Catalysing collaborative change within cotton supply chains
Katharine Earley speaks to Rosanne Gray about CottonConnect’s role in catalysing positive change within cotton supply chains, creating economic opportunities for global brands and smallholder farmers, and the business benefits of sourcing more sustainable cotton. ‘More sustainable cotton’, encompassing Fairtrade and organic cotton, represents less than 2% of the world’s fibre. The great majority of cotton is still cultivated conventionally, using 16% of the world’s pesticides and consuming colossal amounts of water – it can take up to 2,600 litres of water to produce one...
Read MoreCarbon for Water: A smart business approach to sustainable development
Carbon for Water delivers safe water to 4.5m people in Western Kenya, improving the health and well-being of 900,000 families, slowing deforestation and cutting a substantial 2.4m tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. Katharine Earley explores how the project works, highlighting the innovative financing model and business-like rigour that have ensured its success, and considers how investing in this and other similar projects can help organisations to address multiple corporate responsibility goals. The idea that businesses hold the key to catalysing progress on sustainable development – at...
Read MoreWhat does the future hold for the world’s water legislation?
As concerns over water scarcity deepen, how will the world’s governments respond? Katharine Earley reviews current developments in water legislation and considers how businesses can expect legislation to change in the future, as policy-makers seek to ensure the availability of water among all user groups. The UN states that half the world’s population should have access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015. Policymakers are also increasingly acknowledging the human right to water, with discussions surrounding access to the world’s precious 3% of fresh water set to...
Read MoreHow far away is a standardised approach to water reporting?
Businesses are becoming more acutely aware of the potential impact that water-related issues could have on their operations, as highlighted by theCDP’s Global Water Report. However, there has been minimal change in terms of visibility of water strategies at board level, according to the report. As the march towards a global standard in benchmarking water usage continues, the critical question of water stewardship may inevitably rise further up the agenda. Common benchmarking challenges Companies are starting to adopt a more holistic approach to measuring their water usage, taking account...
Read MoreNavigating the waters of supply chain sustainability
Katharine Earley summarises some of the key water challenges raised by supply chain professionals at 2degrees Live, with a focus on tea and cotton. 2degrees Live united nearly 200 sustainability professionals in London this month to discuss best practice in driving efficiency across the supply chain. The event focused on the pressing issues of water, energy and waste, and took the form of a series of dynamic presentations and case studies from companies including Coca-Cola Enterprises, GlaxoSmithKline and Unilever, combined with practical, interactive discussion groups. With demand for water...
Read MoreFood miles: Re-opening a seasoned debate
The perceived wisdom that importing food creates significant CO2 emissions – while sourcing local and seasonal food is more environmentally sustainable – is currently undergoing scrutiny at many levels. Katharine Earley explores the key issues at the heart of the longstanding ‘food miles’ debate. This post includes commentary from Mark Holmes, principal sustainability consultant at ADAS, and local food experts Peter Lefort of Community Action Groups and Julian Cottee of Oxford-based social food enterprise Cultivate. I read recently that just 2-3% of the global carbon...
Read MoreHow much water do you eat? (Wonderwater Café)
As the pressing issues of water and food security zoom into focus at World Water Week, not-for-profit group Wonderwater is preparing to ask UK consumers: ‘How much do water you eat?’. PR professional Katharine Earley explores its founders’ innovative approach to ‘telling the story’ of the water footprint of food through the medium of design, and considers how this may help to inspire consumers to make responsible choices by bringing complex water scarcity issues to life in an accessible way. How much water do you eat? This is the question posed by Wonderwater to consumers,...
Read MoreEthical Fashion Forum SOURCE Summit 2012 Review
SOURCE gathered more than 100 of the world’s most progressive ethical fashion experts, brands and designers in London this month for a series of stimulating, informative discussions on some of the most fundamental themes in sustainable fashion today: impact, visibility, education and systems. SOURCE contributor Katharine Earley reviews the most inspiring moments of the conference and summarises the many positive suggestions to arise from our diverse working groups. The Olympic buzz in central London was palpable as ethical fashion pioneers from every corner of the fashion industry met at...
Read MoreMaria Grammatico and her famous ‘Pasticceria’ in Sicily
Sicily’s rich tradition of ‘dolci’ has been shaped by many diverse cultural influences throughout history, from the almonds and oranges introduced by the Arabs to the cocoa beans introduced by the Spanish to the island’s industrious pastry-making nuns. Each dominant culture left behind its own cultural and gastronomic imprint, setting in motion a permanent love affair with all things sweet. We explore one heart-warming story of a modern day Sicilian legend whose famous ‘pasticcini’ are celebrated throughout Italy and beyond. Maria Grammatico was one of six children born into a...
Read MorePost Rio+20: The future for sustainable fashion
With many a debate raging over the level of progress made on key environmental and development issues at the UN’s Rio+20 conference, SOURCE contributor Katharine Earley considers some of the positive actions to emerge and reviews the major sustainability challenges facing the fashion industry moving forward. This article includes insights and observations from ethical fashion expert Ilaria Pasquinelli, Veja’s UK Director Aurélie Dumont and James Hulse of the Forest Footprint Disclosure Project. It also features a case study of Veja’s ethical business model. The UN Convention on...
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