With increasing incidences of uncontrollable externalities like changing weather patterns and raw material shortages, companies in Asia and around the world are embracing resiliency and responsibility in their supply chain management to adapt, improve their impacts on the workforce, local communities, and the environment.
Supply Chain issues affect at least 8 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and SDG #12, ‘Responsible Consumption and Production’ provides a new benchmark for business supply chains.
Click through to learn more about how MNCs and startups are tackling these challenges while driving profit.
4. SOURCE: International Trade Union Confederation
116
MILLION
WORKERS
WERE FOUND IN THE GLOBAL
SUPPLY CHAINS OF 50
MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES, WITH
MOST COMPANIES FAILING TO
ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR A
MINIMUM LIVING WAGE, JOB
SECURITY OR DECENT WORKING
CONDITIONS.
5. PIONEERS
Carbon3D is developing 3D printing solutions that deliver the
synthesis of fit, form, and function needed to bridge the gap between
prototyping and manufacturing.
Our approach is to use some standard knowledge in polymer chemistry to
harness light and oxygen to grow parts continuously. The result is pretty
staggering. It's 25 to 100 times faster than traditional 3D printers, which is
game-changing.
This is very exciting, because this really is owning the intersection between
hardware, software and molecular science, and I can't wait to see what
designers and engineers around the world are going to be able to do with this
great tool.
- Joseph DeSimone, CEO of Carbon3D. Watch his TED talk here.
“”
IMAGE CREDIT: Carbon3D
6. IMAGE CREDIT: Ecovative
Ecovative | USA
Ecovative is a leading
biomaterials company that uses
Mushroom® Material to produce
sustainable products such as
MycoBoard wood and
MycoFoam packaging.
Its equation of innovation is
“Mycelium + Agricultural waste
= Mushroom Materials”. It has
been working with brands like
Dell, Crate and Barrell, and
Steelcase.
7. GEOTRACEABILITY | UK
GeoTraceability specialises in large scale data
collection and traceability programs adapted to
small producers and smallholders in developing
and emerging countries.
Its database currently has 160,000 smallholder
farmers and reaches over 200,000 hectares of
small farms mapped using GeoTraceabilIty
tools in Peru, Ghana, RDC, Turkey and Vietnam.
8. IMAGE CREDIT: GoodWeave International
GoodWeave International
| USA, UK, GERMANY, INDIA,
NEPAL, AFGHANISTAN
GoodWeave prevents child labor in the global
carpet industry by building market demand for
rugs certified as ‘child-labor-free’ and by
preventing child labor in production sites.
To date, GoodWeave has directly freed more
than 3,600 children from labor on the looms,
educated nearly 15,000 children, and improved
the working conditions for 50,000 weavers in
partnership with 140 import brands worldwide.
It is expanding its work into more sectors such
as brick-making and garment production.
9. A Robot Dispatcher to Help
Truck Drivers Avoid Disruption
The MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial
Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) is developing
an automated travel advisor that could
ultimately function as a type of robot
dispatcher that helps truck drivers avoid
disruptions and choose the optimum routes to
their destinations.
The lab already has several applications
underway, including hybrid car navigation and
controlling autonomous underwater vehicles.
IMAGE CREDIT: SBA LABS
IMAGE CREDIT: MIT CSAIL
10. The UN Global Compact and EY
have collaborated to explore the
current state of sustainable supply
chains globally by interviewing more
than 100 supply chain, procurement
and sustainability executives from
70 companies.
Overall, it shows that by improving
environmental, social and
governance (ESG) performance
throughout their supply chains,
companies can enhance processes,
save costs, increase labor
productivity, uncover product
innovation, achieve market
differentiation and have a significant
impact on society.
11. Yes, we use a lot of
natural resources, we
are a business here
to make money, but
we try to do that in a
really responsible
way.
“”
Malcolm Pruys
Head of Sales - Southeast Asia, IKEA
12. Click to watch our exclusive interview with Malcolm Pruys
13. OUR CASE STUDY
HOW TO INTEGRATE IMPACT
UNILEVER, Lipton
In 2014, we took Lipton employees on a journey across
Rainforest Alliance certified tea plantations in Indonesia to
meet tea pluckers, their families, estate managers and
local communities to understand in-depth why
sustainably-sourced tea is better for business and our
planet.
We created a documentary video of this journey to enable
Lipton to inspire and motivate employees globally about
the impact it creates by sustainably sourcing tea through
Rainforest Alliance certified farms.
Read more about the project here.
14. WHAT YOU CAN DO NEXT
Adapt, apply and profit by putting sustainable development at the core of your business.
Work across all your business silos to help
everyone understand the issue and be
inspired to make a difference and get the
sustainability results you need.
Join or send your team on a 3-day IMPACT
ADVENTURE in any Asian country so they
can meet inspiring startups, social
enterprises, and NGOs!
INVOLVE YOUR
STAFF
15. WHAT YOU CAN DO NEXT
Adapt, apply and profit by putting sustainable development at the core of your business.
SHARE YOUR
STORIES
Re-design your BUSINESS STRATEGY to tackle these challenges
anywhere in Asia or run a WORKSHOP to introduce your team to
detailed insights and stories behind this report.
If you have an inspiring story to SHARE how your business is
tackling sustainability challenges in Asia and want to feature it in
any of our communications channels, get in touch!
UPDATE YOUR
STRATEGY
16. COMING UP NEXT….
WASTE
The latest on how startups, SMEs, multinationals and new
research are tackling what gets thrown away in Asia
JUNE 2016
WATER
The latest on how startups, SMEs, multinationals and new
research are tackling water issues & enabling water access in
Asia
JULY 2016
HEALTH
The latest on how startups, SMEs, multinationals and new
research are empowering health & well-being in Asia
AUGUST 2016
ENERGY
The latest on how startups, SMEs, multinationals and new
research are increasing sustainable energy consumption in
Asia
OCTOBER 2016
SUPPLY CHAIN
The latest on how startups, SMEs, multinationals and new
research are creating sustainable supply chains in Asia
SEPTEMBER 2016
FOOD
The latest on how startups, SMEs, multinationals and new
research are working towards sustainable food production &
consumption in Asia
NOVEMBER 2016
2017 TRENDS
Review of what can be expected of startups, SMEs,
multinationals and new research in tackling social &
environmental issues in Asia
DECEMBER 2016
WOMEN
The latest on how startups, SMEs, multinationals and new
research are empowering women & tackling women's issues
in Asia
MARCH 2017
URBAN LIVING
The latest on how startups, SMEs, multinationals and new
research are creating sustainable solutions for a growing
urban population in Asia
APRIL 2017
LAND
The latest on how startups, SMEs, multinationals and new
research are increasing land use efficiency in Asia
JANUARY 2017
CONSUMPTION
The latest on how startups, SMEs, multinationals and new
research are impacting sustainable consumption in Asia
MAY 2017
TALENT
The latest on how startups, SMEs, multinationals and new
research are increasing inclusivity and well-being of their
employees in Asia
FEBRUARY 2017