Supply chains are at the heart of sustainable business—essential to protecting the climate and natural ecosystems, while supporting the livelihoods and well-being of millions of people around the world.
The best pathway to reducing greenhouse gas emissions lies in the broader value chain. These complex global networks can also be incredibly fragile and opaque. As a result, most companies are unable to fully understand the risks and opportunities they face, cutting across diverse geographies, issue areas, and industries.
The media spotlight on recent global events, from the COVID-19 pandemic to extreme weather, has focused public attention on this vulnerability as never before. Meanwhile, consumers, investors, NGOs, and governments are stepping up their demands that supply chains are more sustainable, protect the environment and safeguard human rights.
At the same time, new tools—from blockchain technology to satellite monitoring—are enabling companies to innovate more quickly, bringing new transparency and efficiency to supply chain management.
Featured
Insights
12%
Climate change mitigation is the fastest-growing issue area for supply chain sustainability practitioners (its score increasing by 12 percent), followed by natural resource and biodiversity conservation. Employee welfare and worker safety remains the top issue.
160M
The ILO estimates that 160 million children are engaged in child labor, accounting for almost 1 in 10 of all children worldwide.
825K
825,000 tons of palm-based materials have been mapped via work through the Action for Sustainable Derivatives collaboration.
How We Can Help
Adding Value to Your Business and Society
As companies change their practices, it also has increased competition among companies to become more sustainable—a race to the top.
BSR can work with you to help ensure your company stays at the leading edge, with strategies based on holistic sustainable sourcing approaches and across industries at the global level and at any supply chain tier.
With deep experience in the supply chains of multiple industries, we help companies develop innovative supply chain and procurement strategies that are tailored to your value chain’s specific contexts, challenges, and opportunities through offerings that include:
Due diligence/regulatory gap assessments and accompanying strategy
Value chain mapping and risk assessments
Procurement/supply chain maturity assessments and benchmarking
Strategy, roadmaps, and commodity action plans
Policy, program design, and implementation
Scope 3 target setting and associated supplier engagement plans
Worker, supplier, and management capacity building
Case Studies
Leather-Linked Soy Deforestation
In partnership with Trase, the Responsible Luxury Initiative (ReLI) investigated the deforestation risk linked to its members’ leather supply chains via soy in cattle feed.
Sustainability Insights
Blog
Twenty Years of Implementing Living Wage
BSR has been a driving force behind the Living Wage movement for the past 20 years. Explore trends behind the movement and what business needs to know.
Tools and Resources
Supply Chain Sustainability Resources
BSR Members Only
Collaboration
Collective Solutions for Meaningful Impact
Our collaborative initiatives enable companies to transform their businesses while creating shared solutions to global challenges and make a meaningful systemic impact.
Our Experts
Depth of Experience and Knowledge
Our Supply Chain Sustainability team consists of global experts across multiple industries, bringing a depth of experience in developing sustainable business strategies and solutions.
Let’s talk about how BSR can help you to transform your business and achieve your sustainability goals.