Procurement

Supply chain and small farmer
March 04, 2013
Sometimes, small is better. The growth of global businesses has often supported the growth of their suppliers, from original equipment manufacturers to firms that provide accounting, legal, or travel services. For companies entering new markets with smaller economies or for companies aiming to contribute to local economic growth, smaller suppliers are critical. So how can global companies with a commitment to sustainability engage suppliers whose budgets and resources may be tight?
December 20, 2012
The Chinese city of Dalian, a major seaport in the northeast province of Liaoning province, has opened the country’s first “Renewable Resources Market,” at the Dalian High-tech Industrial Zone, according to a report in the China Daily.
Asian supply chain
November 14, 2012
The impact of the media coverage of Foxconn on Apple should act as a stark reminder to companies to carefully analyze both their supply chains and how they engage them. Incidents, challenges and tragedies can have a long-lasting impact on both corporate reputations and the resilience of the supply chain itself. Unfortunately, the last few years have seen a decline in creative approaches and investment in strong supply chain engagement programs.
Walmart China supply chain
October 29, 2012
US-based global retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc has given its suppliers five years to comply with its environmental rules or risk being pushed off its shelves. The new requirements, announced in China where Wal-Mart has more than 20,000 suppliers, will compel them to improve on energy efficiency, waste reduction and other markers on the retailer’s checklist. Wal-Mart said the checklist, introduced in 2009, was voluntary. But if suppliers fall short, they could be cut off from the discount stores wholesale warehouses that the company operates in the United States.
October 17, 2012
China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection yesterday launched a nationwide survey to examine the country’s environmental protection industry according to a report in the China Daily.
October 16, 2012
New talks between the Malaysian Government and Bank Negara Malaysia, the central bank, are being touted in order to speed up the distribution of green loans to businesses.
August 16, 2012
The global electric vehicle market and rechargeable battery sector could be in for supply shock, according to a US mining company and has benefited a Mongolian company.
ADB looks to boost solar
July 17, 2012
The Asian Development Bank has announced the inclusion of Chinese renminbi and Indian rupees under its Trade Finance Program (TFP).While the move is expected to benefit all businesses, the clean and green tech sectors may find it boosts their sectors disproportionately.The currencies' inclusion will boost intra-regional trade under the TFP. The scheme run by the bank fills market gaps for trade finance by providing guarantees and loans to local banks to support it.
July 11, 2012
China, the world's biggest producer of rare earth metals, is likely to turn an importer of the vital industrial ingredients by as early as 2014 as it boosts consumption in domestic high-tech industries rather than just shipping raw material overseas, according to Reuters.
July 02, 2012
Japan has found a large deposit of rare earth minerals in its Pacific seabed, enough to supply its hi-tech industries for more than 200 years, a scientist said Friday.
June 28, 2012
The European Union, the United States and Japan on Wednesday requested a dispute settlement panel at the World Trade Organization (WTO) after failing to resolve a battle over China's export restrictions on rare earth minerals, according to Reuters.
Sutainable purchasing
June 21, 2012
A new international initiative to fast track a global transition to a green economy by harnessing the market-shifting power of government and local authority spending was announced by UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and partners at the Rio+20 Earth Summit yesterday. Supported by more than 30 governments and institutions, the International Sustainable Public Procurement Initiative (SPPI) aims to scale-up the level of public spending flowing into goods and services that maximize environmental and social benefits. Studies indicate that public procurement, which represents between 15 and 25 per cent of GDP, represents a tremendous opportunity to stimulate green innovation and sustainability.
June 20, 2012
Mining companies in Vietnam will have to deposit at least 15 percent of their committed costs for environmental rehabilitation and restoration prior their mineral extraction, the Vietnam News reported today.
June 20, 2012
China on Wednesday issued a white paper on its rare earth industry, the first of its kind in the country, as the world's largest rare earth producer strives to better protect the valuable resources.
June 14, 2012
Home furnishings giant IKEA is to partner with Chinese cleantech group Hanergy to install photovoltaic (PV) panels on IKEA-owned buildings across China, according to the company.
June 11, 2012
China will accelerate the industrialization of its renewable resources to foster a new industry with strategic significance, said Xie Zhenhua, vice minister of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) on Friday.
June 04, 2012
A first-of-its-kind Advanced Remanufacturing & Technology Center (ARTC) has been established in Singapore, it was announced on Friday.
May 26, 2012
KFC has denied made by Greenpeace this week that it sells its chicken in buckets produced by controversial paper supplier Asia Pulp and Paper (APP).
EU CO2 tariff on imports
May 24, 2012
The row over including the greenhouse gas emissions from civil aviation under the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) notwithstanding, France’s new government wants to the EU to impose a carbon tax on goods imported from outside Europe. The idea is not new, having originally been floated by the European Commission in 2008 and championed by former French President Nicolas Sarkozy ahead of the 2009 Copenhagen climate summit. At the time it was dismissed as being overtly protectionist.
May 18, 2012
China’s Ministry of Commerce announced Thursday additional export quotas for rare earth minerals totalling 10,680 tonnes, including  9,490 tonnes of light rare earths, and 1,190 tonnes of medium and heavy rare earths