Levi’s ambitious environmental plans
It seems that multinational firms within the fashion industry are starting to feel the pressure for greater corporate responsibility for the environment. Levi Strauss & Co is no exception. Since the outcry of environmental group “Stand. Earth” in 2017, who called for a 60-70% reduction in emissions by 2050, the company has had to reevaluate its global strategy. It recently announced plans to reduce global supply chain emissions by 40% in just 7 years, across production sites in 39 countries, aiming to ‘set an example’ for fellow corporations and go above and beyond tackling its own carbon footprint.
Levi’s Vice President Michael Kobori said that the starting point for its energy efficiency program would be around 60 out of 580 factories and sites that Levi cooperates with. Additionally, this strategy will include a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions within Levi’s own facilities as well as a 100% commitment to renewable energy.
Is this achievable in such an extensive supply chain? For more insight click here.
Uber has a change of heart
Uber has made a key decision to abandon its development of self-driving trucks, to focus efforts exclusively on the self-driving car sector. Since Uber’s acquisition of the Otto start-up there have been a number of controversies with damaging consequences, including the Waymo lawsuit, and more notably the fatal accident in Tempe, Arizona, involving a self-driving test vehicle and a pedestrian. In light of these struggles, Uber has thought it more strategic to deliver its self-driving applications first, with the possibility of incorporating them into Freight applications at a later date.
However, Uber reassured that freight employees in the self-driving truck unit would be relocated to Pittsburgh if there wasn’t an alternative role for development at its San Francisco base. Its Uber Freight unit, which connects truck drivers with shipping companies via an app, will also remain mostly unaffected by this change.
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Zara outdelivers
Fast-fashion retailer Zara has high hopes for a fully integrated online and in-store inventory. By successfully integrating the two platforms using RFID technology, the company would be able to offer same-day deliveries or next day shipping in cities where both Zara stores and ecommerce are present. CEO Pablo Isla explained that the purpose of this time-efficient fulfilment plan was to increase sales of full- priced items. Furthermore, he claims that the plan should be in operation for all of Zara’s online markets by the end of this year.
The retailer is already rather accomplished in increasing production and logistics efficiency through ongoing innovation, but if these plans come into fruition it could open up new opportunities for Zara and companies alike, to compete with inventory leader and market dominator Amazon. Delivering directly from stores would not only be an attractive convenience for consumers, but could also help cut delivery costs, as stores are usually closer to their respective consumers than warehouses.
More information can be found here.
Have a great weekend!
