CSR For Logistics Companies

Sustainability in Supply Chains A guide for private markets investors 🌍 Private markets investors face increasing pressure to integrate sustainability into supply chain management. This guide by PRI explains why supply chain due diligence is essential and how investors can embed it across the investment cycle to safeguard assets, reduce risks, and capture value. Supply chain risks, ranging from human rights abuses to environmental violations, have become financially material issues with direct implications for investor performance, regulatory compliance, and reputation. Human rights concerns are significant. Forced labour affects an estimated 28 million people worldwide, with rising risks in major sourcing countries such as India, Vietnam, China, Mexico and the United States. Migrant workers are particularly vulnerable, while child labour remains prevalent in high-risk industries and regions. Working conditions also present serious challenges. Excessive hours, unsafe workplaces and poor wages undermine the stability of global supply chains. These issues are concentrated in industries such as apparel, electronics, food and agriculture, construction materials and mining where oversight is often limited. Environmental risks add complexity. Nearly half of global sourcing markets face high or extreme risk of violations related to waste management, emissions and hazardous materials. Biodiversity loss and deforestation linked to commodities such as palm oil, soy and timber increase exposure to both regulatory and operational disruptions. Regulatory requirements are tightening worldwide. The EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, the US Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and the EU Deforestation Regulation compel companies and investors to identify, mitigate and report risks throughout their supply chains. Failure to comply carries financial consequences. Volkswagen shipments were detained at US ports, Shein faced delays in listing plans due to sourcing concerns and companies in Germany were investigated and fined for breaches of the Supply Chain Act. These examples show how supply chain management is now a strategic necessity. Proactive due diligence creates opportunities. Companies with strong supply chain transparency and risk management can secure contracts, improve resilience, reduce costs and strengthen their brand. Investors can leverage these practices to enhance portfolio performance and protect value at exit. The guide explains that due diligence should be present at every stage of the investment cycle. This includes governance and policies, early screening, detailed risk assessments, legal agreements, active engagement, monitoring and exit planning. Clear roles, data systems and training are critical. Integrating sustainability into supply chain due diligence strengthens both risk management and value creation. #sustainability #business #sustainable #esg

Thermocol stays in the environment for 500 years. This disappears in 60 days. Every winter, we watch our cities get swallowed by smog. Every year, the conversation turns to stubble burning. And every time, farmers are blamed - without ever being offered a better option. At the same time, we’re shipping products across the country in packaging that pollutes for centuries. Styrofoam and thermocol are cheap, yes. But they’re toxic, non-recyclable, and take 500+ years to break down. Now here’s the twist. What if the solution to both problems was the same? I recently sat down with the team at Dharaksha Ecosolutions, and I left the conversation genuinely inspired. They’re doing what most people may only talk about: turning pollution into possibility. Dharaksha collects crop residue that would otherwise be burned and turns it into biodegradable, compostable packaging. Looks like thermocol. Functions like thermocol. But decomposes in 60 days. Merging innovation with impact 💡 ✅ Farmers get paid for waste that would’ve been burned ✅ Businesses finally have a real, scalable alternative to thermocol ✅ And the planet gets a break from plastic packaging and particulate pollution  Circular, thoughtful, low-carbon, and local. Changing the system from inside. Because the future isn’t plastic. It’s plantbased, purpose-driven, and powered by ideas like these. What’s one form of ‘waste’ you’ve seen reimagined like this? #packaging #recycle #biodegradable #innovation #plantbased #sustainability

