Supply Knowledge (tm)

Sustainable Procurement Strategies webinar 9/28/2010

3BL Media http://ow.ly/2JGYM http://ow.ly/i/45kM #supplyknowledge

Applied Sustainability Center

 http://asc.uark.edu/

Global Institute of Sustainability // Arizona State University

http://bit.ly/avXQRi

Posted via web from Supply Knowledge

The Sustainability Consortium

The Sustainability Consortium develops transparent methodologies, tools and strategies to drive a new generation of products and supply networks that address environmental, social and economic imperatives. http://bit.ly/bOA58o

Posted via web from Supply Knowledge

Achieving Success & Sustainability in the Supply Chain

Achieving Success & Sustainability in the Supply Chain http://snurl.com/u668b

Green (Sustainable) Procurement webinar

 http://ping.fm/M2xub

The California Sustainability Alliance Announces 2009 Sustainability Showcase Award Recipients

 http://ping.fm/CjRzI

Sustainability's Staying Power

Sustainability's Staying Power http://ping.fm/WNqNm

ModusLink Global Solutions` leadership in sustainability

ModusLink Global Solutions` leadership in sustainability http://ping.fm/yPti3

Carbon Footprint Reduction

Green Supply Chain, Procurement, Sustainability Veteran, Authors Carbon Footprint Reduction http://ping.fm/S6tZR

Sustainability's Staying Power - Feature Article - World Trade

Sustainability's Staying Power - Feature Article - World Trade

While regional supply chains should reduce inventory, these take time to put together. In the meantime, businesses faced with increasing energy and carbon costs shift some transportation modes, from air to ship and from truck to rail. These slower modes of transportation require longer inventory pipelines, raising aggregate inventory in the short run. As regionalization takes effect, however, one should expect aggregate inventory to come down commensurately.

12 Steps to Sustainability | ClimateBiz.com

This report from Kanal Consulting focuses on practical ways that organizations can implement sustainability to improve the bottom line and the environment. To read the full paper, visit KanalConsulting.com [PDF].

According to the firm's Managing Principal Vijay Kanal, "Successful companies have realized that sustainability is a key element of strategy, and are profiting from it. Our focus is on identifying opportunities and helping clients execute on them, and we have seen that when sustainability is tightly integrated with the business it is possible to achieve financial success while helping the environment. This report is a blueprint to help organizations succeed in both dimensions."

The 12 key points in the report are:

1. Integrate sustainability into the company's vision, values, or core mission statement.
2. Set goals that are specific, credible, measurable, and normalized for business changes.
3. Treat sustainability projects with the same business case requirements as other projects.
4. Let the CEO and senior executives be the key spokespeople, and demonstrate internal commitment.
5. Establish a strong governance model.
6. Ensure employee engagement.
7. Drive operational efficiencies.
8. Implement technologies and policies to reduce business travel and commuting.
9. Employ product life-cycle analysis to inform new designs.
10. Communicate internally and externally.
11. Partner with the Supply Chain.
12. Engage various stakeholders.

Download the full report, "12 Steps to Sustainability: How Every Company Can Implement Sustainability to Improve the Bottom Line and the Environment," from KanalConsulting.com [PDF].

via www.climatebiz.com

Staples Signs Sourcing Agreement with the Rainforest Alliance

Staples, the world's largest office products company, has signed an agreement with the Rainforest Alliance to analyze and improve the environmental and social footprint of the company's paper supply.

Staples has enrolled in the Rainforest Alliance's SmartSource program, a customized service for companies and organizations that want to examine and improve their forest-product purchasing policies and practices. The goal of the program is to assist a company with establishing responsible purchasing policies and implementing a responsible sourcing program that, gradually but steadily moves suppliers toward more sustainable practices and Forest Stewardship Council-certified sourcing. Other companies participating in the Rainforest Alliance's SmartSource program include Scholastic, The Coca Cola Company, Gibson, Unilever and Kraft.

via www.rainforest-alliance.org

Supply Management.com - for purchasing and supply management professionals

Sustainable procurement investment 'critical', say top European buyersBy Allie Anderson Sustainable procurement is considered "important" or "critical" by 90 per cent of buyers, according to a survey published yesterday.

Over 80 per cent of procurement directors invested in sustainable purchasing initiatives in 2008, with 35 per cent reporting they intend to spend more on such programmes, despite the global recession. The Sustainable Procurement Benchmark Report, released by education body HEC Paris and sustainable procurement experts EcoVadis, questioned procurement executives at 95 of Europe's largest companies about their corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability practices.

It found that, while managing costs remains a major priority for introducing sustainable buying programmes, adhering to regulations on environmental practices is becoming more important. Brand protection was also noted as a key driver. Three quarters of the companies consider CSR when going to market, with almost a third - 30 per cent - using it as a main criterion in the grading and selection process.

Some 75 per cent of the respondents also use sustainable procurement as a measure of long-term supplier performance. HEC professor Olivier Bruel, principal author of the report, said: "Sustainable procurement is an integral part of the new model that companies must adopt to survive and thrive in today's global economy.

"Our research clearly shows that the economic dimension of sustainability - total cost of ownership reduction as well as supporting suppliers in dire financial situations - is a critical focus for companies as they attempt to weather the financial storm while continuing to run their businesses in a socially and environmentally friendly manner."

via www.supplymanagement.com