Our guest on this week's episode is Steve Ardagh, the founder and CEO of Eagle Protect, a protective glove supplier. Our supply chains contain products sourced and manufactured all over the world. But sometimes, the origins of products may not be in line with our values. Products may be produced in sweatshops, or ignore child labor standards, or they may take advantage of minority groups or even enslaved people. How do we assure ethical sourcing of the products in our supply chains? Our guest has some thoughts on this topic.

Nearshoring, or moving manufacturing closer to our markets, is gaining in popularity. And we have seen a lot of recent activity in Mexico that is further evidence of this growing trend. How does nearshoring reduce risk and stabilize our supply chains?

Transportation of goods continues to be affected by world events, such as attacks on shipping within the Red Sea, the ongoing drought in Panama, and two major wars. Retailers are starting to feel these effects, as delays and higher freight costs pose earnings risk for U.S. and European companies importing from Asia.

CSCMP's Supply Chain Xchange also offers a podcast series called Supply Chain in the Fast Lane. It is co-produced with the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. Go to your favorite podcast platform to subscribe and to listen to past and future episodes.

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Podcast is sponsored by: Aptean

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Guest: Steve Ardagh of Eagle Protect on ethical sourcing; Reshoring picks up momentum; Ongoing world events continue to impact our supply chains