Nature's Inspiration, Tomorrow's Innovation. Just take a stroll down any supermarket aisle or glance into your shopping trolley—you'll likely see a sea of packaging, a lot of which is unrecyclable and likely to end up in landfill. Even packs that are recyclable are non-optimal and use too many materials or components But there's hope on the horizon, as creative designers like Margarita Talep are finding solutions. She has pioneered an ingenious solution—an alternative to traditional plastic packaging derived from algae. Her project began with a simple question—how can we produce packaging that holds up well in use but breaks down quickly after its purpose is served? The answer lies in Agar, a gel-like substance from seaweed. Chances are, you're familiar with Agar as a food thickener. The process involves heating it to make a polymer, then adding water to make it flexible. The material comprises solely natural elements, right down to the dyes used to colour it—a rainbow of hues are extracted from the skins of fruits and vegetable such as blueberries, purple cabbage, beetroot, and carrot. The manufacturing process is quite simple. The mixture is heated and cooled with care until it transforms into a flexible gel. This gel can then be rolled into thin plastic sheets or poured into moulds, adapting to various shapes and packaging styles, like forming trays for donuts or creating bags for pasta. It's designed to naturally break down. During warmer months, it disappears in two to three months, with the timeframe influenced by thickness. Even in colder months, the breakdown continues, albeit at a slightly slower pace. Margarita Talep holds a strong conviction that bio-fabrication will not merely shape future industries but play a pivotal role in them. She stresses the importance of of environmentally conscious processes when extracting raw materials and during production. Yet, her vision transcends material creation—it demands seamless alignment with broader actions. Countries around the world are encouraged to take proactive steps by adopting plans to reduce packaging waste. Embracing circular economy initiatives is key, as they ensure plastic stays in a continuous cycle rather than contributing to landfills or polluting our oceans. As we strive to make better decisions for our planet, innovations like this algae-based packaging show that there are creative solutions to modern problems. Can nature's cues lead us to a sustainable path forward? #packaging #sustainablepackaging #sustainability #innovation #creative 📷Margarita Talep

Eliminating plastic waste in food packaging at a fraction of production cost? The food industry is a significant contributor to plastic waste, with packaging accounting for approximately 40.5% of all plastic produced in Europe. In the UK alone, supermarkets generate around 29.8 billion pieces of avoidable plastic waste annually, equating to over 1,000 pieces per household. This excessive plastic use not only leads to environmental pollution but also poses health risks, as microplastics have been found in various food products, potentially causing inflammation and other health issues. Transitioning to seaweed-based packaging offers several cost-saving benefits for the food industry: →Reduced Raw Material Costs: Seaweed is renewable and doesn’t need land, fertilisers, or fresh water, cutting production expenses. Example: Seaweed farming can yield up to 10 tons of dry mass per hectare annually. →Lower Waste Management Expenses: Biodegradable and compostable, seaweed packaging reduces disposal costs. Example: The UK spends around £700 million annually on plastic waste disposal. →Decreased Environmental Compliance Costs: Eco-friendly packaging helps meet regulations, avoiding fines. Example: The EU's Single-Use Plastics Directive drives sustainable packaging adoption. →Enhanced Brand Value and Consumer Appeal: Sustainable packaging boosts reputation and sales. Example: 74% of consumers are willing to pay more for eco-friendly options. →Potential for Government Incentives: Sustainable practices can earn grants or tax breaks. Example: The UK Plastic Packaging Tax incentivises biodegradable alternatives like seaweed. Example project is Citizens of Soil | B Corp that has introduced single-serve pipettes for their Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil, utilising Notpla's seaweed-based materials that are 100% natural, biodegradable, home-compostable, vegan, and even edible. This innovative packaging aligns with their commitment to sustainability, offering consumers a convenient and eco-friendly way to enjoy premium olive oil. By adopting Notpla's solution, Citizens of Soil aims to reduce their environmental footprint and address plastic pollution in the food industry. Good to the economy and the planet. #oliveoil #food #sustainability #decarbonisation #waste #wastemanagement

AI isn’t just a powerful tool for accelerating sustainability work. It can also help us move faster in advancing human rights - and we’re piloting AI models that do just that. Amazon has hundreds of thousands of suppliers worldwide - that’s a massive scope. So we’re harnessing AI to keep pace, prevent, and respond to human rights risks in our network. Here are two examples of how that’s taking shape: 🔍 Smarter Risk Prediction: We developed an AI model that can analyze tens of thousands of historical social audits to identify patterns, spot warning signs, and flag high-risk suppliers - essentially helping us zoom in on what matters. The testing results were impressive - the tool successfully identified about 9 out of every 10 high-risk sites, with 85% overall accuracy. ⏱Faster insights: It can take a human rights manager up to four hours to manually review a supplier audit report. But we developed an AI tool that processes a report in just minutes - identifying risks, rating the seriousness, and suggesting next steps. Early versions helped us process audit reports 65% faster - a remarkable difference! It’s important to note - these AI tools aren’t replacing human decision-making. They’re designed to support, enhance and accelerate our work. Every AI recommendation gets reviewed by our experts - and their input actually helps improve the system over time. We’re still in early stages, but I’m inspired by the potential. On this #HumanRightsDay, I invite you to learn more about our work from Devex’s comprehensive interview with Leigh Anne DeWine, our Director of Human Rights & Social Impact, who is making a great impact every day here at Amazon. Thanks to Leigh Anne and our entire Human Rights and Social Impact team for the incredibly critical work you do. 🙏 https://lnkd.in/gSWZAWFB

