Global shipping lines are increasingly shying away from handling cargoes to Iran as restrictions on banking and insurance continue unabated, despite an interim agreement between Tehran and the West that called for limited sanctions relief.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. doesn't do things on a small scale. So when it moved to expand its global sustainability effort, the retailing giant acted true to form.

Throughout the logistics industry, food is one of the most demanding goods moved around the world. Statistics also show that it is also one of the most disposed products worldwide in relation to the produced quantity with 30 to 50 percent of food going to waste. The highest portion is on the consumers' side. But In the supply chain, a non-stop cold chain monitoring is the major instrument for food staying fresh and not rotting ahead of time. There are already several solutions in the field to collect data to monitor the cold chain. But most of these solutions are costly to install and to maintain and therefore only suitable for high-priced products such as pharmaceuticals. Wireless sensors that use the energy harvesting principle now overcome these challenges and open the door for a complete traceability of food at affordable costs.

ROI was founded 15 years ago to help Mercy Health Systems reduce overall supply chain expenses and improve patient care. Greg Goddard, project director for supply chain operations, discusses ROI's business model and how changes in U.S. healthcare are impacting the supply chain.

If you're still not convinced that sustainability can be a big marketing tool for global brands, then take a glance at the latest "Conscious Actions" report from Hennes & Mauritz AB - known to clothing shoppers around the world as H&M.