Procurement

Opinion

Supply chains can use purchasing power to fight inequity

Spending more on local sourcing mitigates socioeconomic and health disparities, strengthens supply chain resilience and reduces carbon emissions, writes Kaiser Permanente's supply chain and procurement chief.

By Mary Beth Lang • Oct. 29, 2020

Roche Bros. partners with local supplier platform Forager

Forager’s technology streamlines the process of local suppliers linking up with grocers to create a smoother supply chain.

By Rosie Bradbury • Oct. 27, 2020

Mattel, Hasbro play catch-up after demand for board games, toys surges

Executives from the toy giants say retailers are keeping inventories tight for Q4, putting the onus to meet demand on suppliers.

By Emma Cosgrove • Oct. 27, 2020

Chipotle lets diners track environmental impact of burritos as restaurants prioritize sustainability

The chain partnered with an independent researcher on a digital tool that analyzes five key metrics around sourcing, including carbon waste, gallons of water, soil health, use of organic land and antibiotics.

By Peter Adams • Oct. 26, 2020

Coupa initiative focuses on business spend to increase supplier diversity

There is nearly $2 trillion transacted over the Coupa platform, and the software company aims to redirect spend toward diverse suppliers.

By A.B. Brown • Oct. 22, 2020

Column

Is supply chain swallowing up procurement?

The pandemic thrust supply chain management and risk mitigation into the limelight. What happens to the procurement folks?

By Rich Weissman • Oct. 22, 2020

Child labor in cocoa production rises despite industry promises, report says

A large part of the difficulty of eliminating this form of forced labor is the complexity of integrating transparency into supply chains.

By Jessi Devenyns • Oct. 22, 2020

CBP issues forced labor finding for stevia imports from manufacturer in China

The enforcement finding follows a civil penalty of $575,000 imposed on Pure Circle U.S.A. for importing stevia extracts and derivatives from the company identified in the report.

By A.B. Brown • Oct. 21, 2020

Alibaba to offer B2B e-commerce training for manufacturing suppliers

A recent survey by the company found substantial growth in the adoption of B2B e-commerce in the first nine months of 2020.

By Matt Leonard • Oct. 20, 2020

Deep Dive

Biden and Trump envision similar supply chains — but different paths to get there

Both presidential candidates promote investment in domestic manufacturing and supply chains, but they diverge on how to handle global trade relations.

By Emma Cosgrove • Oct. 16, 2020

Opinion

There is more than one way to move sourcing out of China in a post-pandemic world

Diversifying global supply chains is often thought as an all-or-nothing action. It is not, writes a senior director analyst at Gartner Supply Chain Practice.

By Kamala Raman • Oct. 15, 2020

Publix teams up with salmon farm to further sustainable seafood efforts

The land-based farmer's Bluehouse-raised salmon are traceable "from egg to plate."

By Catherine Douglas Moran • Oct. 15, 2020

Fastenal raced to increase mask inventory. Now it has an 'oversupply.'

In just six months, the company has gone from restricting certain SKUs to healthcare customers only to concerns about excess inventory. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Oct. 14, 2020

US, EU buyers canceled $16B in apparel purchase orders in the spring: report

A 49% drop in apparel exports to the U.S. between April and June consisted largely of finished or in-progress goods, meaning suppliers had already fronted the cost of materials and labor, according to the report.

By Emma Cosgrove • Oct. 13, 2020

Nestlé will support farmers to achieve net-zero carbon by 2050, supply chain chief says

The world's largest food company said it would commit up to $10 million through its multi-year partnership to help scale farm access to sustainable resources and technology.

By Lillianna Byington • Oct. 12, 2020

Grocers focus on disclosure, traceability for seafood sourcing

Giant Food and Albertsons join the growing list of grocery retailers committing to sustainable seafood supply chains.

By Jessica Dumont • Oct. 09, 2020

Column

Battle of the forms: Protecting your business with purchase order terms and conditions

The interpretation of COVID-19 in force majeure clauses is the crux of many legal battles between buyers and suppliers.

By Rich Weissman • Oct. 08, 2020

Robust analytics, data sharing are crucial to procurement risk management, experts say

Experts on a Jaggaer webinar advocated for full data integration, advanced assessment and sustainability practices in building successful risk management plans. 

By A.B. Brown • Oct. 08, 2020

Mars to cut palm oil suppliers by 94% to root out deforestation

Mars combines satellite monitoring and active supplier management tactics with third-party verification to curtail deforestation in its supply chain. Having fewer suppliers will make this work more manageable.

By Emma Cosgrove • Oct. 06, 2020

Adidas coaches its suppliers in the sustainability marathon

The sportswear brand applies the 80/20 rule to reducing emissions with a focus on strategic tier 1 and 2 suppliers, and a recognition that not every tactic works for every vendor.

By Emma Cosgrove • Oct. 05, 2020

Conagra: Demand exceeds supply as grocers stock up early for holidays

Grocers aren't taking chances with stockouts, altering the usual cadence of shipments through the end of the year for their suppliers.

By Emma Cosgrove • Oct. 02, 2020

Meet the suppliers in Walmart's virtual open call

Submissions to participate in the annual event grew 44% over last year.

By Gary Wollenhaupt • Oct. 01, 2020

CBP blocks imports from major palm oil producer over forced labor allegations

Nestlé, Unilever and L'Oréal have already taken steps to distance themselves from FGV, the subject of the withhold release order.

By Matt Leonard • Oct. 01, 2020

Uighur labor will be tough to avoid with about 20% of cotton connected to Xinjiang: GlobalData

The ubiquity of Xinjiang cotton in finished garments brings into sharp focus the immense challenge of enforcing legal bans related to the Uighur crisis and the challenge for procurement officers seeking to comply. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Oct. 01, 2020

Auto suppliers restart with leaner inventories, aggressive cost-cutting: Moody's

One challenge for the industry will be matching production output with the consumer demand and current inventory in dealership networks.

By Matt Leonard • Sept. 29, 2020