Ethical and Environmental Supply Chain Management. Room: B
This session explores the mind-boggling complexities of global ethical and environmental supply chain management: To what extent should companies be held accountable for the environmental and ethical conduct of suppliers? When is it acceptable, and even desirable, to adapt to local conditions and when should universal standards apply?
A business based in the developed world might operate in compliance with the highest ethical and environmental standards and still be seen as complicit in exploitation of labour and human rights violations.
This session explores the mind-boggling complexities of global ethical and environmental supply chain management: To what extent should companies be held accountable for the environmental and ethical conduct of suppliers? When is it acceptable, and even desirable, to adapt to local conditions and when should universal standards apply?
Some global corporations claim to have reliable systems for ethical supply chain management in place. How do they do it? And how can we be confident that it works? Is “independent” verification by audit firms or NGOs the way forward for trustworthy supply chain management?
Believers in Corporate Social Responsibility insist on a “business case” for ethical practices. But what will pay the bills for proper ethical and environmental management of supply chains? Reduced operational risk? Improved product quality? Reputational gains?
When asked, consumers increasingly claim they are willing to pay a premium for ethical products. But to what extent do we, as consumers, act upon our proclaimed virtue? And when we do – does it really help beyond the “feel good” factor? If the Economist is to be believed, clever ethical shopping can actually be detrimental to the environment and a contributing cause of sustained poverty (The Economist, December 7th 2006) .
Promoting ethical and environmental responsibility in supply chains is challenging to individuals as well as corporations. This session aims at taking significant steps towards efficient ethical management of the global web of suppliers.
Moderator:
- Dan Rees
Director, Ethical Trading Initiative, UK
Rapporteur:
- Diis Bøhn
Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions, Norway
Speakers:
- Arvid Halvorsen
Senior Vice President CSR, Hydro, Norway
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- Kristin Holter
Managing Director, Ethical Trading Initiative, Norway
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- Arvid Grindheim
Head of Compliance, IKEA Group, Sweden
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- Sven Mollekleiv
Head of corporate relations and CSR, Det Norske Veritas, Norway
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- Lisbeth Kohls
Head of Corporate Responsibility, ICA Group, Sweden
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- Marta Zogbi
Friends of the Earth International, Argentina
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