Sustainable supply chains

Shutterstock fotdmike Open cast mine, Derbyshire, England Stakeholder pressure from investors, shareholders, customers and nonprofits to push sustainability into the supply chain has significantly increased in recent years, with a record number of shareholder resolutions on supply chains issued during the past two proxy seasons. By managing and improving environmental, social and economic performance throughout supply chains, companies can conserve resources, optimize processes, uncover product innovations, save costs, increase productivity and promote corporate values. Research shows the business case for supply chain sustainability is growing.

Until consumers fundamentally change their buying habits in response to environmental concerns such as the proliferation of plastic pollution, companies will continue to implement sustainability policies largely for show.

Just consider how these actions will affect the entire supply chain rather than the small portion of business such policies tend to focus on. Newsletter Sign-up Banning plastic straws from points of sale will have very little impact on the degradation of the marine environment by discarded plastic.

One study estimates there are up to 8. The journal Science estimates the U. There are many examples of this approach to environmental sustainability in the corporate world. And they often include questionable statements about what the measures will accomplish.

The degree to which companies can manage environmental performance across their supply chains is often limited. Significant environmental impacts often take place in the deepest tiers of the supply chain that grow, harvest, or mine raw materials.

In many cases, companies have little knowledge of who these suppliers are and no leverage to demand that they change processes. Coca-Colafor instance, has devoted significant resources to reducing its water consumption to 2.

Yet the sugar beet farmers deep in its European supply chain that supply the company guzzle 28 liters of water per liter of Coke. They are making a prudent response to market demand.

However, we will not be able to solve global environmental problems until consumers radically change their buying habits.

Welcome to the Sustainable Supply Chain Foundation (SSCF).

Perhaps some time in the future such a shift might occur. Maybe the consumers of tomorrow will rebel against packaging practices and two-day delivery services at Amazon. If so, Amazon surely will respond appropriately. But for the moment, there are no signs of such a transformation.

That means companies will continue to make prudent business decisions by implementing token policies such as using recycled paper in copier machines, adding bike racks to parking lots and, of course, banning plastic straws.In this section.

Each supply chain is unique, and Cargill leverages its size, expertise and supply chain capabilities in a variety of ways to create a more sustainable, food-secure future. View our strategy for achieving sustainable supply chains through the work we are doing in three core areas: responsible sourcing, reducing environmental impact and agricultural value chains partnerships.

Learn more about our approach and ambition for Africa. At HSBC, our aim is to support the sustainable development of our clients’ supply chains, and foster new business development and the sustainable, international growth of small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurs.

What's Hot

Sustainable supply chains: An integrated modeling approach under uncertainty This is the aim of the current paper where a generic model is proposed to inform the decision makers managing sustainable supply chains. 3. Problem definition. Global supply chains are modern marvels, propelling trillions of dollars of commerce through the world economy.

Unfortunately, they are also riddled with waste, fraud, inefficiencies, and human rights abuses. Some of the resulting failings have implications for society.

For example, many producers. This book is primarily intended to serve as a research-based textbook on sustainable supply chains for graduate programs in Business, Management, Industrial Engineering, and Industrial Ecology, but it should also be of interest for researchers in the broader sustainable supply chain space, whether.