COVID-19 Exposes Supply Chain Vulnerabilities that Cause Food Insecurity

The cornavirus pandemic has highlighted supply chain weaknesses that are causing food shortages. As explained in an FAO report, the global pandemic is threatening supply lines leading to concerns about food insecurity. "A protracted pandemic crisis could quickly put a strain on the food supply chains, a complex web of interactions involving farmers, agricultural inputs, processing plants, shipping, retailers and more," the report said. In a March paper the U.N. Committee on World Food Security (CFS) warned that Covid-19 will cause heightened instability in global food supply. The pandemic also prompted the Food and Land Use Coalition to issue a call to action for world leaders over what they describe as a humanitarian crisis requiring urgent coordinated action.

Get Ready for Supply Chain Sustainability Guidance and Standards

Sustainability is a large and expanding trend and procurement has been a major part of this trend. Efforts to adopt more sustainable supply chains have been around for years. We now have ample information to confidently make the claim that businesses practicing sustainability are leading the way forward. Procurement and supply chains are key components of sustainability.

However, a lack of standardization and guidance have made this transition difficult for some. That is rapidly changing as we have seen more guidance and now forthcoming standardization.

Webinar - Valuing Natural Capital Assets in the Supply Chain

This Webinar will take place on Thursday, April 10th 2014, 9:00am - 10:00am PDT/12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT/ 6:00pm - 7:00pm Paris- Brussels Online Meeting.

The 21st century has seen the rise of a globally connected community and with it comes additional layers of what will need to be measured and managed for all companies to succeed. Business leaders will still focus on the basics of profit, revenue and market share, but also required is broader visibility into how natural capital assets are consumed in the supply chain to build brand and manage risk.

Event - Venture Summit West

This event will take place on February 12, 2014, at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California. The summit content will include discussions and educational tracks focused on cleantech. The Second annual Venture Summit West, presented by youngStartup Ventures, is the premier industry gathering connecting venture capitalists, corporate VCs, angel investors, technology transfer professionals, senior executives of early stage and emerging growth companies, university researchers, incubators and premier service providers.

Event - Responsible Sourcing Summit 2014

The Responsible Sourcing Summit 2014 will take place on March 5-6, 2014 at the Hotel Monaco, 501 Geary St., San Francisco, California. Listen to subject matter experts in the field of supply chain sustainability and network with other professionals.

Some of the topics that will be covered at this summit include:

Examining the Impact of Recruitment Practices on Human Rights
Taking a Management Systems Approach to Continuous Improvement
Providing Traceability within Supply Chains: Conflict Minerals and Other Raw Materials
Lean Manufacturing - Understanding the Benefits of Production Efficiencies
Implementing Sustainable Chemistry in Supply Chains Addressing Fire Safety in Facilities

Event - Clean and Cool 2013

This event will take place from November 30 to December 7, 2013 in Colorado. Clean and Cool Mission Colorado is an entrepreneur mission to help the UK’s most promising early stage and innovative cleantech SMEs do business in the US faster.

Video - Winner Crosses Finish Line at the 2013 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge

Watch the final moments of the grueling Bridgestone World Solar Challenge as the winning team for 2013 crosses the finish line in northern Adelaide, Australia. This 3000 kms event highlights some of the best solar powered car technology in the world.

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2013 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia

Event - Clean Energy Conference and Exhibition: ICCE 2013

Clean Energy Conference and Exhibition: ICCE 2013 will take place Monday September 9 - Wednesday September, 11, 2013 in Ottawa, Ontario. ICCE 2013 will take place on the banks of the majestic Ottawa, Rideau and Gatineau Rivers. Ottawa is one of the most beautiful G8 capitals in the world. Ottawa is also rich in culture and heritage with its many national institutions, parklands, waterways and historic architecture.

Sustainable Supply Chain Transparency: Strategic Analysis and Best Practices

Download the Ethical Corporation's complimentary 10-page briefing that contains strategic analysis around key areas of sustainable supply chains.

In this document you will discover how to create a transparent supply chain that delivers results.

With wide-ranging perspectives from companies and NGOs across a variety of industries and countries this analysis will give you a great overview of best practice in supply chain transparency:

Event - Sustainable Supply Chain Summit

The 8th annual Sustainable Supply Chain Summit will take place on October 7-8, 2013, in London. Discover how to create a transparent supply chain that delivers results. Drive CR, transparency and cost efficiency down your value chain.

The event will be attended by 150 people including 25+ corporate top executives, sharing best practice and discussing the ways to address the biggest supply chain challenges in 2013.

Overview

•Make supply chain sustainability a priority throughout your value chain, by engaging internally with buyers functions, middle management through to top level decision makers

America Surpasses a Solar PV Milestone and Keeps Going

NPD Solarbuzz reports that due in part to state incentive programs, the US has installed more than 1.8 gigawatts (GWs) of solar photovoltaics (PV) in the first half of 2013, pushing the nation beyond 10 GWs. Solar PV is a semiconductor technology used for generating electricity by converting the the sun's rays into electricity. America joins Germany, Italy and China which have already produced more than 10 gigawatts of solar power.

