Coca-Cola has released its fourth company-wide Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CRS) Report, titled “Our CRS Journey…Delivering on Our Commitments.” The 48-page report announces an initiative the company is calling “Commitment 2020,” a new set of goals for its five strategic CRS focus areas.
Coca-Cola’s Commitment 2020 goals include:
Without question, greenwashing is a problem in the U.S. But, in China, companies seem to be taking it to a whole new level. Rebecca Kanthor’s recent article for CHaINA Magazine offers nothing but straight-talk about what “green” means in corporate China, and the details she uncovers are eye-opening, to say the least. According to Kanthor, “greenwashing, outright lies, and fake documents” are part and parcel of so-called “green” supply chain management there.
(more…)
Yesterday, GE released its fifth annual Citizenship Report, titled “Resetting Responsibilities.” This new report reviews GE’s global operations for 2008, grouping key CSR initiatives into four themes: energy and climate change, demographics, growth markets and financial markets. It also includes an in-depth discussion about the relationship between business and society during the global recession and how GE integrates corporate responsibility into its overall business strategy.
With regard to energy and climate change, GE’s progress in 2008 includes:
In yesterday’s thought-provoking post, “Is Going Green Still Going Strong?” over at Supply Chain Management Review, Dawn Evans reports that greening the supply chain is now a growing priority for many companies, despite the downturn in the economy. In a survey conducted by SCMR back in September 2008, green sourcing was not considered a priority, even though sustainability programs were expected to become critical in the next two years. However, when SCMR re-surveyed supply chain executives this past April, the percent of companies that considered green sourcing demands as important to their supply chain jumped from 20% to 31%, Evans says.
Recent (Q2, 2009) research from E2Open and the Business Performance Management (BPM) Forum tells a similar story. According to their new study, “Acceleration of ECO-Operation: Achieving Success & Sustainability in the Supply Chain,” a whopping 90% of supply chain directors say that senior management sees the benefits and inevitability of sustainable supply chains.
A new report from market analyst Datamonitor identifies sustainable packaging as a growing consumer issue. In particular, the study found that over-packaged goods are a major concern for consumers worldwide.
The survey, conducted in the second half of 2008 in 15 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, and the U.S., revealed that 34% of American respondents were concerned about excessively packaged goods (slightly below the global average of 44%). Consumers in the United Kingdom were much more likely to be concerned about over-packaging (60%), followed by China (56%) and India (53%).
For many, this concern factors into purchasing choice. (more…)