This report from Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 'Bitter Truth: Migrant Worker Abuse in the Production of Sugar, Cocoa, and Coffee in Chiapas', published in April 2025, explores the harsh realities faced by agricultural workers in Chiapas, Mexico. It highlights a number of signficant issues with #supplychain and #procurement practices within the sector: 1. Labour Exploitation Migrant workers, including Indigenous peoples from Central America, suffer from low wages, excessively long hours, unsanitary housing, harassment, and violence, particularly targeting women. 2. Forced and Child Labour Cases of modern slavery persist, with children exposed to hazardous working conditions. 3. Health & Living Conditions Lack of healthcare and social benefits; overcrowded and unsafe housing; exposure to agrochemical pollution, linked to childhood leukaemia and other illnesses. 4. Climate Crisis Impacts Rising temperatures affect crop yields, particularly coffee. Environmental degradation due to deforestation, agrochemical use, and industrial waste mismanagement. 5. Transparency Issues Many firms lack public #humanrights policies, particularly in the sugarcane sector. The lessons for #procurement and #supplychain functions from the report include: - Strengthen supplier accountability and require suppliers to publicly disclose human rights policies. - Ensure compliance with fair labour standards. - Implement ethical sourcing practices, prioritise suppliers with strong human rights commitments. - Avoid sourcing from companies with documented labour abuses. - Monitor and audit supply chains, conduct regular audits to verify compliance with labour rights and environmental standards. - Use independent verification mechanisms. - Support sustainable procurement, encourage suppliers to reduce agrochemical use and adopt renewable energy. - Promote fair trade models that empower local communities. These recommendations aim to protect workers, increase transparency, and promote sustainability in agroindustry, but are obviously applicable across many similar supply chains.

Did you know that 1 in 10 children worldwide are working instead of going to school? What if one of them is in your supply chain? This question hit me hard when I first learned about the scale of child labor in global supply chains. It’s easy to think of child labor as a distant issue, but the reality is that it’s woven into the fabric of many industries agriculture, mining, textiles, and more. Let me tell you a story. A few years ago, there was a company that sourced raw materials from regions where child labor was prevalent. they didn’t know the extent of the problem. Audits were superficial, and they relied on suppliers’ assurances. Then, a report surfaced showing children working in hazardous conditions in one of their supply chains. It was a wake-up call. They decided to take action. They partnered with organizations like the ILO and local NGOs to map their supply chain, identify risks, and implement solutions. they trained farmers, provided access to education for children, and worked with governments to strengthen labor laws. It wasn’t easy, but the impact was profound. Families started earning sustainable incomes, and children went back to school. 🔍 Here’s what I learned along the way: 1️⃣ Start with Awareness: -168 million children are still engaged in child labor globally. -85 million of them are in hazardous work. -Child labor isn’t just a moral issue—it’s a business risk. 2️⃣ Map Your Supply Chain: -Understand where your materials come from. -Identify “pinch points” where child labor is most likely to occur. 3️⃣ Collaborate for Impact: -Work with governments, NGOs, and other businesses. -Collective action is often more effective than going it alone. 4️⃣ Empower Communities: -Provide education and alternative income sources for families. -Address the root causes of child labor, like poverty and lack of access to education. 5️⃣ Track and Communicate Progress: -Use tools like the UN Guiding Principles Reporting Framework. -Be transparent about challenges and successes. 💡 My Perspective: Eliminating child labor isn’t just about compliance it’s about creating a world where every child has the opportunity to thrive. As sustainability professionals, we have the power to drive this change. It starts with asking the right questions, taking responsibility, and working together to build a better future. Let’s not look away. Let’s act. What steps is your organization taking to address child labor in its supply chain? #Sustainability #ChildLabor #SupplyChain

