China is cracking down on pollution like never before, with new green policies so hard-hitting and extensive they can be felt across the world, transforming everything from electric vehicle demand to commodities markets.

Slowing growth, intensifying competition and rapidly changing consumer preference are creating rising cost pressures, driving major focus to reduce supply chain costs across industries. However, companies are stuck in an endless death spiral of cost cutting with little impact to the bottom line. Leading companies are breaking this cycle with ZBSC (zero-based supply chain)— a way to drive profitability by looking forward, continually improving bottom line results in a rapidly changing world. –Gary Hanifan, Managing Director, Accenture Strategy, Supply Chain & Operations Strategy

This year, the Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 revealed that retailers are placing an increased emphasis on corporate social responsibility. The average CSR score for the top 10 retailers in the report was 6.8 in 2017, compared with 5.8 last year. Furthermore, four companies (Inditex, H&M, Gap and Wesfarmers) scored a maximum of 10 this year, whereas the highest ranking by any company last year was nine, also achieved by four companies. -John Johnson, Senior Content Specialist, Gartner