Human trafficking and slavery in global supply chains would appear to be an intractable problem. But progress toward their elimination is being made.

Some might call renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement a solution in search of a problem. Other might say it’s a necessary updating of the 23-year-old pact. One Canadian attorney specializing in international trade law calls it "a mess."

2017 brought a new presidential administration and an almost immediate end to the highly anticipated Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The rest of the year consisted of many unfulfilled protectionist threats in the U.S. and abroad such as the initiation of NAFTA renegotiation. The World Economic Forum has pointed out that supply chains are the backbone of the global economy. As companies continue to send armies of lobbyists to protect their global supply chains, there is no chance that the threats to your company will disappear. -Beth Pride, President, BPE Global

110 people in 1996. Two pilots in 2010. Eight warehouse workers in a sort facility in 2014. 239 people in 2014. Each case, dangerous goods were or may have been involved. The value lost, immeasurable. Shipping dangerous goods is more than kicking boxes and licking labels. With over a million shipments of dangerous goods everyday in the United States, it is critical for organizations to recognize when they have dangerous goods and to provide training to employees. -Joe Tillman, Founder, TSquared Logistics

Forget about trying to stop ransomware from infecting your computers. It’s a losing battle.