Stakeholder Forum holds second development round table 

This two-day development round table focussed on supply chain management, that is, on ways of making sure that responsible CSR practice runs through a company's chain of suppliers. On the first day, stakeholders focussed on the textiles and clothing industry. H&M explained its difficulty in making sure that their thousands of suppliers adhere to core labour standards and minimal environmental rules. Other speakers, such as the Clean Clothes Campaign, Traidcraft and Swajan Crafts (Bangladesh), emphasised the difficulty for non-branded goods to manage their supply chain.

Secondly, the round table focussed on the environmental aspects of palm oil production, which is widely used in sauces and soups, but is also used in soaps and detergents. Oil palm plantations can primarily be found in Central Africa, Malaysia and Indonesia, but also in South America. Environmentalists have expressed concern over the clearance of tropical forests to make room for new oil palm plantations, often via forest burning. Representatives from the WWF and the Ghana Oil Palm Development Company spoke on this subject.

Thirdly, the issues of transparency and corruption were discussed through a case study on the extractive industries. In particular, stakeholders discussed the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, launched by UK Prime Minister Tony Blair at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, September 2002. The Initiative was launched to tackle the high levels of poverty in poor countries rich in natural resources, partly due to the lack of accountability and transparency in revenues in this sector.