Sourcing overseas for the retail sector - part two

February 2005

Over the past ten years, a wide range of stakeholders have taken an increasing interest in the social, ethical and environmental performance of the retail industry's supply chain.

In this second in a series of strategy papers from PwC's retail and consumer specialists we examine corporate responsibility and ethical supply chain management.

The increased interest by the media, investors, consumers, employees, the Government and NGOs has led companies to explore how they can best control and manage the ethical implications of increased sourcing from overseas markets.

The first paper in this series examined the implications of the abolition of trade barriers for the textiles and clothing industry, while the two forthcoming papers in this series will cover:

• Licensing as a management opportunity
  
• The essential elements of brand protection and risk