The keys to unlocking value through implementing sustainability initiatives require positioning through: identifying marketplace trends that reward innovation toward sustainability; optimizing the linkage between sustainability, environmental and business objectives; creating a systematic process and internal champions that can drive the system from the inside out; establishing a manageable performance measurement system that demonstrates ‘triple bottom line’ results; and building assurance systems for compliance and credible and transparent public disclosure.
Green procurementThere are a number of areas within procurement that can be enhanced to consider the environment and help you establish a green procurement approach. including requiring that they meet any defined environment criteria for deliverable completion, using audits for validation; having the vendors inform you as to how they will align their processes to your organization’s environmental focus; and re-evaluating how environment requirements are weighted.
There is an increasing emphasis of supply chain management in creating the proper ingredients of a successful business strategy. The concept of a Green Supply Chain is gaining interest among operations practitioners as a sustainable and profitable undertaking. A Green Supply Chain can be thought of as a supply chain that has integrated environmental thinking into core operations from material sourcing through product design, manufacturing, distribution, delivery, and end-of-life recycling.
Andrew Winston, founder of Winston Eco-Strategies, kicked of day two of the Sustainable Brands 2010 conference with an informative talk on how the difficult environmental, economic and supply challenges that business and industry face, have changed that game and how those challenges are presenting opportunities.
As manufacturers continue incorporating sustainability practices within their product manufacturing processes and supply chains, the retail industry – as the main customer point of contact – bears the responsibility of educating consumers about the sustainability choices available in the market.
The environmental performance of products and processes has become a key issue, which is why some companies are investigating ways to minimize their effects on the environment. One such tool is Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA). Companies who succeed in integrating LCA with existing decision-making frameworks can achieve smarter sustainability.
Companies are now requiring their suppliers to address carbon management as a core business issue. A plan to deselect some suppliers in the future for failing to meet carbon management criteria set by the companies. These organizations are increasinigly developing strategies for engaging with suppliers on carbon related issues amd have emissions or energy reduction plans in place.
LCA Sustainable Supply Chain USA 2010 (‘Measuring and Addressing Environmental & Social Impacts Throughout the Entire Life Cycle and Supply Chain’), the 7th event in the International Carbon Footprinting conference series, will be held on April 28-29 2010 in Chicago. The event will address sustainability and CSR issues pertaining to product life cycle assessment and supply chain with a focus on the consumer products industry sector.
Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) is gaining much importance in many industries due to pressure from the government and environmental consciousness among the customers, to gain competitive advantage. We have compiled a list of Green Supply Chain studies to assist you in your efforts to address these issues. The green supply chain studies we spotlight cover the following topics: the role that the logistics and transport sector plays in reducing emissions; the effects of ISO 14001 certification on the promotion of green supply chain management (GSCM), research on interest and implementation of green supply chain initiatives; a quantitative picture of current sustainable supply chain practices and plans; a measurement and quantification of how companies are managing the complexities of supply chain demands, distribution costs and environmental concerns; key drivers of sustainable supply chains;a new integrated supply chain model that takes into account sustainability parameters such as CO2 emissions reduction, reduced energy consumption, better traceability and reduced traffic congestion;best practices for companies looking to green their supply chains ; an outline of the supply chain green initiatives currently implemented or planned in manufacturing, warehousing and distribution;survey of sustainable packaging policies ;a look at the growing role of procurement organizations within sustainability efforts institutions of higher learning; a categorization of research and practice in purchasing, manufacturing, outbound, and reverse logistics dimensions;a framework for measuring the “green-ness”of green supply chain initiatives, the business case for green supply management initiavies, research on the debate by empirically evaluating the relationship between EMS and GSCM practices.
