the one that does the number crunching and writes a report?
Where a set of metrics is issued to a company showing how they sit against their competitors, do they do anything with the information? From my experience, I’m not sure that they do.

What’s new for Supply Chains?

10th Oct 2007 by Gail Van Den Bos

There’s a great deal of information available about supply chains. And increasingly, it’s highlighting new areas. No longer limited to product safety recalls and logistical headaches, we’re now hearing more about green supply chains, ethical supply chains, carbon management in supply chains, reverse outsourcing, supply chain security and so on.

The Stern Report: One year on

9th Oct 2007 by Alex Briggs

An Ethical Corp story focuses on the effect the Stern Report has had on UK businesses. The articles describes the issue of the report as a “eureka moment” and provides the example of Cadbury-Schweppes as being a brand that responded to the report at the boardroom level.

Changes in supply chain collaboration, management and security

9th Oct 2007

Changes in supply chain collaboration, management and security The @ Supply Chain Management blog points to a new supply chain report, which presents the results of comprehensive longitudinal research into supply chain management and supply chain security.

Is local food safer?

9th Oct 2007

Is local food safer? A new report from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University suggests that US consumers believe that local food is safer than that from further afield.

Green credentials vs. Environmental values, any difference?

5th Oct 2007 by Alex Briggs

A survey back in June, showed that only 9% of respondents said that a company’s “environmental values” were important, while 58% of respondents stated that a company’s “green credentials” were important.
This begs the question, what is the difference and how was that difference communicated to the survey participants?
And how would those numbers have changed over […]

China cracks down on food producers

2nd Oct 2007 by Cor Groenveld

An article in the Sydney Morning Herald addresses the food safety concerns in China. The Chinese Government revoked the production licenses of hundreds of companies. It is known that food safety is very high on the agenda of China’s government. Reasons for that are the coming Olympics and the negative publicity from several food scandals. […]

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New Food Safety Website for smaller firms

2nd Oct 2007 by Cor Groenveld

Small and medium food companies often struggle with food safety requirements. The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) has created a website to help small and medium size firms better manage their food safety.

Greenpeace, politics and football

28th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

Those were the key elements of last night’s Powering the UK event in Manchester. Greenpeace hosted the event at Manchester City’s stadium. The club is set to unveil a very large wind turbine just outside the stadium in the coming months, working with Ecotricity and the Manchester City Council to provide power to the stadium as well the surrounding neighborhoods.

Climate Change Action Who and How

27th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

Only through clear strategies that are informative and transparent to both business and consumers, backed by full government support and pressure, communicated by all types of media can there be a concerted global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Businesses having systems to measure data in place that are credible and verifiable will lead to the consumer trust that will change their buying habits.

Wal-Mart addresses climate change and supply chain

25th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

The key issues of risk management, supply chain and climate change have made their way to the top of media and corporate agendas recently.

A Wal-Mart and Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) joint effort will measure the climate change effects across the Wal-Mart supply chain.

Mattel apology to China not the end of it

25th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

When big brands started to manufacture their products in “cheap labour” markets, it was believed that the brands had all the power, with governments doing everything they could to create favourable economic incentives to those brands.

The latest in the Mattel “lead paint” story seems to have indicated that the situation has drastically changed.

Majority of big brands addressing climate change issues

25th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

A recent CDP study has shown that the majority of large global companies have gotten the climate change message. The report highlighted the actions and views of those companies concerning climate change. 95% of those companies viewing climate change as a risk having already implemented a greenhouse gas reduction programme.

How organic is organic? More bad news for British farmers

24th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

This Times article has raised a difficult topic for organic farmers.

The article reveals that Helen Browning, the director of food and farming at the Soil Association, sends pig shoulders from Wiltshire, England to Germany for processing into sausages and imports pork loins from Sweden to make bacon.

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Vegetarian Society launch Climate Change ads

24th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

The Vegetarian Society has launched a new ad campaign on climate change. The ads are aimed at educating the public as to the carbon emitted by livestock.
This often overlooked issue was addressed by Rowland Hill, the Sustainability Manager at Marks and Spencer, in one of our podcasts as he talked about measuring the carbon footprint of their top selling ready meal, Beef Lasagne:

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Climate Change letter to heads of state

21st Sep 2007 by Anne-Marie Warris

Climate change issues remain on the agenda of major business organisations such as IETA (International Emission Trading Association). In preparation for the upcoming key meetings to negotiate the climate targets and processes beyond 2012, IETA has issued an open letter (see below next paragraph).

It is a positive to see that member led organisations with a substantial number of carbon emitters in its membership from across the world takes this type of initiative.

More consumer calls for transparency

21st Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

In a food safety environment that is being increasingly driven by consumer awareness and outcry, soft drink manufacturers are taking steps to assure consumers that they are reducing additives in their products.

