Online Event - Harnessing Digital Solutions to Improve Product Sustainability and Supply Chain Transparency

Harnessing Digital Solutions to Improve Product Sustainability and Supply Chain Transparency will take place on Tuesday April 21, 2020. Online events brought to you by EL and EMT. Registered attendees receive exclusive access to slide decks and/or custom white papers (provided by most clients).

This webinar to understand how digital transformation can enable an organization to address these complexities through cross-functional collaboration, process optimization, and a management systems approach.

Responsible Procurement Strategy (e-book)

A lot of companies do not know what they want to gain by investing in a Responsible Procurement Program. They are simply missing the strategic scope. In addition to pilot projects and a risk based approach to responsible procurement management companies need to ask what they can gain by investing in a Responsible Procurement approach. This complimentary e-book provides some key questions that must be answered to develop a strategic approach to responsible procurement management.

Having a plan improves the chances of reaching the target. Responsible Procurement is moving from "compliance" to "performance". From a consumer point of view much it is important to initiate actions which drive actual change. The brand has to have a stand. And the supply chain plays a vital role in creating the architecture behind.

UN Supply Chain Sustainability Tool Introduced at Rio+20

A supply chain sustainability tool was officially introduced at the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum on June 16. The tool was launched on June 12, 2012 by the UN Global Compact, in collaboration with BSR and Maplecroft. It is known as the UN Global Compact Quick Self-Assessment and Learning Tool, which is an online platform developed to help companies evaluate their approach to supply chain sustainability and identify areas for improvement. The scale, scope and severity of global economic, political, social and environmental challenges is making supply chain sustainability a topic of growing importance to business, governments and civil society; but effective and responsible supply chain management requires a coordinated response from all sectors of society.

Sustainable Supply Chain Data Book Q2

Supply Chain Executives Need data at their fingertips that will help them make smart business decisions. This free report includes opportunity-focused environmental, sustainability and energy-related supply chain data with an emphasis on competitive advantages and ROI. It also includes 20 data charts and accompanying analysis from Environmental Leader.

The Supply Chain of CO2 Emissions (Paper)

This is a document reviews supply chain issues related to CO2 emissions. It was written by Steven J. Davisa, Glen P. Petersb, and Ken Caldeiraa at the Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Stanford, and bCenter for International Climate and Environmental Research–Oslo (CICERO). This document considers CO2 on a broader level than simply looking at the countries in which fossil fuels are burned.

Introduction to Sustainable Supply Chains

A good introduction to sustainable supply chains is available from 2degrees. The PDF document is called "Supply Chain Management." It is part of 2degrees Sustainability Essentials Series.

Ten Sources of Green Supply Chain Information

Here is a summary of some good information on sustainable supply chains. These links include everything from the basics to more sophisticated research on green sourcing, best practices and metrics. Most of the links provided below are free of charge and contain a wealth of searchable information. The exception being the "Institute of Supply Management's Sustainability Handbook" which costs between 29.99 (members) and 49.99 (non-members).

CIPS Sustainable Procurement Tool

Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS) has introduced a tool to help organizations maximize the benefits of sustainable procurement. The CIPS sustainability review tool enables businesses to measure the sustainability of their supply chain, which can account for up to 50% of a company's carbon footprint, and for suppliers to demonstrate this to customers. The new tool is a response to increasing demand from businesses for help to benchmark their purchasing performance and progress towards putting sustainable procurement at the heart of their organizations.

The Lean Sustainable Supply Chain

Lean, Green Supply Chain is Key to Lower Costs, Improved Profitability
LEAN Sustainable Supply Chain Strategies Detailed in a new book by Robert Palevich. Efficiency applied to the supply chain is just the beginning for enterprises looking to maximize profit and minimize environmental impact.

The Sustainable Supply Chain Efforts of Interface Inc

Interface inc. quickly learned that the substantial majority of their product’s footprint was incurred before their raw materials reached their receiving docks. It became clear to Interface that to be completely sustainable they needed to educate and actively engage their suppliers on their sustainble efforts known as the "Mission Zero" journey.

Sustainable Supply Chain Webinar

The Apathco Group is holding a free sustainable supply chain webinar on Tuesday, June 7, 2011, between 11:00am - 12:00pm. This sustainable supply chain webinar can also help to reduce your costs.

Sustainable supply chain management is a practical approach that uses a business's buying power to encourage, stimulate and deliver improved environmental and social outcomes from suppliers and/or service providers. It is a key dimension of strategic sourcing that provides value for money to the company and the customer over a product’s lifecycle and minimizes the environmental impacts of operating in carbon-constrained markets.

This webinar will focus on demonstrating the benefits of sustainable supply chain management, including:

• Purchasing products that reduce your energy/waste/water costs
• Encouraging improvement in product design to initiate a sustainable re-design
• Minimizing the environmental impact of your products developed and services provided
• Minimizing the environmental impact of the total supply chain
• Improved channels of communication with suppliers and consumers to initiate more open discussions

Guest Speaker: Tracy Mak - Instyle Textiles

Limited spaces are available. To register, click here.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Arizona State University and Green Supply Chains

The W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University is teaching what it practices. The school not only has a green procurement program, it is also integrating the study of sustainable supply chains into their curriculum.

Arizona State University is widely recognized for its sustainable attributes, this year The Princeton Review named Arizona State as one of the "greenest" universities in the country.

The school leverages its internal resources, particularly the supply chain faculty, at the W. P. Carey School of Business to develop and implement the school's sustainable practices.

