Demand-side implications of retail sustainability for global forest resources
With economic globalization, production has shifted offshore, supply chains have lengthened and become more complex, and resource consumption has accelerated. Within globalizing markets, multinational brand retail companies have emerged as supply chain leaders dictating the terms of production and demand for consumer goods worldwide. To manage risks, control quality and costs, and keep prices low, brand companies are adopting ambitious corporate sustainability commitments such as zero waste, carbon neutrality, 100% sustainable sourcing, and zero deforestation. They are driving these commitments up through their supply chains: setting sustainability targets and auditing supplier compliance – effectively behaving as global sustainability regulators. Yet, despite these efforts, the pressure on resources, particularly forests in the global South, are growing not subsiding. Lister explores the market dynamics of the retail-driven discount economy; the influence of eco-consumers; and the implications of retail sustainability for global forest resources. She argues that while retail sustainability initiatives encourage incremental improvements in forest resource management, they ultimately fall short of deeper solutions that mitigate global forest loss.
Biography
Jane’s research focuses on voluntary performance codes and standards, the impact of global supply chains on extractive industries, and the rise in the business value and global environmental governance implications of corporate sustainability initiatives. She holds a PhD in resource management from UBC, an MBA from the Sauder School of Business, and an honours degree in economics from the University of Toronto. She has over 20 years of experience in the sustainability field including work as a forest management consultant and auditor with PricewaterhouseCoopers and as an environmental policy analyst with the Ontario provincial government.