Sustainable Procurement News

As of January 1 2025, Thailand has officially banned the import of plastic waste. Introduced by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, the ban was approved by Thailand’s Cabinet on December 3 2024, and published in the Royal Gazette later that month.

The ban includes amendments to Thailand’s Tariff Schedule, which covers the import of waste, pairings, and plastic scraps. As a result, a complete ban of all imports of plastic waste has been enacted from January 2025 onwards.

Thailand has been one of several Southeast Asian nations commonly paid to receive plastic waste imports from Europe, the US, the UK and Japan, with 50,000 tonnes of waste exported from Japan to Thailand in 2023.

The global textile industry operates almost entirely in a linear fashion, consuming 3.25 billion tonnes of materials annually while achieving just 0.3 per cent circularity, according to a comprehensive new analysis from Circle Economy and the H&M Foundation.

Despite increasing sustainability efforts, the industry remains heavily dependent on virgin materials—particularly oil-based synthetics.

Batteries are an indispensable energy source. They are also a key technology in the transition to climate neutrality, and to a more circular economy. Global demand for batteries is increasing rapidly and is set to increase 14 times by 2030. The EU could account for 17% of that demand.

The European Parliament and the Council adopted the new Batteries Regulation on 12 July 2023. This will minimise the environmental impact of this exponential growth in light of new socioeconomic conditions, technological developments, markets, and battery usages. 

A key achievement under the European Green Deal, the new law brings forward the circular economy and zero pollution ambitions of the EU and strengthens the EU’s strategic autonomy.

Canadian oil and gas companies will have to be more transparent about their supply chains following the adoption of the Modern Slavery Act earlier this year.

One of the key requirements of the new law requires companies to report annually on their efforts to stop forced labour and child labour along their supply chains. They must also train all employees on the act.  

New regulations on human rights are forcing global companies to address concerns about modern slavery and tackle problems in their supply chains.

In Europe, a landmark human rights rule was adopted by the EU in July 2024. The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) requires European companies — and some businesses abroad but with significant turnover in the EU — to identify and prevent possible human rights abuses. This applies to product manufacturing supply, raw materials, and other aspects of companies’ supply chains.

L’Oréal Groupe and credit specialist Chenavari Investment Managers launched a debt fund last month to help small- and medium-sized enterprises address scope 3 commitments, according to a Nov. 18 press release.
The Solstice fund aims to enable easier supplier access to funding to make progress on decarbonization industrial projects and initiatives, according to the press release. Outside institutional investors can also contribute to the fund.

In today’s interconnected global economy, sustainability within supply chains and logistics has become a necessity rather than an option. Regulatory demands, rising consumer expectations, and global challenges such as climate change and social inequality have made sustainable practices a strategic priority. For senior leaders, understanding and integrating the three pillars of sustainability—environmental, social, and economic—into supply chain strategies is essential. These pillars provide a comprehensive framework to align operational goals with broader corporate and societal objectives, fostering resilience, innovation, and long-term value.

Those in supply chain should expect to face several key challenges in 2025, while also prioritizing a set of strategies to overcome these hurdles. Businesses will need to adopt a multi-faceted approach to overcome these challenges. Technological innovation, sustainability efforts, workforce transformation, and robust risk management will be key factors in ensuring competitive and efficient supply chains. 

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has published guidance for businesses preparing for the UK-wide ban on single-use vapes, which comes into force on 1 June 2025.

From this date, it will be illegal for businesses to sell, offer to sell, or possess for sale any single-use vaping devices, regardless of whether they contain nicotine. The ban applies to both online and in-store sales across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Samsung Electronics is building on its commitment to do more with less of the planet’s natural resources by continuing to scale the use of recycled materials in Galaxy devices, including cobalt, an essential material for batteries. Last year, the Galaxy S24 series was the first device to incorporate recycled cobalt. Now, Samsung is taking it one step further by sourcing cobalt from the batteries of previously used Galaxy devices and batteries discarded during the manufacturing process. To achieve this, Samsung established a new Circular Battery Supply Chain with like-minded partners, featuring a multi-phase process to recover cobalt from previously used Galaxy batteries, giving them a second life to power the new Galaxy S25.1

Richard Moyes, Marketing, Intelligence & Development Director at Prysmian Group advises how selecting the right optical products can help network operators achieve their all-important sustainability goals.

In today’s environmentally aware society, the industries spared from the scrutiny surrounding eco-friendly practices are few and far between. 

The telecoms sector is no exception. In fact, there are arguably even more eyes on sustainable connectivity, particularly given the rate at which networks are expanding throughout the world. According to the most recent FTTH/B Global ranking, undertaken by the FTTH Councils Global Alliance, 22 countries have now achieved FTTH/B penetration rates higher than 50% and with many gigabit connectivity targets just around the corner, this number will only increase.

Now a new report concludes around 80% of Brazil’s leading beef and cow leather companies and their financiers have made no commitments to stop deforestation.

The study, released Wednesday by the environmental nonprofit group Global Canopy, highlights the country´s most influential beef and leather producers and processors along with financial institutions that have supported them with $100 billion. This amount is one-third of the annual funding that wealthy nations pledged to provide for climate finance in developing countries during COP29 last month in Baku, Azerbaijan

Today’s (10 Dec) entry into force of the revised Regulation on Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Chemicals (CLP) marks a significant milestone in the protection of human health and the environment.

It will also strengthen the internal chemicals market, paving the way for a more competitive and sustainable chemical industry.  

The revised CLP Regulation ensures clear chemical labelling, particularly for online sales, and introduces simpler and clearer requirements so that chemicals can move freely across the EU.

ECOM Agroindustrial Corp Ltd., one of the world's leading traders of agricultural commodities, is partnering with supply chain mapping leader Sourcemap for compliance with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The EUDR requires an increase in data collection and management throughout commodity supply chains. This includes digital maps of all farms used to supply coffee and cocoa with proof the products were produced without deforestation.