Arizona State University draws on its own experience to help students meet the real-world challenges associated with sustainable supply chains. The school's green supply chain not only make the school more sustainable, it is a powerful teaching tool.
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Puma's Sustainable Supply Chain

Supply chain sustainability reporting is a key feature of Puma’s overall sustainability strategy. At the GRI Global Conference in Amsterdam, sporting goods manufacturer Puma, in cooperation with the Global Reporting Initiative, announced its intention to expand environmental considerations and improve working conditions throughout their strategic supplier network.

Those responsible for more than two-thirds of all Puma products will receive GRI certified training on transparent measurement and reporting on their sustainability performance using the GRI G3 Guidelines – the world’s most widely-used framework for sustainability reporting. These twenty Puma suppliers are based in China, Vietnam, Cambodia and other countries. The first sustainability reports are expected to be released in 2011/2012.

Reiner Hengstmann, Puma’s Global Head of Social and Environmental Affairs said, “Without sustainable suppliers, we will not be able to produce sustainable products or credibly report about Puma’s own sustainability initiatives.”

Puma originally joined a GRI pilot project called “Transparency in the Supply Chain” back in 2006. Under this project three South African Puma suppliers were trained on issuing sustainability reports. Managers learned how to measure sustainability concepts such as waste diversion, energy efficiency, and other performance indicators.

As the result of this training Impahla Clothing, a Puma supplier in Capetown, was the first carbon-neutral garment supplier on the African continent in 2009. Impalah's 2009 Sustainability Reports reveals a 40% increase in production, a doubling of its permanent staff, and a 10% drop in absenteeism. The company's bottom line improved through the cost savings gained.

Similar projects are underway in China, South Asia, Turkey, and Portugal. By engaging with its vendors and offering them further resources, PUMA has empowered these companies to proactively address the weak points in their operations, while also giving them the tools to find those improvements independently.

Many companies can learn from PUMA's leadership. PUMA has added value to its offering by changing its corporate mission from the most 'desirable' sporting brand, to 'desirable AND sustainable.' Once accused of having low labor standards, Puma is now emphasizing transparency and using supply chain reporting as a central part of its strategy to become the most sustainable sport-lifestyle company in the world.
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IT Sector Should Leverage Their Supply Chains

Research funded by the European Supply Chain Institute (ESCI) indicates that IT supply chains afford significant opportunities for carbon reduction.

The ESCI is a member-driven organization that researches all areas that will have a direct, positive impact within the supply chain. Last September, ESCI formed a new group called the Supply Chain Carbon Council to research issues related to carbon emissions in the supply chain and make recommendations.

According to the Supply Chain Carbon Council, “Businesses need to focus less on how IT contributes to their environmental impact and more on how IT can help lessen the environmental impact of their supply chain operations. While making IT more green must remains a concern, there are areas where deploying more IT can significantly contribute to making an organization’s supply chain activities more environmentally sustainable.”

There’s a mounting evidence to indicate that by leveraging their supply chains IT can play a major role in reducing carbon.
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Sustainable Supply Chains

Sustainable supply chains are an integral part of a rapidly growing trend that is transforming businesses around the world. Supply chains are critical links that connect an organisation’s inputs to its outputs. The increasing environmental costs of these networks and growing consumer pressure for eco-friendly products has led many organisations to look at supply chain sustainability as a new measure of profitable logistics management.

Approximately 70 percent of all surveyed top executives consider sustainability efforts essential to long-term profitability. For firms' purchasing strategies, purchasing heads rank environmental efforts as most important among sustainability initiatives.

In response to overwhelming demand for sustainable supply chain expertise, educational facilities like the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University are building green supply chains into their curriculums.

The level of an organizations involvement can be catagorized into one of three general groups sometimes referred to as the three tiers of sustainability.

Tier 1) The Basics: This is the base level where companies employ simple measures such as switching lights and PCs off when left idle, recycling paper, and using greener forms of travel with the purpose of reducing the day-to-day carbon footprint. Some companies also employ self-service technologies such as centralised procurement and teleconferencing.

Tier 2) Thinking Sustainably: This is the second level, where companies begin to realise the need to embed sustainability into supply chain operations. Companies tend to achieve this level when they assess their impact across a local range of operations. In terms of the supply chain, this could involve supplier management, product design, manufacturing rationalisation, and distribution optimisation.

Tier 3) The Science of Sustainability: The third tier of supply chain sustainability uses detailed auditing and benchmarks to provide a framework for governing sustainable supply chain operations. This clarifies the environmental impact of adjustments to supply chain agility, flexibility, and cost in the supply chain network. Moving towards this level means being driven by the current climate as well as pushing emerging regulations and standards at both an industry and governmental level.

An October 2009 GTM report, titled Greening the Supply Chain: Benchmarking Sustainability Practices and Trends, indicates that green supply chain leaders are benefiting from reduced costs, increased revenue and recognition.

The report includes case studies and interviews with supply chain executives and sustainability officers. Although energy reduction in the supply chain has received a lot of attention, there are other efforts including more efficient product designs.

According to David Schatsky, one of the report's authors, "The supply chain represents a big opportunity for firms to realize the financial, operational and strategic benefits of sustainable business practices."

Despite its growing prominence, sustainability is not at the core of most companies’ strategic planning and although involvement is increasing, it is not yet the prime driver of supply chain agendas.

While there are many benefits to greening the supply chain, there are also impediments. Many companies cannot fully evaluate their suppliers and customers, making it difficult to assess the true environmental costs. However, as the basic standards of sustainability reporting become increasingly common it will be easier to make more accurate assessments.

Sustainable supply chain efforts are a defining feature of a serious environmental commitment. Overall, the research indicates that sustainability offers major competitive advantages, especially with regard to production efficiency, supplier management skills and employee morale.
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