GEMI to host supply chain sustainability harmonization workshop in DC
The Global Environmental Management Initiative (GEMI) will host a workshop on Supply Chain Sustainability Harmonization on June 20-21 in Washington, DC. This workshop builds on research and industry engagement conducted through GEMI’s Supply Chain Sustainability project, and follows up on a harmonization workshop GEMI hosted in November 2016 with various business and industry group leaders.
One of the largest challenges corporate sustainability leaders grapple with today is a lack of common expectations for supply chain sustainability. Many are seeking ways to better understand the sustainability performance of companies within their supply chain while responding to similar requests from their own customers. While the objectives of such efforts are often similar, the format and content are typically quite different. A few industries have made strides in working together to develop common expectations and shared evaluation processes for their suppliers, and we believe there is potential to build on this work to enhance coordination across industries.
Therefore, GEMI will be convening industry groups, 3rd party providers and corporate leaders in June to discuss leading industry approaches to addressing supply chain sustainability, and opportunities to enhance coordination/collaboration across efforts. Through a facilitated working session, participants will examine principles used for assessing supplier sustainability across industries, and begin to outline opportunities to promote mutual recognition/increased harmonization across industry efforts.
The meeting is expected to include speakers from organizations such as the American Chemistry Council, American Forest Foundation, CDP, Ecodesk, EcoVadis, Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition, Electric Utility Industry Sustainable Supply Chain Alliance, Environmental Defense Fund, FedEx, Merck, Nadler Strategy, MBJ Strategies, Plastics Industry Association, Smithfield Foods, Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council, The Sustainability Consortium, US Environmental Protection Agency and Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production.
If you are interested in learning more about GEMI’s Supply Chain Sustainability work, please contact Kellen Mahoney at kmahoney@navista.net.
Special thanks to GEMI’s member companies and Supply Chain Sustainability project participants for their leadership and engagement, including American Chemistry Council, Ashland, Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable, Carnival Corporation & plc, Corn Refiners Association, Ecolab, ExxonMobil Chemical, FedEx, Gannett Fleming, Hexion, IPIECA, Merck, Plastics Industry Association, P&G, Perdue Farms, Schlumberger, Sealed Air, Smithfield Foods and Smith & Nephew.
