Australia’s National Forest Industries Plan, introduced in October 2021, laid the foundation for one of the most ambitious timber traceability efforts seen in recent memory. The Plan’s provisions, calling for full digital tracking of timber origins by November 2022, reflect a growing recognition of the need to balance commercial forestry with sustainability and compliance imperatives. […]
The first round of compliance audits under the EU Regulation on Conflict Minerals, introduced at the start of 2021, has begun to reveal both the strengths and shortcomings of corporate due diligence efforts across sectors. Preliminary findings from late 2021 audits suggest that while many companies—particularly large electronics OEMs—have made meaningful strides in formalizing policies […]
If the phrase “work from home” felt almost quaint before 2020, it’s hard to imagine anyone thinking that now. During the first wave of lockdowns, telework went from experiment to necessity, often in the span of a week. And while the headlines were full of stories about Zoom meetings and digital nomads, the real shift—the […]
The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, signed into law in early January of that year, introduced a suite of measures aimed at reshaping the strategic landscape for rare earth element supply chains in the United States. These provisions, perhaps overdue in the eyes of some policymakers, reflect growing concern in Washington over the nation’s longstanding […]
For as long as economists have tried to measure economic output, the informal sector has remained a persistent blind spot. It is—depending on one’s point of view—a source of resilience, a policy headache, or simply an empirical challenge. What is clear is that informal businesses, by definition, operate outside the purview of formal registration systems. […]
In June 2021, Global Affairs Canada released its enhanced due diligence guidance targeting forced labor and child labor risks in supply chains. The guidance primarily focuses on clothing and agricultural imports, given the well-documented vulnerabilities in these sectors. The guidance came at a time when the international scrutiny of Canadian importers was growing, and the […]
The International Trade Council is pleased to announce that the European Council has approved a 5 billion-euro ($5.8 billion) reserve to help EU businesses navigate the short-term effects of Brexit. This fund aims to cover additional costs and compensate losses resulting from the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the 27-nation trade bloc. Brexit has significantly […]
China’s recent application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) has been viewed as a significant development by the International Trade Council. The CPTPP was originally established by the US as a counterbalance to China’s growing influence in the Asia-Pacific region. The 2018 agreement was signed by 11 countries including Australia, […]
India’s Ministry of Mines issued its Responsible Minerals Sourcing Guidelines in August 2021, marking a significant step in the country’s effort to align its mineral procurement practices with global expectations on conflict minerals. The guidelines target the responsible sourcing of tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold (3TG minerals), and they are already beginning to influence the […]
Organized crime is a remarkably adaptive adversary. It thrives on complexity, moving illicit funds through layers of seemingly legitimate activity—frequently faster than regulators and law enforcement can respond. In this ongoing battle, one of the quiet but powerful tools at the disposal of investigators is the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) system. By linking business […]
If ever there was a moment that put food systems under a microscope, it was the first half of 2020. As lockdowns spread, so did anxiety about everything from empty shelves to shuttered processing plants. But while the public watched for shortages, analysts and policymakers looked for something subtler: signs of stress and adaptation in […]
The issuance of U.S. Executive Order 14017 in February 2021 signaled a pivotal moment in national industrial policy, mandating a comprehensive review of the semiconductor supply chain to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities. In the months following the Executive Order, both foundries and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have been under increasing pressure to map their supplier […]
The EU Taxonomy Regulation, effective as of June 2020, introduced a transformative shift in how large corporations must categorize their economic activities with respect to sustainability. By 2021, as companies began grappling with the operational realities of compliance, supply-chain managers found themselves facing an increasingly complex landscape. The Regulation’s scope, though framed around environmental objectives […]
Australia’s National Waste Policy Action Plan, published in December 2019, marked a significant turning point in the country’s approach to waste reduction and resource recovery. As part of its strategic objectives, the Plan established a clear mandate for consumer-goods companies to engage with circular economy principles, with a strong focus on reducing packaging waste, increasing […]
The passage of the U.S. Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) in February 2021 represented a decisive escalation in legislative efforts to eliminate forced labor from U.S.-bound supply chains. With an effective date of June 17, 2022, the Act established a rebuttable presumption that any goods produced wholly or in part in the Xinjiang Uyghur […]
Coming out of the first pandemic winter, it seemed every conversation in business circles circled back to digital: who had moved fastest, which firms were scaling, and how new habits—streaming, shopping, remote everything—might stick. Yet, behind the optimism (and occasional hype), there was a real challenge for anyone tasked with measuring what was actually happening […]