This Foodqualitynews.com article

A recent Food Standards Agency (FSA) report stated:

“eating or drinking certain mixes of additives together with the preservative sodium benzoate, could be linked to a negative effect on children’s behaviour.”

Supply Chain Risks, One Year Later

21st Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

A Forbes article on growing supply chain risks, published a year ago this week, stated:

The three most cited disruptions to their supply chains were the supply of raw materials, the performance of supply chain partners (specifically in delivery and quality) and volatile fuel prices.

Green Supply Chains and consumer pressure

20th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

Successful consumer led campaigns against companies using cheap labour may be the blueprint for upcoming campaigns aimed at brands not paying enough attention to the “greenness” of their global supply chain.
This Supply Chain Digest article once again shows that brands cannot afford to get their supply chain wrong.
It is no longer enough for a brand […]

Import Supply Chain Checklist

20th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

Despina Keegen of JP Morgan Global Trade Services has written a guest column for Supply and Demand Chain which features a supply chain checklist. Interestingly, the column talks about a possible “import czar” position being created at the cabinet level of the US government. A sign as to how important supply chain safety, supply […]

Harmonisation of food standards: a step closer

20th Sep 2007 by Cor Groenveld

Will we ever have a “one size fits all” food safety management system? The Food Safety section editor, Cor Groenveld, provides an informative update on the initiatives that are all trying to bring some uniformity to the food industry. This blog post makes sense of a very complex situation.

Thoughts from the Chicago Carbon Footprint Conference

18th Sep 2007 by Andy Ritchie

Just got back from the two-day Carbon Footprint Consumer Products Summit in Chicago…

A bit of good news on food safety

18th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

Andrew Wadge, The UK Food Standards Agency’s Chief Scientist has a blog. In his latest post, he writes about some good news on lower salmonella contamination levels in eggs.

Climate Change and the Future, two possible scenarios

18th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

Dr. Glen Barry, in his Climate Change blog, presents two possible scenarios that could play out over the next 40 plus years.
More proof that business and governments need to change, now. The education level of the consumer is growing and increasingly they are demanding that businesses and governments become more accountable and more responsible. Can […]

Supply Chain Security

17th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

A recent study has shown that 90% of all global exports are transported by shipping. The DTZ study has raised the importance of supply chain security for ports.
So, where is the threat to the security of the supply chain coming from? The research identified four key areas of threat with terrorism becoming increasingly important. This not […]

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Choice Editing, the new buzz word?

17th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

Leo Hickman of the Guardian Ethical Living blog has posted an informative, thought provoking article on choice editing. The B & Q story was truly ahead of its time. Have a look at Anne-Marie’s blog posts on choice editing, 1 and 2 .

Supply Chains: Who’s to blame when it all goes wrong?

17th Sep 2007 by Gail Van Den Bos

China’s manufacturing sites come in for a lot of bad press… maybe deservedly, but they are part of a chain of responsibility that starts with the customer at one end of the chain. Quite a few questions need to be asked before identifying culprits who contribute to product failures.

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Climate Change Behaviour

17th Sep 2007 by Anne-Marie Warris

Recent research has indicated, as I think we all knew, that as individuals we are very concerned about climate change and its effects but when asked if we would pay more tax or change our behaviour the research indicate that no we will not. So what can we do?

New white paper shows Chinese food exports safest in world

17th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

An article on a new white paper has shown that Chinese food exports are the safest in the world, with the EU accepting 99.8%, the US 99.1% and Japan accepting 99.42% (better than the EU and the US rates of acceptance for Japan).
With the recent food safety scares originating largely in China, the Chinese government watchdog […]

“Shakeout” due on Voluntary Carbon Standards

17th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

Following on from our Friday post on the VCS market, this article talks of a shrinking of the accepted Voluntary Carbon Standards, with just three expected to survive and thrive. The Voluntary Carbon Standard, currently being written, is one of them.

AP article finds little change despite E Coli outbreak

14th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

The Arizona Republic ran a story on a recent Associated Press study indicating that the anticipated wave of government and industry regulation following last year’s E Coli outbreak has not materialised.

AP’s review of data obtained through the Freedom of Information Act found that federal officials inspect companies growing and processing salad greens an average of just once […]

Voluntary Carbon Market tripled in 2006

14th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

The voluntary carbon market tripled in 2006, according to a comprehensive research paper by Ecosystem Marketplace and New Carbon Finance. The need for a standardised methodology for all voluntary carbon schemes has never been more relevant than now. What is being done to bring a stronger sense of confidence to the voluntary market? The Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) is currently being updated, with version 2 due to be published in the coming months.

