Category: Articles: The Times

Ethics: ‘Future of Procurement’ in The Times

New writing... Pleased to say I have had another article published in The Times newspaper, as part of a special Raconteur report on the Future of Procurement.

The piece explores how  workers are often the victims when there are gaps between legal and ethical procurement. Figures from the International Labour Organization (ILO), released most recently in 2017, revealed that more than 40 million people worldwide were in modern slavery in 2016, including around 25 million in forced labour. Of those in forced labour, some 16 million were being exploited in the private sector. Furthermore, there were more than 152 million estimated victims of child labour, almost half of whom were aged between 5 and 11.

The heat is on, however. Businesses nowadays have a lot to lose if they neglect their responsibilities and the lines between profit and social conscience are no longer so easily defined. Brands are playing with fire when it comes to ethical procurement and those that muddy transparency, frustrate traceability and neglect communications get burned.

To read the article in full, complete with expert insights, comment and analysis, please click here:

• ‘Human rights falter in grey areas of procurement policy’.

The full 16-page Future of Prcurement report is available to view/download here.

SUSTMEME: Get the Susty Story Straight!

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Puropse: ‘Responsible Business’ in The Times

New writing… Pleased to say I have had another article published in The Times newspaper, as part of a special Raconteur report on Responsible Business.

The piece explores how purpose must be core to any commercial offering, but requires company-wide transformation to deliver on its promises and impact. Not every buinsess will make the cut and no amount of ‘rainbow-washing’ will paper over the cracks in CSR. In fact, against a backdrop of activism on the streets, market evolution has aguably already begun a process of natural selection. A pincer movement of public scrutiny and shareholder pressure is putting the squeeze on the charlatans and laggards. The writing is on the wall.

Tough talk is effectively over for responsible business. With big issues such as climate breakdown, plastic pollution and modern slavery making headlines and populating posts every day, surely the time to act is now?

To read the article in full, complete with expert insights, comment and analysis, please click the following link:

• ‘Corporate purpose requires a mindset shift’.

The full 16-page Responsible Business report is available to view/download here.

 

SUSTMEME: Get the Susty Story Straight!

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Sustainability: ‘Fashion Economy’ in The Times

New writing… Pleased to say I have had another article published in The Times newspaper, as part of a special Raconteur report on the Fashion Economy.

The piece profiles five pioneering brands employing innovative methods to reuse and recycle everything from textiles, to waste tyres, fire hoses and fishing nets. They are rethinking and remanufacturing the process of creating and crafting how we dress, responsibly. Whether it is upcycling on the catwalk, fully traceable T-shirts, swimwear that helps cut ocean plastic, or footwear and accessories that divert resource from landfill, these trailblazers are embracing the circular economy ethos and restyling sustainability for the 21st century, with transparency and accountability. Cutting waste and fighting pollution never looked so good!

To read the article in full, complete with expert insights and comment, please click the following link:

• ‘Reuse and recycle: five brands show how it’s done’.

The full 20-page Future of Packaging report is available to view/download here.

 

SUSTMEME: Get the Susty Story Straight!

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Sustainability: ‘Future of Packaging’ in The Times

New writing… Pleased to say I have had another article published in The Times newspaper, as part of a special Raconteur report on the Future of Packaging.

From wine through the post to sports drinks in seaweed, packaging is visibly going green. However, there is a secondary sustainability story behind your sugarcane insect spray or bamboo toothbrush that too often goes untold. Sustainable packaging talk tends to focus on the in-store retail experience and its impact on the more or less eco-conscious consumer.  Trade and wholesale supply chains, though, also generate volumes of secondary packaging waste and reycling. This secondary success story is not always obvious, but it is essential for delivery on sustainability goals.  In this piece, therefore, I explore the issues, the business opportunities and risks, plus showcase some of the innovators changing the game. To read the article in full, complete with expert insights, comment and analysis, please click the following link:

• ‘The race to sustainability starts in the supply chain’.

The full 20-page Future of Packaging report is available to view/download here.

 

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Investment: ‘Future of Infrastructure’ in The Times

New writing… Pleased to say I have had another article published in The Times newspaper, as part of a special Raconteur report on the Future of Infrastructure.

The piece explores how rising interest in responsible investment, which considers environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors , has transformed the conversation in the infrastructure sector. For major projects seeking funding it pays to get ESG right – in fact, getting it wrong can prove highly problematic, maybe even fatal.  Whilst the importance of the new criteria might be clear in principle, the issue for infrastructure is understanding what actually constitutes ESG in practice. Positive engagement with the issues calls for more than just a box-ticking exercise, if values are to be truly aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To read the article in full, complete with expert insights, comment and analysis, please click the following link:

• ‘Infrastructure investors making ESG a priority’.

The full 16-page Future of Infastructure report is available to view/download here.

 

SUSTMEME: Get the Susty Story Straight!

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