Of all areas of the organization, the supply chain is the most vulnerable to ethical lapses.

Consumers expect more from the brands they buy from than ever before, and an ethical supply chain is now a requirement in the experience economy.

As they gain awareness about issues related to the environment, sustainability and forced labor, shoppers are demanding that supply chains meet ethical standards related to environmental stewardship, sustainable sourcing, reducing waste, and better worker conditions.

A recent Accenture Strategy survey of nearly 30,000 consumers in 35 countries found that more than half of UK customers “want companies to take a stand on issues they care about such as sustainability, transparency and fair employment practices.”

Fashion is a $2.5 trillion industry, producing 10% of global carbon emissions, 20% of global wastewater, and vast biodiversity loss. Consumers are demanding change, forcing sustainability in fashion as a requirement, not a trend.

What is an ethical supply chain?

The supply chain is no longer a back-office function that consumers have never heard of. Over the past ten years, it’s taken on a more forward-facing role that’s a competitive differentiator and part of the corporate business model.

So what is an ethical supply chain? It’s more of a practice than a definition.

Supporting an ethical supply chain means that companies will incorporate social and human rights and environmental considerations into how they do business across the world.

An ethical supply chain focuses on the need for corporate social responsibility, working to produce products and services in a way that treats its workers and the environment ethically.

Following are some questions that consumers are asking about brands and their supply chains:

1. Do you trust your suppliers and supply chain partners? Do they keep their word regarding ethics and morals, regardless of possible additional costs?
2. Does each link in the supply chain take care of its workers with fair pay, sustainable work loads, and ethical work conduct?
3. Is the sourcing of materials done from sources with renewable or low impact extraction methods? Is this certified?
4. If unethical behavior is discovered, how will it be remedied? Will each partner in the supply chain actively work to make sure it’s corrected?

Fashion is a $2.5 trillion industry, producing 10% of global carbon emissions, 20% of global wastewater, and vast biodiversity loss. Consumers are demanding change, forcing sustainability in fashion as a requirement, not a trend.

Do you need an ethical supply chain? Yes.

Not surprisingly, companies of all sizes are asking themselves if they need a responsible, ethical supply chain. The answer is an obvious “yes.”

It can help protect brand reputation, build long-term loyalty, and provide a better customer experience. It can even help boost the bottom line: Studies have shown that three-quarters of Millennials are willing to pay more for sustainable goods.

The tougher question, of course, is how to make it a reality. It’s certainly easier said than done. After all, the sheer scale and complexity of today’s global supply chains is mind-boggling.

Take Walmart, for example, which deals with over 100,000 suppliers — a massive network of manufacturers, distributors and subcontractors, from different countries with varying laws and regulations.

In early February there was a discussion about the humanitarian and business impacts of the coronavirus. Back then, the world was still divided between downplaying the crisis and creating excessive panic. As of this writing, the World Health Organization and CDC have recorded more than 100,000 confirmed cases and more than 3,000 deaths related to…

New standards of supply chain 

The good news is that research from APICS, Supply Chain Management Review, and Loyola University Chicago found that more companies are prioritizing ethical supply chains.

In fact, 83% of supply chain professionals said that ethics are extremely (53%) or very important (30%) to their organizations.

In addition, the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM) released new standards in June 2019 designed to “help customers assess the ethical, ecological and economic aspects of their supply chain.” Those who meet the standards are eligible to apply for the ASCM Enterprise Certification, a designation that demonstrates supply chain excellence and transparency.

“More than ever, consumers want to know that the products they buy are not only economically sound but also manufactured through practices that are ethically and environmentally conscious,” says ASCM CEO Abe Eshkenazi about the new standards. “Building these ‘triple E’ supply chains provide innovative companies with another platform to achieve competitive advantage, grow their market share and make the world better through supply chain – at the same time.”

The era of the privacy-first web is coming, but data isn't going away! Retailers can adapt with aggregated and first-party data ––CDP, or a Customer Data Platform, protects customer data.

Making the move towards an ethical supply chain

There are many actions that need to be taken in order to move towards an ethical supply chain, including simplifying processes; efficient planning; visibility into supplier actions; optimizing transportation routes to reduce fuel consumption; monitoring environmental risks; and much more.

Technology is also an essential part: IoT sensors, blockchain, AI-driven bots and advanced real-time analytics can help detect risk, boost efficiency, reduce redundancies and improve planning.

The bottom line is that as an increasing number of consumers demand social responsibility from brands in exchange for loyalty, more and more companies realize they need to take specific steps towards an ethical supply chain.

According to recent research:

• 69% of surveyed companies are eliminating discrimination in the workplace
• 63% are making efforts to uphold environmental responsibility
• 57% are monitoring labor conditions
• 56% are fighting corruption (extortion, bribery)
• 55% are deploying environmentally-friendly technologies

That said, the ethical supply chain is an evolving practice, rather than a one-and-done event. There is clearly more work to be done, but the key to success, say experts, is getting in the game for the long haul.

