Benchmarks move, goals will need extending, metrics require adjustment, training will need to be updated occasionally, and fresh opportunities will appear as your people improve in vigilance and understanding of the issues. But without taking into account any specific characteristics of your company, the following actions, taken in sequence, should get you on the right path. Tackling certain aspects alone is nearly impossible and … Please send me your fortnightly Email Bulletin. All of the suppliers you work with should have their own practices in place where they manage their own waste – and manage the sustainability of their own supply chains. When they know what to look for, they can add granularity to your search for environmental performance excellence. Chapter 2.3: Ingredients of a sustainable supply chain strategy Chapter 2.4: Iterative approach for developing your sustainable supply chain strategy bestLog: Need for a Sustainable Supply Chain Strategy Recognising and assessment of trends Strategic and holistic approach Balancing economical, ecological, and social objectives You might find for instance, that your water consumption compares favourably with your peers, but your aging warehouse lighting is consuming vastly more electricity than those fitted out with LED fixtures. After conducting interviews with 70 companies, the report authors categorized companies’ approaches to building sustainable supply chain into five groups: basic, improving, established, mature and leading. The companies then ask these first-tier suppliers to ensure compliance from their own suppliers. The average UK office worker uses 45 pieces of paper per day, two thirds of which is considered waste. However, if your company has dozens, or even hundreds, of first-tier suppliers, collecting information can prove to be a gigantic undertaking. How much water do your facilities use when compared with similar organizations with warehouses of similar size and throughput? Although it is often identified as being one of the most difficult aspects of a business to make sustainable, it is one of the … As you begin to see results, you will need to evaluate them against your chosen metrics. Better still, invest in mapping software that will allow you to get a very detailed picture of every aspect of your supply chain. Meanwhile, Big Data analytics, AI, and machine learning can have a significant impact on supply chains. Social and environmental variables are the basis of sustainability and, not surprisingly, the basis of strategic, lasting site selection decisions. So how to develop a sustainability strategy for your supply chain? When it comes to managing wasted stock, intelligent stock analysis software can monitor existing stock accurately and offer solutions. Schulich’s new George Weston Ltd Centre for Sustainable Supply Chains to develop next generation of supply chain leaders TORONTO, Oct. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Schulich School of Business at York University is pleased to announce the creation of the George Weston Ltd Centre for Sustainable Supply Chain s , made possible by significant support from George Weston Ltd. If you are currently dependent for over 30% of your income from one major source, this could be a time when you need to rapidly reinvent yourself. The concept of sustainable development can be attributed to the 1987 Brundtland Report, which described it as ‘‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs’’. If you are in the initial stages of sourcing suppliers, it’s important to remember that a low cost doesn’t always equal a high-quality supplier. EY and the UN Global Compact have published a report, The State of Sustainable Supply Chains, which explores how companies are embedding sustainability into their supply chains. We also studied a representative set of each MNC’s suppliers—a total of nine top-tier and 22 lower-tier suppliers, based variously in Mexico, China, Ta… Every supply chain is unique, so it’s hard to prescribe exactly how sustainability should be tackled. Your suppliers may handle delivery needs for you, but it’s important to ask your suppliers about their sustainability practices. We at 4C Associates employ the following six-step process to help our clients develop their sustainability strategy Map your supply chain – As the first step towards sustainability, it is important to map your product, information and cash flow across the full spectrum of your suppliers and customers. Outcomes will not always be as expected and solutions will sometimes need to be tweaked. However, with the rise of technology and the constant evolution of smart programmes, your business can benefit enormously. As with any transformation, the first step to a more sustainable supply chain is to gain an intimate understanding of the current environment. Yes! Customers are also becoming increasingly active in supporting these measures. You may have mapped your supply chain before, but this time you will need to do so with sustainability in mind. End-to-end supply chain transparency is critical; sustainability initiatives must extend from raw materials sourcing, to last-mile logistics, and even to product returns and recycling processes. There are numerous ways to overcome distribution efficiency problems. With the supply of raw materials dwindling, it makes good economic sense for manufacturers to take discarded materials and repurpose them. You’ll need to balance quality and cost in order to find the best suppliers that can deliver the best products for your business. Specifically, a preemptive shift to a sustainable supply chain has positive business impacts including risk management, realizing gains through more efficient operations and creating sustainable products. By making sure your supply chain is sustainable and ethical, and by minimising the negative impact your business has on the environment and society, you’ll unlock a range of business benefits. 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