In a world drowning in plastic, one Indian startup decided to rewrite the story — not with polymers, but with paper. kagzi Bottles, founded by Samiksha Ganeriwal, is India’s first company building 100% compostable paper bottles — a sustainable alternative to plastic containers used in everyday products like shampoos, lotions, and beverages. What makes Kagzi truly remarkable is their innovation in design: ♻️ Made from waste-paper pulp 💧 Coated with a proprietary water-resistant solution (no plastic liner!) 🪶 Fully biodegradable and compostable within weeks Their early models take up to two days per bottle, crafted with precision — yet the vision is much larger: to make eco-friendly packaging affordable, scalable, and proudly Indian. This story isn’t just about sustainability. It’s about innovation meeting conscience, technology meeting tradition, and a startup proving that green business can also be good business. With plastic waste bans expanding globally and consumer awareness rising, ventures like Kagzi are paving the way for a circular economy. Imagine when every bottle we use — from shampoo to water — returns to the earth as easily as it came from it. 🌎 #Sustainability #Innovation #MadeInIndia #Startups #EcoPackaging #CircularEconomy #GreenTechnology #KagziBottles #Entrepreneurship #PlasticFreeFuture #EnvironmentalImpact #SustainableDevelopment #PackagingDesign #IndianStartups

They built a paper company. With no trees, just leaves. Most people see fallen leaves as waste. One Ukrainian startup saw them as raw material. 📍 Releaf Paper launched the world’s first facility that makes packaging from fallen leaves — not trees. And they’re doing it in France. Let that sink in. → Zero deforestation → 55-day biodegradation → 0.002L water used per kg → 70% lower CO₂ than traditional paper They’re not pitching climate slogans. They’re engineering a circular alternative to one of the most polluting industries in the world. They’ve even partnered with Uber Eats in Paris — replacing plastic food containers with compostable, leaf-based trays. The takeaway? 🌍 The future of sustainable packaging isn’t just about better recycling. It’s about rethinking the input altogether. No trees. No pulp mills. Just fallen leaves — and serious engineering. What do you think of this innovation? Leave a comment.

This UK startup is creating seaweed coffee-cups ☕ 🌊  (and just landed $4.7M to make microplastic-laced takeaway cups a thing of the past)  Notpla, the The Earthshot Prize-winning UK packaging startup, has secured a €4M Horizon Europe grant with 14 partners to develop a plastic-free, home-compostable coffee cup. ☕ The Problem:  ↳ 500 billion single-use cups are discarded every year, most ending up in landfill ↳ Standard “paper” cups are lined with non-compostable plastic, making them hard to recycle  ↳ Disposable cups expose regular users to an estimated ~74,000 microplastics annually ↳ In the UK, an estimated 4% of cups are actually recycled 🌿 The Innovation: ↳ Notpla replaces plastic linings with a seaweed-based coating that’s home-compostable ↳ Their Gen 1 espresso cup uses a seaweed interior with minimal industry-standard adhesive, while Gen 2 aims for a fully natural, heat-sealed design 🎯 How This Works:  1) Materials are made without chemical modification, delivering a ~70% lower climate footprint than conventional packaging 2) Partner across the value chain: from biomass & ag waste to end-of-life testing & full lifecycle assessments 3) Collaborate with players like Compass Group, UCL, TomaPaint, Plastic Punch, and more 4) Circularity-first design: natural materials, scalable production, and real-world performance 💫 The Broader Impact:  ↳ Notpla has raised £35M to date, avoiding ~600 tonnes of CO₂e in 2024 alone, replacing 21.5M+ pieces of plastic  ↳ Seaweed-lined packaging already live at major venues (e.g., Premier League stadiums, UEFA Champions League events & The O2)  From “paper” cups that quietly shed microplastics…  …to seaweed-coated cups built for compost bins, not landfills.  Would you choose a seaweed-lined cup for your daily coffee if it were available?  📥 Follow for more stories at the intersection of NatureTech, circular packaging, and climate-focused venture capital.