Dubai Chamber workshop highlights the need for sustainability practices in supply chains

Attended by delegates from leading companies like Canon Middle East, Emirates Group, DAFZA, Laing O'Rourke and Bawadi, a member of Tatweer, the workshop focused on building the business case for social and environmental best practices in supply chains, what are the risks and opportunities, how companies are integrating sustainability issues into their supply chain management while reacting and adapting to pressures in the light of some best practice examples by companies.

The workshop was 'hands on', using real life and hypothetical case studies to create group work and interaction throughout the day. The workshop also covered the aspect of sustainable supply chain logistics and sustainability impacts for supply chain logistics.

Girish Kowale, Director, Business Trading Ethically, UK, a guest speaker at the workshop talked about ethical trade and sourcing and what it means for a company to assume responsibility for labour and human rights practices within its supply chain.

Girish also spoke in depth about social audits, how they are conducted and the opportunity it presents to protect and build reputations and manage risk across diverse set of countries, cultures and socio-political situations. He shared several of his experiences and best practice examples from companies based on his long experience in the areas of Corporate Social Responsibility, Ethical Sourcing and Audits, Social and ethical analysis of Supply Chains.

With Corporate Social Responsibility slowly emerging as a key concept amongst businesses in UAE, the participants at the workshop benefited as they got a chance to understand how supply chain issues apply to their companies while obtaining guidelines and other information to build the business case for sustainable supply chain practices, access to resource
material and best practice local and international examples as well as the opportunity to network with experts and other like-minded people from the retail industry.