A bold statement perhaps, but one borne out of long standing frustration with the slow if not stagnant forward movement towards implementing more sustainable supply chains.
In 1985 I established my first retail store cardboard recycling initiative which not only was good for the environment, but was also a financially lucrative initiative saving the Hudson’s Bay Company $100’s of thousands of dollars annually at that time.
Although the majority of a company’s supply chain footprint comes from transportation, it’s also important to look at your buildings, their energy consumption and their operating equipment to make them as energy efficient as possible.
A number of articles from Supply Chain Network may assist you in learning more about a number of factors you can influence in the initial design, location and building standards (ie; LEED) for any new or retrofit logistics facility you may be contemplating.
Here is a link to our Buildings & Operations page as well as to our related blogpost category.
One can’t turn around today without seeing the growing impact rising environmental consciousness is having on both consumer choices and by extension business practices. As companies become more environmentally astute, either through brute force of customer will or in combination with the leadership of key employees, all aspects of the business will be driven to reduce carbon outputs.
From weforum.org: “Significant movement is expected towards reduced supply chain carbon intensity. This will create both opportunities and risks for logistics and transport firms, with changes in supply and demand driven by: Regulation of carbon emissions, Higher and more volatile fuel prices, as well as Evolving consumer and client demand. The sector can play an influential role in decarbonization, both in its own operations and through broader supply chain optimisation. This provides direct benefits through reduced costs, managed risks and business growth.”
A Walmart business summit, with keynote speech by Dr. David Suzuki. How could these two seemingly opposed global forces exist in the same confined space? This I had to see.
The sun was just rising as I wheeled up to Vancouver’s Pan Pacific Hotel, to find out what Walmart had up its sleeve when it invited 350 top retail execs and competitors for the Walmart Canada Green Business Summit.
The Mayor, the Premier, environmental alarm, sustainability case studies, live wireless polling, this show had it all. I even got to ask the Walmart CEO, face-to-face, about their business model and position on packaging take-back recycling.
This blog is going to run on a bit, but I wanted to keep all of the info in one document, so grab an organic java and get comfortable. David Suzuki vs. Walmart CEO: The 2010 Walmart Canada Green Business Summit Recap
From Green Energy News: “In a refreshing change of pace, the latest First Family is really putting “their money where their mouth is” in respects to establishing a more economically and environmentally sustainable country. While First Lady Michelle Obama is doing her part by planting an organic garden to supply healthy food and fertilizer, President Barack Obama is now seeking to attain LEED Certification for the colossal, energy-consuming White House.
In Partnership with Green Supply Chain.org, the SCSP certification program is designed to give our graduates a comprehensive knowledge of sustainability across multiple functional areas along with a balance of internal and external knowledge of sustainability leadership and consultancy. 10 Courses are included in this Program:
• Green Purchasing Fundamentals
• Sustainability 101 & Corporate Social Responsibility Es-sentials
• Carbon Strategies
• Environmental Management System (EMS) & ISO 14001
• Green Transportation
• Sustainability Leader: Your First 180-days to Success
• Green Marketing & Sales Force Essentials
• The Sustainability Consultant
• Advanced Green Purchasing
• Environmental Accounting 101
Click the course names above for additional details on all of them and click here to register to become a certified Senior Certified Sustainability Professional (SCSP).
In Partnership with Green Supply Chain.org, the CSP certification program is designed to give our graduates a great balance of core sustainability topics to enable them to stand out individually or to step into a sustainability leadership role with confidence. The 5 courses required to become a CSP are:
Click the course names above for additional details on all courses and click here to register to become a certified Certified Sustainability Professional Certificate (CSP).
In Partnership with Green Supply Chain.org, the GSCP certification program is designed to give graduates a comprehensive knowledge of the sustainability areas confronting supply chain and operations professionals. This program will provide the graduate with very unique credentials and experience. There are 5 Courses included in this Program:
Click the course names above for additional details on all of the courses and click here to register to become a certified Green Supply Chain Professional (GSCP).
FromGreenBiz: “Environmental and agriculture groups, growers and some of the world’s biggest food buyers — Wal-Mart, Sysco and Sodexo among them — have developed a new coalition to incorporate sustainability from the field to the table for specialty crops. More than 30 companies and organizations from around the country are members of the Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops, which will develop a system for optimizing the supply chain for growing, distributing and selling a number of specialty crops — in this case, a broadly defined group of crops including fruits, vegetables, nuts and horticultural crops.”