ARIZONA, USA, – October 25, 2012 – The Sustainability Consortium is pleased to announce our expansion into China.  The Consortium is an independent global organization that creates science-based knowledge about the sustainability of consumer products.

The Consortium has been awarded a $2 million grant from The Walmart Foundation to launch this effort. The expansion will see The Consortium collaborate with existing members, Chinese stakeholders, civil society organizations and local research partners to improve the systems and tools for product sustainability assessment. This work will support product sustainability improvements in China and beyond.

The Consortium’s product sustainability profiles already provide consumer goods companies with a consistent way to measure and track their products’ social and environmental progress. China has a large manufacturing base and is an important part of many global value chains. The Consortium sees opportunities to apply its work in product and supply chain design, supplier development, infrastructure investments and operational design.

The Consortium has set three strategic objectives for the expansion into China. The first is to roll out The Consortium’s standardized framework for the assessment and communication of sustainability-related information in China. This will allow it to translate, customize and expand the research across current and new product categories and improve the applicability of its resources to Chinese businesses. The Consortium intends to focus on toys, electronics, textiles & apparel and household goods.

The Consortium will also build relationships with Chinese manufacturers and retailers. This will allow it to expand research to other product categories, exchange best practices and knowledge with Chinese stakeholders and, gather more regionally specific knowledge about social and environmental issues and improvement opportunities. Finally, this will all be implemented through a training program for Chinese factory managers and owners.

Kara Hurst, CEO of The Sustainability Consortium noted that “The $ 2 million dollar grant from the Walmart Foundation will support the Consortium and position us to advance our common agenda of bringing the best science and research to support the development of the green supply chain here in China and globally.”

The Sustainability Consortium China will join three other Consortium partners, with offices located in Tempe Arizona, Fayetteville Arkansas in the USA, and Wageningen in The Netherlands.

Click here to view the full video replay of the Walmart Sustainable Global Sourcing announcement in Beijing, China, with Walmart executives, U.S. and Chinese government officials, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and Walmart associates.

About The Sustainability Consortium

The Sustainability Consortium is an independent organization of diverse global participants that work collaboratively to build a scientific foundation that drives innovation to improve consumer product sustainability. The Consortium develops transparent methodologies, tools, and strategies to drive a new generation of products and supply networks that address environmental, social, and economic imperatives. The Sustainability Consortium advocates for a credible, scalable, and transparent process and system. The organization boasts over 90 members from all corners of business employing over 57 million people and whose combined revenues total over $1.5 Trillion. Arizona State University and the University of Arkansas jointly administer The Sustainability Consortium, with additional operations at Wageningen University & Research Center in The Netherlands. Learn more at www.sustainabilityconsortium.org

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Media Contact:

Elizabeth Kessler, Marketing Coordinator

The Sustainability Consortium

Arizona State University

Elizabeth.Kessler.1@asu.edu | 480.965.3810