BSR Insight Articles About Women & Sustainability

Walmart CEO: ‘Holding Women Back Holds Economies Back’

Racheal Meiers (née Yeager), Director, HERproject

Last week, Walmart made a US$20 billion commitment to increase sourcing from female-owned U.S. businesses and to double the amount it sources from female-owned businesses globally by 2016. Through a broader initiative, the company will also offer women on farms and in factories training, market access, and career opportunities; provide low-income women with job-skills training and access to higher education; increase the gender diversity among its major suppliers; and grant US$100 million to organizations supporting women’s economic empowerment. Read more →

Posted: September 20, 2011 | Topics: Economic Development, Economic, Social & Cultural Rights, Strategy & Integration, Women & Sustainability

The 4:1 ROI for Women’s Health Initiatives

Racheal Meiers (née Yeager), Director, HERproject

BSR’s factory-based women’s health education program has the potential to deliver a US$4 return for every dollar invested in the project, according to a new study. Read more →

Posted: August 16, 2011 | Topics: Human Rights, Supply Chain, Women & Sustainability

New BSR Tool Educates Women in Developing Countries on Health Issues

Elissa Goldenberg, Associate, Advisory Services

BSR’s new HERproject Toolbuilder allows public health educators to create accurate and culturally relevant tools to educate women working in factories and farms in developing countries about health issues. BSR’s HERproject has demonstrated that investments in women’s health deliver business benefits such as reduced absenteeism and turnover and increased productivity. Read more →

Posted: June 14, 2011 | Topics: Supply Chain, Women & Sustainability

Coca-Cola Announces US$6 Million Investment in Clean Water Programs

According to the World Health Organization, African women and children spend up to 40 billion hours per year collecting water. Because they often travel long distances to retrieve clean water, women frequently resort to using unsafe water sources, putting themselves and their families at risk of life-threatening diseases. Read more →

Posted: April 5, 2011 | Topics: Community Engagement & Development, Water, Women & Sustainability

Closing the Gender Gap in Agriculture

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization released a new report on the business case for addressing gender issues in agriculture and rural employment. According to the report, women in all regions face gender-related constraints that reduce their productivity and impose real costs on society. Read more →

Posted: March 8, 2011 | Topics: Economic Development, Food, Beverage & Agriculture, Strategy & Integration, Supply Chain, Women & Sustainability