Updated Climate Change Quotes

13th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

The climate change debate is remaining firmly on the front pages.
Here are some quotes from industry and government and NGO’s that indicate the seriousness of the situation:
“The global threat from climate change is now clearer than ever. The whole economy has to change.”
Sir Terry Leahy, Tesco Chief Executive
“Climate change and the impact that it will […]

The YouTube! ISO14001 video

11th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

For those of you who haven’t seen it, ISO has put a promotional video on YouTube! The video is an overview of the environmental management standard, ISO 14001, and has over 5,400 downloads so far!
Further, there are supply chain videos on YouTube!, including this promotional video from Cisco and Ford, as well as Food Safety videos, including this one on Food Safety and China.

Former President Clinton to help launch 5th CDP Report

11th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

The Carbon Disclosure Project is hosting a series of global launches to announce the results of their fifth written report.
The first one will take place on September 24, 2007 in New York, with former President Bill Clinton scheduled to speak.
The CPD was launched in Dec, 2000, with the 1st CDP report being launched in early 2003, […]

The Difficulty in Measuring Carbon Footprints

11th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

A recent Social Funds article analyses the different methods being used to evaluate a company’s carbon footprint. Socialfunds.com is a personal finance site devoted to socially responsible investing.

Supply Chain Conference in Prague

10th Sep 2007 by Gail Van Den Bos

At the recent Global Food Safety Summit inPrague, a number of key messages emerged. These included the importance of effective risk assessments across all of the supply network, of the need to have processes in place to prevent emergencies (product recalls, security incidents), and also to be prepared to respond if the worst happens. Whilst the […]

Choice Editing

10th Sep 2007 by Anne-Marie Warris

The last few weeks has been full of climate issues on the news front, be it the EC stopping Chinese import of cheap energy efficient light bulbs. How does that square with the need consumers identified in the What assures consumers report for choice editing?
Choice editing is the term used in the report to describe instances […]

Dow Chemical and Union Pacific Railroad Working on Supply Chain Security

7th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

Dow and Union Pacific have joined together with emergency responders across California to improve and test their safety and security skills in chemical rail transportation.The exercises are taking place all over California, as part of a road show.”We take very seriously our obligation to responsibly manufacture and move our oducts,” said Henry Ward, director of transportation safety […]

Being Green means more green?

7th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

A survey released this week by IPSOS focuses on the financial and image benefits of being the greenest (or percieved as the greenest) in your sector. US Online consumers were surveyed on their views towards the world’s largest tech companies. Over half (57%) said that the Energy Star label was an influencing factor in their purchase […]

Supply Chain problems linked directly to financial performance

7th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

Supply Chain Digest, in their graphic of the week have proven a direct link between supply chain disruptions and a negative impact on a company’s stock prices.
The importance of a company being able to effectively manage their supply chain, from beginning to end, has never been more relevant. Recent high-profile media cases, have highlighted the need […]

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Thoughts from the Global Food Safety Summit, Prague

7th Sep 2007 by Cor Groenveld

I just got back from the Global Food Safety Summit 2007 in Prague. The event featured stakeholders from the food manufacturers, retail, food services and suppliers of food ingredients. It was a series of presentations, interactive sessions and individual meetings, all based around the issues of food safety in the supply chain. The attendees and […]

Consumers increase call for transparency in food labeling

6th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

A Greener Choice Blog post has highlighted a recent Consumers Report poll has found that 92 percent of Americans want their food products to be labelled with the country of origin.
In line with the recent What Assures Consumers report which focused on UK and US consumers and their attitudes toward climate change, the Consumers Report poll has […]

Trust in the Food Supply Chain

6th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

Canadian Blogger Robert Paterson has linked three key Business Assurance issues into one post: Food Safety, Supply Chain Assurance and the importance of transparency. Have a look at his “know your farmer, trust your farmer” point of view.

Being Green in the US and the UK

4th Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

The US government and media have made 2007 the “year of the environment”. To the general US public, it may seem that the US is leading the way on this one. For the majority of Europeans, particularly Brits, the viewpoint is much different. While they clearly welcome the US interest in “green issues” and the environment, […]

Internal testing reveals latest Salmonella scare in US

3rd Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

Fresh Metz, a California based “grower and shipper specializing in year-round custom-grown spinach” has voluntarily recalled 8,000 cases of its products after an internal test found traces of salmonella on some of their products.
Coming on the back of new guidelines rolled out just five months ago, the latest recall of spinach has shocked the industry and […]

Renault promotes benefits of ISO 14001 in new global ad campaign

3rd Sep 2007 by Alex Briggs

Renault is going beyond the marketing speak in addressing climate change. Their latest ad campaign, sets out clear and measurable targets for their cars to meet in the coming years. In the ads, “Renault introduces its new Eco2 Symbol, clearly proclaiming its commitment to a product offering that is both Economical and Ecological.
This Ecological […]

Think beyond the carbon label

2nd Jul 2007 by Tim Kitchin

If we are to trade our way out of climate change, consumers are going to need to make much better environmental choices.

