The Sustainability Learning Forum

Sustainability in the Supply Chain: A Crucial Component of Corporate Responsibility

Antonio Luz-Veloso, Deutsche Telekom
Vera Heyes, Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom AG

Deutsche Telekom conducts business in more than 50 countries. This presents opportunities for companies, particularly in supplier management, but it also poses risks. To ensure that its supply chain has a sustainable focus, Deutsche Telekom has established a systematic supplier management system. As a founding member of the Joint Audit Cooperation (JAC), Deutsche Telekom is committed to shaping sustainable relationships with suppliers. Based on a standardized methodology, JAC examines shared suppliers worldwide, with a particular focus on Asia, South Korea, Eastern Europe, and South America. more[...]

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Cambodia and Vietnam: Linking Stakeholder Engagement to Corporate Social Responsibility Programs

Jeffrey Revels, TMS Group
TMS Group

For nearly three decades, the TMS Group has been at the forefront of the fashion industry as a globally-based fashion and apparel innovator, with core competencies in research and development, product design, fashion-trend analysis, and production sourcing / quality management. With operational offices in seven countries, the TMS Group customer-base spans every continent. In alignment with Mission and Vision Statements, in the first quarter of 2013, the TMS Group expanded its global presence and operations with the opening of the regional office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. With a foothold in Cambodia, the operations for both Cambodia and Vietnam can be managed. more[...]

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Bradesco Invests in Mobility Through Its Digital Channels

Rúbia Piancastelli, Bradesco
Banco Bradesco S.A.

As the first company to launch mobile banking in Brazil, the Bank strengthens its strategy of expanding mobility services. more[...]

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MAN Lives Its Commitment to Climate Protection

Yvonne Benkert, MAN SE
MAN SE

As a global player in the transportation and energy sectors, MAN has a special responsibility to contribute to the reduction of the global carbon footprint. MAN lives up to this responsibility – in its Climate Strategy, it has set a clear objective: a 25 percent reduction in CO2 emissions from the company’s production sites by 2020 (baseline: 2008). The MAN Group has already cut CO2 emissions by 77,000 tons since 2008 – primarily due to the dedication and creativity of its employees, who initiate and carry out climate-protection projects at its sites. Resource scarcity, climate change, globalization, and urbanization are global challenges. MAN actively addresses these issues through its comprehensive corporate responsibility (CR) strategy. At MAN, CR finds concrete expression in four fields of action: integration, economy, environment, and people. Integrating economic, environmental, and social responsibility into its business practices is central to MAN’s success. MAN’s employees are essential to this process – they are its CR ambassadors. Only with their participation can MAN find fitting answers to the most urgent questions of our time. more[...]

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Working Together for Animal Welfare

Aiko Bode, Fenix Outdoor
Kerstin Wolf
Fjällräven

As part of the Fenix Outdoor group, Fjällräven became a participant to the UN Global Compact Principles in 2012. As an outdoor company, we strive to focus in particular on the environmental principles of the Global Compact and to address our current impacts as well as look for innovative solutions to certain issues. The precautionary principle is a guiding principle in our environmental strategy because our products are often made with materials derived from natural sources. We have been making down products for more than 40 years. An important question that arises in this endeavor is how to make high-quality down products with respect to animal welfare? We continuously ask ourselves this question in our business conduct and are in the process of finding an answer. We have managed to establish a production chain with consistent and strict controls and believe we have come close to achieving sustainability in this respect. Fruitful partnerships are part of our approach. We are convinced that a holistic approach and being a pioneer – leaving the beaten path – are key to coping with today’s challenges and finding working solutions. This is what we are striving for at Fjällräven. more[...]

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Traceability models

Editorial Team

There are three main models in terms of how traceability schemes trace sustainability claims. These models offer different approaches to tracking a claim and confirming it at each point in the supply chain. The three models are Product Segregation, Mass Balance, and Book and Claim. They are differentiated by the extent to which certified and non-certified materials are permitted to mix, as well as by claims that can be attached to the final product. more[...] login_required

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World’s First Guide on Traceability Advances Supply Chain Sustainability

Elga Reyes, Eco Business

The United Nations Global Compact and BSR have released the first guide on traceability, which will help companies and consumers ensure that their materials and products are produced responsibly. more[...] login_required

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Reducing Carbon Emissions in Everyday Life

Dr. Nicola Schuldt-Baumgart, ISOE - Institute for Social-Ecological Research
Dr. Immanuel Stieß, ISOE - Institute for Social-Ecological Research

When it comes to protecting the climate, the focus is usually on business and industry. Less well-known is the fact that more than half of the total annual carbon footprint per person (11 tons) is the direct or indirect product of private households. more[...]

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Schuldt-Baumgart, Nicola

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Stieß, Immanuel

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The German Energiewende – Our Contribution to a Sustainable Energy System

Sigmar Gabriel

People around the world are observing the progress being made by Germany on its energy reforms (known as the “Energiewende”), which are no less than a complete overhaul of its energy supply system, entailing the phase-out of nuclear energy, a reduced reliance on fossil fuels, the promotion of energy efficiency, and the establishment of renewable energies as the main sources of energy. more[...]

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