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In This Issue
Editor's Note
Sustainable Agriculture in Walmart China’s Supply Chain
Establishing sustainable supply chain programs requires an approach that is both standardized—something that can be rolled out among numerous suppliers—and flexible enough to account for local needs.
This week, we examine a sustainable agriculture program that BSR helped Walmart China implement with supplier farmers to contribute to the company’s global goal of training 1 million farmers in its supply chain. Laura Ediger, BSR’s lead on the project, recounts our five-step approach: identifying the priorities at each farm, finding a local expert to help the farmers address their challenges, implementing the training, creating an action plan, and measuring impact.
We also look at the Carbon Disclosure Project’s annual report on Global 500 company disclosures on climate change, and BSR’s water expert Ryan Flaherty reports back from his trip to Stockholm for World Water Week.
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In Depth
Implementing Sustainable Agriculture in Walmart China’s Supply Chain
By Laura Ediger, Associate Director, Advisory Services, BSR
As part of Walmart's initiative to provide training for 1 million farmers in its supply chain, the company has enlisted BSR's support to design and implement a training program on sustainable agriculture in China. Here's a look at how our project identifies farmers' needs, matches them with experts, and evaluates impact, taking into account unique challenges, crops, soil types, production systems, and levels of management knowledge and skills.
Read more →
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Toolbox
CDP’s Global 500 Survey Highlights Gap Between Intentions and Results
By Andrew Matthews, Associate, Advisory Services, BSR
Of the 81 percent of Global 500 companies that responded to the Carbon Disclosure Project's (CDP) annual report on company disclosures on climate change, 78 percent had integrated climate change into their corporate strategies.
The results indicate that companies not proactively managing climate sustainability are in a thinning minority. However, despite the intentions of those that did disclose, only 40 percent reported reductions that resulted from dedicated emissions-management activities, highlighting the organizational and financial challenges associated with managing energy and emissions in growing global companies. Furthermore, companies responding to the CDP had, on average, set targets to reduce their emissions by only 1 percent each year—not nearly enough to stave off further global warming.
The BSR Conference will explore climate change during the session "Climate 2.0: The Widening Scope of Leadership," featuring Casey Harrell of Greenpeace, Alex Liftman of Bank of America, and BSR's Dunstan Allison Hope. To learn more about climate sustainability, read BSR's recent Insight article or contact Ryan Schuchard.
On the Record
Time to Listen to Planet Earth: Peter Bakker at World Water Week
By Ryan Flaherty, Manager, Advisory Services, BSR
"I don't think the planet is talking to us anymore. I think she is screaming at us, and water is the language she is using."
—Peter Bakker, World Business Council for Sustainable Development incoming President, during the closing plenary at World Water Week (August 31, 2012)
Referencing arctic ice melts, droughts, floods, and ocean acidification, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development's incoming President Peter Bakker noted that business can no longer ignore environmental changes: "We need a revolution, boys and girls, and we need it fast."
The private sector was also a focal point in other discussions at this year's World Water Week, whose theme was "Water and Food Security." Agriculture accounts for an estimated 70 percent of freshwater use globally and contributes to food security issues such as land use, price volatility, and waste.
These issues affect industries including financial services, health care, information and communications technology, and transportation and logistics. Water and food security are fundamental components of a stable, business-friendly environment—something any company operating in any part of the world can appreciate.
For more on World Water Week, see Ryan Flaherty's new blog.
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