How is climate change affecting small-scale producers in developing countries, and what role can companies play in strengthening the capacity of these producers to adapt, and in doing so, making their global value chains more resilient?
While some leading companies have made progress in taking greater responsibility for what happens throughout their supply chains, there has been little discussion about the threat that climate change poses to the livelihoods of small-scale producers and the role that companies can play in helping them to adapt.
Through interviews with three companies: Starbucks, Marks & Spencer, and The Body Shop, the paper examines how smallholders involved in coffee production in Colombia, sesame in Nicaragua, and cotton in Pakistan have been affected by climate change and what it means for the companies’ businesses.