Sustainability, corporate social responsibility, green supply chain, carbon footprint – these are a few of the many buzzwords currently being used by companies as they attempt to differentiate themselves in the marketplace by forging new solutions and attempting to reshape the expectations of their customers.

Ethical manufacturing sourcing is a critical component of corporate social responsibility. The goal is to use suppliers that incorporate principles of morality in manufacturing conditions, including proactively trying to reduce harm to and/or exploitation of labor and the environment. Addressed correctly, ethical manufacturing sourcing minimizes the risk of failure within the supply chain. Some industry sectors are more impacted than others. Not surprisingly, the retail and consumer product industries garner the most public attention as the customer experience of tangible products and their ethical-sourced supply chain are integrally woven.