The Sustainability Learning Forum

Systematic and Holistic Program for a Balanced Industrial Ecology

M Bhaskar, TÜV Rheinland Group
Dagny Buehler-Thierfelder, TÜV Rheinland Holding

In Karnataka, one of the fastest-growing states of India, officials have become aware of the increasing pollution and exploitation of natural resources by the major industries and the growing population. Indian energy production has risen over 20 percent since 2000; during the same period, CO2 emissions went up by nearly 30 percent. The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) has identified 118 companies – the majority small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – from all the main industries that are using resources inefficiently and are polluting the environment. More than half of the companies are located in the district of Bangalore and are a constant threat to the ecological balance of the region. more[...]

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Factory of the Future – The Otto Grameen Textile Company

Editorial Team

Over two million people work in the textile industry in Bangladesh, with women accounting for 80 percent of the workforce in clothing factories. The clothing industry is one of the region’s key employers and plays an important role as a source of income for the poorest strata of society. These people need the jobs, yet all too often they have to work in textile factories under poor safety conditions for wages that do not even cover their basic needs. more[...] login_required

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Factory of the Future – The Otto Grameen Textile Company

Andreas Streubig, Otto Group
Otto Group

Over two million people work in the textile industry in Bangladesh, with women accounting for 80 percent of the workforce in clothing factories. The clothing industry is one of the region’s key employers and plays an important role as a source of income for the poorest strata of society. These people need the jobs, yet all too often they have to work in textile factories under poor safety conditions for wages that do not even cover their basic needs. more[...]

The Author

Lead by Example

Jeffrey Revels, TMS Group
TMS Group

The purpose of the venture between TMS and its key customers is to provide a working strategy to implement the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI). The key is a partnership in respecting human dignity, managing risk, and maximizing the opportunities in the supply chain by taking a proactive and ethical approach. more[...]

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Aid for children from the cocoa supply chain in Ghana

Charlotte Thorø Berghof, Toms Gruppen A/S
Toms Group

The recurrent focus on the issue of child labour in the cocoa bean supply chain caused Danish chocolate manufacturer, Toms, to partner with Danida and IBIS, a Danish aid NGO. This partnership has resulted in a Toms education project in Ghana, improving the quality of schooling for 15,000 children in cocoa producing areas. more[...] login_required

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Danish partnership benefits children from the cocoa supply chain in Ghana

Charlotte Thorø Berghof, Toms Gruppen A/S
Toms Group

The recurrent focus on the issue of child labour in the cocoa bean supply chain caused Danish chocolate manufacturer, Toms, to partner with Danida and IBIS, a Danish aid NGO. This partnership has resulted in a Toms education project in Ghana, improving the quality of schooling for 15,000 children in cocoa producing areas. more[...]

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FIT5 - Factory Improvement Training in China

Dagny Buehler-Thierfelder, TÜV Rheinland Holding
Sherin Lin, TÜV Rheinland Holding
TÜV Rheinland Holding

TÜV Rheinland Group in Shenzhen and CSR Asia, in collaboration with the German not-for-profit organization InWEnt gGmbH (Capacity Building International, Germany), have developed this multi-supplier training program linking productivity, quality management, CSR and the essential basic rights with respect to selected ILO standards, Chinese labor law and workplace conditions. more[...] login_required

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FIT5 - Factory Improvement Training in China

Sherin Lin, TÜV Rheinland Holding
TÜV Rheinland Holding
Dagny Buehler-Thierfelder, TÜV Rheinland Holding

TÜV Rheinland Group in Shenzhen and CSR Asia, in collaboration with the German not-for-profit organization InWEnt gGmbH (Capacity Building International, Germany), have developed this multi-supplier training program linking productivity, quality management, CSR and the essential basic rights with respect to selected ILO standards, Chinese labor law and workplace conditions. more[...]

The Author

Self-assessment Regarding Respect for Human Rights

Christian Coutin, SEB Groupe
Marianne Tisserand, SEB Groupe
SEB Groupe

As world economies become globalized, the new challenge is to ensure that multinational corporations can be held accountable not only for the impact of their activities on human beings but also for their respect of Human Rights. To date, there is no supranational legal institution with the appropriate means to enforce human rights in a mandatory way. Companies that agree to assume responsibility do so voluntarily. But for an international firm, ensuring that Human Rights are respected can be quite difficult. The standards developed to protect people’s rights were originally drafted for states, so additional practical steps are required to apply those standards to companies and to develop concrete ways to implement and track them within a corporate environment. more[...] login_required

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Building Social Wealth through Education

Editorial Team

About one out of every three Egyptians above the age of 15 cannot read or write. Despite various efforts of national literacy initiatives, as well as those organized by the many nongovernmental organizations and private enterprises operating in the country, Egypt still ranks 132nd worldwide in terms of literacy. more[...] login_required

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Building Social Wealth through Education

Walid Nagi, UN Global Compact

About one out of every three Egyptians above the age of 15 cannot read or write. Despite various efforts of national literacy initiatives, as well as those organized by the many nongovernmental organizations and private enterprises operating in the country, Egypt still ranks 132nd worldwide in terms of literacy. more[...]

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Imagine What We Can Do Together: Randstad – VSO Partnership

Eveline Kramers, Randstad

“We strongly believe that companies have no reason to exist if they don’t add value to society,” says Ben Noteboom, CEO of Randstad Holding nv. “Our core activity, putting people to work, means improving people’s lives. But we want to do something extra. Working with development organization VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) is a perfect match because we can help them select the right people, something we do every day. And: All of our employees can play a role in this partnership.” Randstad supports VSO financially, through in-kind donations and by providing expertise in recruitment & selection. Most importantly we stimulate our employees, who come from varied backgrounds -IT, HR, finance, etc.- to volunteer or raise awareness or funds for VSO. So far over 75 Randstad employees have volunteered with VSO in developing countries reaching thousands of beneficiaries. more[...] login_required

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Empowering Women For More Sustainable Communities

Editorial Team

As a global organization with a presence in 82 countries and territories, Manpower Inc.’s employees, associates, clients, and candidates are naturally diverse. Diversity brings a broader range of perspectives and capabilities to our organization, as we continue to be innovative by remaining open to the ideas of all. Manpower’s core mission is to provide the best possible talent for our clients, and that means tapping into all populations and including those that have traditionally been underrepresented. Diversity is essential to maintaining our role as an expert in the changing world of work. more[...] login_required

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Empowering Women For More Sustainable Communities

Jeffrey A. Joerres, ManpowerGroup
ManpowerGroup

As a global organization with a presence in 82 countries and territories, Manpower Inc.’s employees, associates, clients, and candidates are naturally diverse. Diversity brings a broader range of perspectives and capabilities to our organization, as we continue to be innovative by remaining open to the ideas of all. Manpower’s core mission is to provide the best possible talent for our clients, and that means tapping into all populations and including those that have traditionally been underrepresented. Diversity is essential to maintaining our role as an expert in the changing world of work. more[...]

The Author

How Do You Avoid Gender Discrimination?

Editorial Team

Gender discrimination in the workplace is an issue that we need to stand against. In today’s day and age, where equal contributions from both sexes in the corporate world are valued, gender discrimination simply should not be tolerated or encouraged. Within Green Delta Insurance Company, a firm believer of equal rights and opportunities, we have uniform policies for both male and female employees. more[...] login_required

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