Sustainable Procurement News

The European Union (EU) ranks third in the world for global CO2 emissions from road transport, according to a European Commission report that cited 2015 International Energy Agency (IEA) data. China tops this chart, followed by the United States.

The European Commission (EC) has presented a set of focused actions to make garment sector's value chains more sustainable. Neven Mimica, Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, presented the Staff Working Document on 'Sustainable garment value chains through EU development action' at an event organised by the European Parliament and EC.

One of Australia’s best-known business figures says he uncovered slavery in at least 12 suppliers as he tried to stamp out forced labour from the business chain of his mining company.

The mounting problem of air pollution may not immediately seem like a pressing issue for businesses outside of the automotive industry. However, the recognition of bad air as a source of significant health implications and research revealing a potential link to employee productivity and talent attraction should be of concern to all businesses.

While the capacity from renewables was equivalent to 55 per cent of all new power, the highest to date, total investment was $241.6 billion, the lowest since 2013.

O2 has been recognised as the first organisation to be awarded the Carbon Trust Standard for Supply Chain at its highest level – Level 3. The standard is awarded for firms that showcase a targeted approach to year-on-year supply chain carbon emission reductions through identification and engagement measures with suppliers.

The UN Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, and GRI, the world’s leading organization for sustainability reporting, are partnering to create a clear and simple framework for the private sector to assess and report on their contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The auto industry continues to look towards a sustainable future with the development of a new partnership between 10 of the world’s biggest automakers. Dubbed DRIVE Sustainability, the partnership is comprised of heavy hitters BMW Group, Daimler AG, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Opel/Vauxhall, Scania CV AB, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, Volvo Cars and Volvo Group.

Tougher vehicle pollution standards and mandatory air suction waste systems are two of the initiatives that the Singapore government will be implementing to curb emissions and revive the nation’s stagnant domestic recycling rates, but experts say more must be done to encourage Singaporeans to adopt more environmentally responsible lifestyles.

California has led the charge for electric vehicles with an ambitious strategy to put 1.5 million zero‐emission vehicles on the road by 2025 (Executive Order B‐16‐2012) with the ultimate goal of transitioning virtually all personal transportation in the state to zero‐emission cars by 2050. This leadership has paid off ― California continues to make up for about half of the growth of electric vehicles in the United States.

The creation of resilient and sustainable cities is therefore a business opportunity for the private sector, who can build a marketplace for resilience tools and services.

There’s much more to keeping the economy clean. It’s increasingly strange to have to say this, but workers struggling to breathe are not productive, places without access to safe water, like Flint, Michigan — not to mention 3,000 other U.S. counties where lead rates are even higher — have trouble building a strong economy, and people in cities fighting rising seas or extreme drought do not make great customers. In short, the economy can’t thrive if people and the planet suffer.

Global coal use must be cut by 70 per cent within 25 years, oil use must fall 30 per cent and gas can increase by only 2 per cent out to 2040. The growing global population will instead get its energy from a huge expansion of renewables, combined with more efficient energy use and other low-carbon technologies.

Modern slavery also permeates the global supply chains of Australian businesses supplying goods to the Australian market from overseas. Major retailers, including Rip Curl, Woolworths, Coles and Aldi, have all been implicated in recent scandals involving exploitation in their supply chains. No company wants the curse of slavery in their products, yet too often that is the reality.

After months of public consultation, the City of Sydney has fast-tracked the adoption of an action plan that will help it achieve net zero emissions by 2050, tackle waste and water usage, and scale up renewable energy use.

As part of the programme, Ford provides 350 monitoring tools to help its suppliers achieve their own sustainability goals, and in return suppliers report and share their environmental progress and best practices.

Over the past 25 years, dozens of national, regional and international climate funds have been created. Each new fund responded to needs and gaps that existed at the time, but this has led to a rather complicated system

“In order to integrate sustainability deeper into investment decisions, companies need clear and consistent standards to communicate their sustainability impacts and opportunities to investors. The collaboration with UNCTAD will allow us to reach key players in the investment chain together to raise awareness on how sustainability reporting can pave the way to a green economy,” said GRI’s Chief Executive Tim Mohin, speaking at the GRI Standards launch event in Zurich.

HP believes that setting this standard for a transparent electronics recycling supply chain will lead to others following suit. That would be better for the planet and provide reassurance to customers that their cast off electronics will not endanger their confidential data by slipping through cracks of the regulated  recycling process.  

By the end of 2018, governments are looking to complete a clear, consistent and comprehensive set of operating rules and guidance under which countries account transparently for their emissions reductions, adaptation action, flows of climate finance and technology development and transfer.

​In March 2017, Nasdaq’s Nordic and Baltic Exchanges issued a framework to support their listed companies to meet ESG disclosure requirements. The guidance has a strong reference to GRI’s sustainability reporting framework, and it reflects the recommendations of the UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative (SSE), in which GRI is also an active contributor.

Palm oil, along with other agricultural commodities like soy, rubber, coffee and cocoa, has been blamed for destroying the environment and violating the rights of communities and workers in areas where it operates. This has led consumers and NGOs to pressure palm oil firms to clean up their act, while others have suggested boycotting products which contain the substance.