Ecological thinking is one of the main principles of the Ubuntuworks Project. When it comes to supply chain management, this approach can play a role in a company’s sustainability, reduced costs, enhanced brand reputation, and improved risk management. Additionally, ecological thinking prompts a critical analysis of responsible sourcing, energy efficiency, waste reduction, and more. And as ecology shows us, collaboration and partnerships are key.
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Excerpt from “Your Supply Chain Needs a Sustainability Strategy”
By Gideon Walter, Claudio Knizek, Elfrun von Koeller, Chrissy O’Brien, Elizabeth Millman Hardin, David Young, Miho Orimo, and Frank Cordes; published by Boston Consulting Group, July 14, 2020
Overview
Spurred by rising pressure from investors, consumers, regulators, and other stakeholders, more and more companies in 2020 are scrutinizing the environmental effects of their businesses. In fact, in his January 2020 letter to CEOs, Larry Fink, chairman and CEO of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, put companies on notice that investors, among other stakeholders, now expect full disclosure regarding companies’ performance on environmental, social, and governance factors.
As companies increasingly view their business strategies, investments, and business models through the lens of environmental impact, they would do well to focus on one specific element: their global supply chains. According to CDP, an international nonprofit that promotes environmental disclosure, the impact of end-to-end supply chains on emissions is more than five times that of companies’ direct operations. But greener supply chains—including direct operations—can also translate into sizable financial and commercial benefits for companies, especially over the longer term. In our detailed study of three diverse industries, we found that such benefits include lower operating costs, a stronger brand, continued social license to operate, and improved access to resources. 1 We’ll look at those benefits in this article as well as some specific ways companies can make their supply chains more sustainable.
Read more at https://www.bcg.com/publications/2020/supply-chain-needs-sustainability-strategy
Photo: Noah Buscher