2Sustain

Once again, Apple’s supply chain is making headlines –for all the wrong reasons.

Last week, a coalition of 36 of China’s leading environmental groups released a new report claiming the company’s manufacturing processes are degrading the environment and poisoning workers.

The coalition, called the Green Choice Initiative, examined the environmental impact of 29 major IT firms that manufacture products in China. Apple finished tied for last place.

In a statement, the Green Choice Initiative said: (more…)

Danone, Unilever, Heinz and Nestlé are the most sustainable large food producers in the world, according to new research released earlier this month by Bank Sarasin.

The study, Food and sustainability: Will the seed bear fruit? highlights three central sustainability themes that affect food producers:

• health and nutrition
• sourcing more raw materials from sustainable agriculture
• committing to fair working conditions.

And although the report found that many large food producers are developing sustainability strategies, Bank Sarasin concluded that most companies still have plenty of ground to cover on the path towards sustainability.

For example, the food industry as a whole faces significant challenges regarding the procurement of raw materials from sustainable sources. The world’s largest food producers purchase a significant share of global harvests –up to 20 percent of the world’s coffee, more than 10 percent of its tea, tomatoes and peas, and about 5 percent of its palm oil. Companies that have worked to secure large volumes of their raw materials from sustainable sources ranked high on Bank Sarasin’s matrix of sustainability criteria.
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BSR member companies are continuing with their sustainability programs in the year ahead, despite ongoing concerns about the world’s economy.

In fact, nearly all (94 percent) of the 377 respondents in the BSR/GlobeScan State of Sustainable Business Poll 2010 said that their companies plan to maintain or increase their budgets for CSR/sustainability programs 2011, and nearly three-quarters also anticipate increasing the amount of internal and external CSR/sustainability communications.

As you might expect, climate change remains an important focus of these efforts, with 63 percent of respondents selecting it more than any other issue as either a “significant” or “very significant” priority. However, it’s also with noting that the urgency around climate change appears to have decreased from last year, when the Copenhagen climate summit was approaching. The proportion of respondents who considered climate change a “very significant” priority declined from 41 percent in 2009 to 27 percent this year—a drop from first on the list to third.
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Apple released it 2010 Progress Report on Supplier Sustainability yesterday –two days ahead of its annual shareholder meeting on Thursday.

As I’m sure you’re aware, Apple’s manufacturing business is located primarily overseas, and the company has been dogged with labor problems ever since allegations of sub-par working conditions in China first surfaced in 2006. Since then, Apple has implemented training programs and increased factory audits to help ensure that its suppliers are adhering to the company’s Code of Conduct.

The new 24-page progress report offers details about Apple’s proactive approach to working with suppliers to protect worker rights and improve factory conditions. It includes an outline of the Apple Supplier Code of Conduct, a summary of 2009 audits, plus details about violations and corrective actions to address them.

According to the new report, Apple does see positive progress –but also recognizes that much more work needs to be done to make sure suppliers meet expectations.  The company says it will continue to improve and expand its supplier responsibility program, which includes not only supplier audits, but also: (more…)