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Last year, Michelin announced it no longer would procure rubber from deforested lands. It set about working with suppliers and regional governments to encourage sustainable forestry. Michelin's zero deforestation policy led other tire makers Bridgestone, Goodyear and Continental to also begin working towards zero deforestation in rubber procurement. Now, GM is also adopting a zero deforestation stance in its tire procurement policy. The largest U.S. automaker (in market capitalization) in June declared that it would buy only tires with rubber sourced from sustainably grown forests. In addition, the company announced plans to work with other automakers and tire manufacturers to come up with an industry response

After four years of development, the first international standard for sustainable procurement was launched late last week by the International Standards Organisation (ISO). The first standard of its kind in the world, ISO 20400 aims to help companies make better purchasing choices throughout their supply chains by establishing guidelines for companies to judge suppliers on ethical and sustainability issues.

The UN Environment Program and other partners launched the Sustainable Public Procurement Program, a project to redirect public spending towards goods and services with environmental and social benefits. The initiative is part of the UN's 10-Year Framework of Programs on Sustainable Consumption and Production.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation has announced a long-term seafood sustainability strategy in partnership with WWF - to increase its procurement of responsibly sourced seafood and eliminate the procurement of highly vulnerable seafood species. For the first phase of the partnership, Hyatt has set an initial goal of responsibly sourcing more than 50 percent of its inventory by 2018.

Beauty brands Coty, L'Oreal, Groupe Clarins and Groupe Rocher have partnered on an initiative to increase sustainability in the beauty supply chain. The Responsible Beauty Initiative will be overseen by supply chain sustainability ratings agency EcoVadis and will encourage businesses to enhance and share sustainable practices.

The Rocky Mountain Institute's Business Renewables Center (BRC) is working together with RE100, led by The Climate Group in partnership with CDP, to accelerate the procurement of renewable energy by some of the world's most influential companies. The partnership aims to increase renewable demand (buyers), find renewable opportunities (developers and intermediaries), and provide the means to bridge the two through tools and knowledge.

The number of standards for green products has grown in recent years due to increasing market demand for environmentally-preferable products, resulting in concerns over greenwashing and a need for an international standard.

Organic dairy producer Stonyfield Farm, Inc. announced this week that it will utilize a new tool to manage its supply chain: SupplyShift™ - a new, cloud-based, supply chain management platform focused on sustainability, but flexible enough to assess any procurement need or supply chain risks.

McDonald's launched its first Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability framework alongside a new sustainability report. The framework sets new goals of purchasing beef from sustainable-certified sources by 2016, procuring 100% of fiber-based packaging from certified or recycled sources, and increasing energy efficiency 20% in company-owned restaurants in 7 markets

The Climate Group's RE100 initiative partnered with the China Renewable Energy Industries Association to encourage Chinese companies to procure their electricity from renewable sources.

China pledged to reduce its CO2 emissions by 60-65% per unit of GDP by 2030, compared to 2005 levels. The country also pledged to procure 20% of its electricity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030.

The North Face set a goal of procuring 100% of its down from sustainable sources certified under the Responsible Down Standard. The company also plans to use 100% sustainable down for its Summit Series and European styles by 2015.

Rocky Mountain Institute launched the Business Renewables Center (BRC), a platform to advance corporate renewable energy procurement. The organization plans to use the platform to add 60 GW of solar and wind energy in the United States by 2025, which will nearly double current installed renewable energy capacity.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) today announced a new goal to achieve carbon neutrality for global operations by 2022. Underpinning this goal is a long-standing commitment to reducing energy consumption, improving energy efficiency and procuring renewable energy. As part of this goal, Morgan Stanley will source 100 percent of its global energy needs from renewable energy. Since 2006, the Firm has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 36 percent and has achieved its two previous emissions reductions goals ahead of schedule.

Despite efforts from Washington to sideline action on climate change, a growing number of Fortune 500 companies are taking increasingly ambitious steps to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, procure more renewable energy and reduce their energy bills through energy efficiency, according to a new report released today from World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Ceres, Calvert Research and Management (Calvert) and CDP.

A group of ten automakers - including BMW Group, Daimler AG, and Honda - have partnered to launch DRIVE Sustainability, which aims to "drive sustainability throughout the automotive supply chain by promoting a common approach within the industry and by integrating sustainability in the overall procurement process." CSR Europe is facilitating the partnership.

The Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council playbook series in time for its annual summit.