IDH Hosts SUTRA 2.0: Accelerating Responsible Sourcing in Indian Markets
IDH held the second edition of its annual event, SUTRA 2.0: The Sustainable Trade Summit 2024, in India, themed "Accelerating Responsible Sourcing in Indian Markets." This year's summit brought together approximately 400 industry leaders, policymakers, and sustainability experts to tackle challenges and explore solutions for advancing responsible sourcing and sustainable supply chains. Building on the success of its inaugural summit, SUTRA 2.0 focused on promoting ethical and sustainable practices across key sectors like agriculture, textiles, spices, and palm oil.
The summit featured sessions covering regenerative agriculture, innovative financing, gender-inclusive business models, and technology’s transformative role in sustainability. Key moments included:
- Launch of the India Sustainable Palm Oil Manifesto: A collective commitment to sustainable palm oil sourcing, bringing together stakeholders from the private sector, government, and civil society to promote responsible practices.
- LABS and NSC MoU Signing: The Life and Building Safety (LABS) Initiative signed an MoU with the National Safety Council (NSC) of India to enhance safety in the apparel and textile industries. This partnership focuses on knowledge sharing, training, and improving safety standards to foster a culture of safety excellence and worker protection.
- Women's Safety Accelerator Fund Handbook & ROI Study Release: IDH introduced the Women’s Safety Accelerator Fund Handbook on Addressing Gender Stereotypes alongside a Return on Investment (ROI) study of the Assam tea sector. The handbook serves as a practical guide for industry leaders, encouraging awareness and reflection on unconscious biases across the value chain, while the ROI study reveals the economic impact of gender-based violence in Assam’s tea sector, highlighting how discrimination and violence contribute to productivity and revenue losses and increased costs for tea estates.
IDH will continue driving sustainable trade by expanding the SUTRA ecosystem to include more partnerships that mainstream responsible sourcing practices across global value chains.