Realistically, they will need a lot more information; honestly produced and simply presented.

The challenge facing carbon markets

16th May 2007 by Anne-Marie Warris

We are at the beginning of a new era, of a new exciting place to be. But we’re also facing a huge level of challenge.

We as individuals have to start making carbon choices that we’re not prepared to make yet, but that we’re beginning to think about.

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Carbon markets and carbon tax - the two can work together

14th May 2007

A letter to the editor of the FT today points out the unnecessary dichotomy which many people perceive between markets and carbon taxing when attempting to fight climate change.

Roundtable on Carbon Integrity at Carbon Expo

10th May 2007 by Alex Briggs

The 4th annual Carbon Expo was a true test of how far up the agenda carbon emissions have come.

An evening roundtable at the end of day one featured Fiona Harvey, the environment editor for the FT and six of the carbon industries leading players discussing the issues facing the credibility of today’s carbon market.

Carbon markets in a muddle?

26th Apr 2007

Interesting leader in the FT today for anyone who’s active in the ETS or carbon offsetting space - titled Carbon markets create a muddle, it argues that CO₂ needs a price, but that taxes are the best way to set it.

Times highlights need for Food Assurance

16th Apr 2007 by Tim Kitchin

UK newspaper, The Times has highlighted a growing scandal as demand for ‘ethical’ and sustainable products outstrips supply, and unscrupulous suppliers are pushing farms.

Quality compost to reduce landfill

3rd Apr 2007

Under current legislation in the UK, producers of compostable waste may need to apply for a license before they can spread it on land.

According to an article on the IEMA website, he new Quality Protocol proposed by the Environment Agency in England and Wales will mean that compostable products will be easier to dispose.

Deming says ‘adopt the new philosophy’

29th Mar 2007

Deming argues that managers must ‘adopt the new philosophy’ — in this case, his new philosophy — but the rationale is applicable whether or not we examine his approach.

His argument was thus: unless management adopt the reforms they put in place, they shouldn’t expect their workforce to do so; the same goes for management systems.

Investing in change

8th Mar 2007

Gareth Hughes, Climate Change Capital’s head of corporate development, outlined today the growing opportunities for corporations in the capital markets if they can prove they have superior environmental performance.

Why continuous improvement is necessary

6th Mar 2007

The ASQ Quality in Education blog highlights a video by Karl Fisch and Scott Macleod, and shows why any commitment to quality must also include a commitment to continuous improvement .

EU licensing gone mad?

15th Feb 2007 by Simon Emeny

I was reading my BIKE magazine and came across a page about the proposed motorcycling licence changes scheduled for 2012.

Simon Zadek talks about carbon trading in China

14th Feb 2007

Simon Zadek talks about carbon trading in China RTHK reports about the changes to legislation in Guangdong which introduces emissions trading for large power stations.

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McKinsey downplays carbon cost

2nd Feb 2007 by Tim Kitchin

McKinsey downplays carbon cost McKinsey has performed its own cost estimate around carbon reduction strategies, and concluded that reforestation and energy saving measures can provide around half of the required adjustments. The analysis significantly downplays perceived threat to economic growth.

Carbon credits spark debate

31st Jan 2007 by Tim Kitchin

A constructive debate is raging over at David Miliband’s blog around the likely effectiveness of consumer carbon credits.

ISO 9000 in Australia - a comparison of the 1994 and 2000 versions

30th Jan 2007

ISO 9000 in Australia - a comparison of the 1994 and 2000 versions Research conducted by Monash University’s Australian Supply Chain Management Research Unit and supported by JAS-ANZ, the government appointed accreditation body for Australia and New Zealand, explores the transition from ISO 9000:1994 to ISO 9000:2000.

Is IRIS certification a good idea?

24th Jan 2007 by Simon Emeny

In June 2006 the “International Railway Industry Standard” was published. This standard is promoted by UNIFE but is primarily aimed at suppliers to the 4 major European train builders.

Private equity goes good

16th Jan 2007

The Times reports that group of private-equity firms across Europe have come together to start a charitable organisation with £5m in start-up funds.

The value of provenance: Part 2

30th Nov 2006 by Tim Wilson

“Degrees of shoparation” is the extent to which I don’t know the provenance of a product — it might be that I don’t have any connection with it at all.

How does this affect brands and branding?

What is Business Assurance?

28th Nov 2006

In his report on the Lloyd’s Register Group annual accounts, David Moorhouse neatly sums up the concept of business assurance.

Viva Management Systems

24th Nov 2006 by David Lawson

I’ll be off to Barcelona at the weekend in time for LRQA’s Business Assurance Summit, “Setting the Agenda for Change”.

We’ve invited a small group of clients to come and share our latest thinking on management systems performance. It promises to be a very interesting gathering indeed.