Supply Chain Sustainability: Sheri Hinish on World Resources Institute Series

Transforming Supply Chains: EY’s Sheri Hinish Featured in WRI’s Global Leadership Series

As EY’s Global Sustainability Consulting, Tech + Ecosystems Leader and Global Sustainable Supply Chain Leader, I recently shared insights in World Resources Institute’s groundbreaking podcast series “Voices of Supply Chains.” This CREST Initiative explores the critical intersection of sustainability, technology, and human-centered supply chain transformation.

Redefining Sustainable Supply Chains

“Sustainable supply chain involves multiple paradigm shifts. And it’s not just moving from business-as-usual to circular or responsible or transparent; the buffet of buzzwords that are, you know, often associated with supply chains, including risk [and] resilience. It’s really thinking about this through the lens of systems and ESG. Historically, we haven’t thought about that and it’s going to change the way we work with each other, the way that we interact with the world around us, including nature.”

Series Insights: A Deep Dive into Supply Chain Transformation

Episode 1: The Lack of Worker Power

On Human-Centered Supply Chains: “If we put humans at the center of everything that we do in being a successful business or organization, you also have to think about meeting their needs and that opens up a lot of things around equitable workplaces, certainly accessibility, fair wages. None of these things I find are common with the risk-resilience thread.”

Episode 2: The Power Imbalance

On SME Challenges: “Generally, the smaller players absolutely shoulder the majority of risk… when they push these new requirements onto the smaller players, they have limited resources, they typically have lower negotiating power because they don’t have economies of scale… that has lowered negotiating power. It leaves them exposed to market fluctuations, environmental changes, and political disruptions compared to larger corporates.”

Episode 3: The Power of Partnerships

On SDG Integration: “Most of these companies actually do publish commitments around the SDGs, the most material SDGs in their annual impact report or their annual ESG reports. But to your point, it is often divorced from operational performance and enterprise ESG reporting, which is disappointing because if you double click on the SDGs, it’s an integrated vision for equitable and responsible prosperity.”

Innovation in Action: “A coffee brand decided that they wanted to lead with purpose and use innovation… if they scan a QR code, they can see, in-app the source of their morning Joe — and the life cycle of that bean of coffee… the ability in-app to go all the way upstream and actually thank your farmer.”

On Fair Wages: “Living wage and fair living wage are not the same… a fair living wage is going beyond the ability to meet basic needs. You’re going to have that 10% to 15% percent emergency and discretionary income.”