Sustainability

Oct 10, 2013

SCRC Fellows Study Local Food and Sustainable Supply Chains

A recent story posted by the Center for Environmental Farming Systems highlights the role of our two research fellows, Jessica Newsome and Sebastian Naskaris.  The fellows will provide supply chain… 

Aug 18, 2013

Another Fall semester brings a new batch of 50 SCRC company projects…

As we go into our 2013 fall semester, the SCRC team is pulling together the list of project summaries from our 15 corporate partners.  This is indeed a busy time… 

Aug 6, 2013

Tarpon Springs, FL: A Bastion of Integrity

An article entitled “Spillapalooza:  How BP Got Screwed in the Gulf” by Paul Barrett provides some astounding statistics on the volume of litigation that continues to occur, and the widespread… 

May 13, 2013

Do markets reward sustainable supply chains? The forces of social capital may change the rules…

In a recent dialogue with Barbara Grey, the author of new research on social capital today, we discovered an interesting anomaly.   It seems that companies who seek to identify… 

May 8, 2013

So Your Supply Chain is Banning Bangladesh….and Going to Cambodia?: "The Ugliest Race to the Bottom"

In our ongoing discussion of labor and human rights violations in the supply chain, we’ve discussed in prior posts the problems that occurred in Bangladesh resulting in over 700 dead.… 

May 6, 2013

600 Dead in Bangladesh: Is there a soul to the enterprise?

News of the increasing death toll in Bangladesh continues to pour in, with the latest at 600 found dead in the rubble of the Rama factory complex.  Demonstrators are protesting… 

Apr 23, 2013

Moving beyond "minimally acceptable" sustainable supply chains…

A lot of people are emphasizing the need to drive sustainable supply chains.  “If we have a more sustainable supply base”, we hear from advocates, “…it will cost less, and… 

Feb 14, 2013

USDA Funds NC State Study: Integrating North Carolina’s small farmers and producers in the global food supply chain

The Supply Chain Resource Cooperative (SCRC) in North Carolina State University’s Poole College of Management is one of several partners in a five- year, $3.9 million grant-funded project to build… 

Jan 30, 2013

Bangladesh Working Conditions: A Human Rights Issue? Or a Supplier Capacity Issue?

The recent press in the Wall Street Journal and other papers on Walmart’s fire in Bangladesh is raising the ire of corporate responsibility groups and human rights groups alike.  … 

Jan 26, 2013

The business case for extending sustainability in the supply chain: The Burt's Bees Story

Jenny Sebley, former supplier sustainability manager at Burt’s Bees, spoke in my sustainable supply chain class today.  Sustainable supply chains was a key issue at Burt’s Bees, and continues to…