Clearly, it’s good for business — and those that don’t invest in it are at risk of being left behind.

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Dall’s Porpoise are among the fastest swimmers of all cetaceans, which includes dolphins and whales. This porpoise swims at such high speeds – up to 56 km/h (35 mph) – that observers often see only the cone-shaped water spray kicked up by its head, rather than the porpoise itself. The Dall’s porpoise often playfully rides the waves rolling off the bows and sterns of boats. As it plays, it sometimes zigzags over the waves so vigorously that it unwittingly escapes the aim of harpooners poised on deck.

Due to its athletic habits, this porpoise must eat a great deal of food – up to 15 kg (33 lb) a day. It feeds on small fish and various cephalopods, including squid, primarily at night. ...

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Vitamin K is given as an injection to newborns to prevent vitamin K deficiency bleeding, since the level of blood clotting factors of newborn babies are roughly 30–60% that of adult values. The reason for this discrepancy is due to poor transfer of the vitamin across the placenta, and thus low fetal plasma vitamin K.

Occurrence of vitamin K deficiency bleeding in the first week of the infant's life is estimated at 0.25–1.7%, with a prevalence of 2–10 cases per 100,000 births. Since the vitamin is found in human milk and supplemented in infant formula, the concentration of vitamin K naturally rises within th ...

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2 0 A wholphin is a rare fertile hybrid born from mating a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) (mother), and a false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens). Although they have been reported to exist in the wild, the first captive wholphin was born in 1945, where a bottlenose dolphin and a male false killer whale shared a pool. The wholphin's size, color and shape are intermediate between the parent species. For example, an adult wholphin has 66 teeth - intermediate between a bottlenose (88 teeth) and false killer whale (44 teeth). They are smaller than a false killer whale but are larger than a normal bottlenose. Normally, when two different, yet similar species mate, such as a female horse and a male donkey forming a mule, the progeny is expec ... Ocean Meiosis Fertility Dolphin False Killer Whale Uncategorized No Comments  Write Comment 2 0 The Loretto staircase – built within the Loretto Chapel in New Mexico, USA – is by far the most remarkable staircase ever built. It features a double-helical spiral structure that spans 20 feet in altitude, and remains intact without the use of a central pole. The staircase is built mostly out of wood and is held together by wooden pegs and glue rather than nails or other hardware. The staircase is venerated by Catholics as being miraculous, not due to its marvel, but based on the events that have been passed down by the Sisters of chapel ever since it was built in the late 1800s. Before the construction of the Chapel could be completed, the architect responsible for the building's design had suddenly died, leaving the nuns without access to ... Construction staircase physics Interesting Facts 1 Comment  Write Comment 2 0 The Four Color Theorem is a famous mathematical theorem that states that no more than four colors are required to color the regions of any map so that no two adjacent regions have the same color. Adjacent means that two regions share a common boundary curve segment, not merely a corner where three or more regions meet. Unlike other proofs before its discovery, computers were used to resolve this long-standing mathematical conjecture that was first proposed in 1850 by Francis Guthrie. After more than a century later, mathematicians, Kenneth Appel and Wolfgang Haken, finally derived its proof in 1976, and determined that it is practicality impossible for humans to verify it without the use of a computer. According to the four color theorem, a ... mathematics history proofs logic maps Uncategorized No Comments  Write Comment 3 0 A defining features of learning mathematics is being able to read, write, and discover proofs. A proof is a method of communicating a mathematical truth to another person who speaks the "language" of mathematics. It's a way of showing whether a statement made is absolutely true or false. I recently came across a fallacious proof attempting to show that the integer one equals two – shown are the steps to accomplish this. Common sense dictates that this is impossible, but the proof is somewhat convincing to the untrained eye. However, most people with basic algebraic knowledge should be able to pick out the mistake, so take a minute or two to see if you can identify the incorrect step. If you're stuck, don't give up so quickly! It's easier ... Fallacies Division by zero Videos 2 Comments  Write Comment It is very easy to prove 1 = 2, but we all know it is wrong. But, most of us don’t know how to prove it wrong. if you use different assumptions then 1 is not equal to 2. Try solving this one ... 1 0 Birthmarks are congenital marks on the skin that appear at birth and occasionally disappears spontaneously. The term nevus refers to a benign cutaneous tumor consisting of blood capillaries. Such tumors, which rarely spread from their original site and are not dangerous, vary in color according to whether the capillaries composing them carry arterial or venous blood. The popularly termed cherry marks and port-wine stains (shown below) are nevi on a level with the surface of the skin. Certain other vascular nevi, commonly known as strawberry or raspberry marks (scientifically known as hemangiomas), are slightly elevated above the surface. These can appear anywhere on the body's surface, including the airway within the nose. The former Soviet ... Birthmarks Genetics Strawberry hemangioma Rare conditions Skin condition Interesting Facts No Comments  Write Comment

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