The performance of US solar in the first half of 2013 exceeds the growth of solar in the first half of 2012 (1.8 GWs compared to 1.3 GWs). The Utility-scale market was responsible for at least 45 percent of solar PV installations.

Event - Supply Chain Sustainability Forum & Networking Luncheon

The Supply Chain Sustainability event will take place on Tuesday, July 30, 2013 from 8:00 AM to 1:30 PM (EDT) at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Slaughter Hall – CIMS Conference Center, 111 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, New York. The event will address sustainability from a suppliers point of view. It will specifically address what customers want. The event is sponsored by the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute in partnership with Nixon Peabody LLP. 

Breakdown of Solar Demand in Q1 & Q2 2013

According to NPD Solarbuzz analyst Michael Barker, Germany, China, Japan, and the US accounts for more than 60 percent of solar demand in the first half of 2013. China and Japan alone are responsible for 45 percent of global demand in the second half, up from just 10% three years ago.

According to the quarterly report from NPD Solarbuzz, nearly half of the demand in the first half came from large-scale utility and commercial ground-mount applications, with just 20 percent from residential rooftops. The rest of solar demand came from non-residential rooftop installations like businesses and off-grid applications.

Deutsche Bank Revises its PV Forecasts for 2013

As reported in REnew economy, Deutsche Bank has revised upward its outlook for the global solar PV industry. The bank is predicting that the global solar market will be 45 GW by 2014. As of the start of 2013 the global solar PV industry had risen to approximately 40 GW.

Duetsche's forecasts have been revised upward based on strong demand from Japan, US, India, and China. We are also seeing increasing solar PV demand from emerging markets like Chile, the Middle East, and South East Asia.

Event - Cleantech Forum Europe 2013

Cleantech Forum Europe 2013 will take place on 04/16/2013 - 04/18/2013 at the Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall in Bilbao Spain.

As the sense of economic malaise and a confidence crisis deepens, we are all in urgent need of a lift. We are hungry for new voices and new leaders with new ideas, for new companies, alliances and partnership models, to show us a new path toward economic growth and job creation. Cleantech Forum Europe 2013 will venture to the heart of these challenging issues.

Event - Future of Wind Energy in BC

BC Sustainable Energy Association (BCSEA) Vancouver Chapter and Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) are hosting a speaker event on Wednesday April 10th, 2013 at the Bill Reid Gallery, 639 Hornby Street in Vancouver, about the future of wind energy in British Columbia. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. The evening will feature presentations by experts on wind energy, energy policy and sustainability issues in BC to incite discussion and learning about the future of wind energy in British Columbia.

Event - Green Profit Conference in Kingston Ontario

Last call for the Green Profit Conference which will take place on Monday Mar 18, 2013, Kingston, Ontario. SWITCH Presents the 3rd Annual Green Profit Conference and Exhibition on Sustainable Energy: New Opportunities And The Road Ahead at the Sheraton Kingston. At this event innovators and leaders in business, industry, economic development, policy, research, the public sector, and the community will address the issues facing the sustainable energy sector in 2013 and beyond.

Event - SOLAR 2013

SOLAR 2013 opens April 16-20, 2013, at the Baltimore Convention Center in Maryland. The American Solar Energy Society(ASES) presents America’s longest-running solar conference series, now in its 42nd year. SOLAR 2013 will examine how mainstream renewable energy technologies are saving money today for small and large businesses, homeowners and utility companies. We’ll look at policy initiatives that can streamline permitting and financing, and explore the road forward as renewable installations double annually. This year a special session will examine the relationship between extreme weather events and renewable energy. We’ll also be asking our two German plenary speakers what the US can learn from Germany’s rapid conversion to renewable energy.

Solar Increasingly Sustainable Even Without Subsidies

According to a new analysis by Deutsche Bank, the global solar market will be self sustaining by the end of 2014. As many who supported renewable energy subsidies have argued, they are a short term measure to help fledgling industries grow to a size where they no longer needing subsidies to continue performing. The report showed that roof top solar has strong demand in India, China, Britain, Germany, India, and the United States. Grid parity has already been achieved in India, Italy, Germany.

Deutsche bank points to strong demand in subsidised markets such as Japan, the UK. In the US, the introduction of favourable legislation, including giving solar installations the same status as real estate investment trusts, strong pipelines in Africa and the Middle east, and unexpectedly strong demand in countries such as Mexico and Caribbean nations means that its forecasts for the year are likely to rise.

Jinko Solar: Silicone Procurement at the Heart of its Success

Jinko Solar is well positioned to capitalize on the solar market in 2013 as it has the best balance sheet among their competitors. They are insulated from the high costs of silicone that is adversely impacting their peers. The higher costs of silicone have put upward pressure on the manufacturing costs associated with PV but Jinko is one of the very few solar companies that are well positioned. Jinko's low price leadership is attributable to four primary factors: