Hotels Come Together on Carbon Footprint

An interesting development from the hotel and hospitality industry as some big players join forces to standardize a carbon footprint methodology.

As 80% of Fortune 500 companies now participate in the Carbon Disclosure Project, we are likely to see more moves in this direction as sectors try to find ways to measure comparative performance within their industry.

Via Hotels Come Together on Carbon Footprint | SustainableBusiness.com

How important is a Green Supply-Chain in North America?

We certainly hear a lot about the importance of reducing the amount of carbon our species is releasing into the atmosphere. But we don’t hear much about what this really means to our profession: in other words, how important is a ‘green’ Supply-Chain in North America?

To answer this question we recently sent out a 14-question survey to hundreds of Supply-Chain professionals. The results are in and you may find them interesting.

Three Key Findings.

Read the rest of How important is a Green Supply-Chain in North America? » » »

When Warehousing Goes Green

When considering the greening of any supply chain it is easy to ignore the impact of warehousing and distribution centres.
Transport miles are often shown to potential consumers, but what about the environmental cost of storage?

Understandably, the main focus in distribution centres is often the streamlining of the distribution process. This video of the Ocado distribution centre makes this optimisation geek very excited. But it is not difficult, and not necessarily expensive, to improve the green credentials of your warehousing. Read the rest of When Warehousing Goes Green » » »

Corporate Social Responsibility in supply chains: an example of aluminum refining

Commodity production in many parts of the world causes huge problems for local communities. Extractive industries located in areas with poor environmental protection and enforcement can be particularly damaging.

For example this contentious aluminum refinery in Niyamgiri, India: The battle for Niyamgiri

Should purchasers have a role in influencing supply chains by avoiding companies with dubious social and environmental ethics? Would this be interfering with domestic governance and development, or does CSR (corporate social responsibility) pave the way for this type of decision? Are purchasers in a position to obtain and evaluate the information needed to make those decisions?

The Carbon Benefits of Recycled Materials

The benefits of avoiding extraction and primary processing are usually significant, even when collection, transport and reprocessing of recycled material is taken into account.

An increasing range of recycled products are coming onto the market, such as glass, steel, aluminium, plastics and paper. Usually calculating the carbon benefit is reasonably straightforward. As the final products must perform to similar standards (whether from virgin or recycled materials) in order to compete in the market place, the carbon footprint during their ‘use phase’ will also be very similar.

Read the rest of The Carbon Benefits of Recycled Materials » » »

Sustainable supply-chain at risk: the US drought example

Weekly drought figures released  by the US Drought Monitor show the situation continues to be a problem with approximately 50% of continental US now suffering from a moderate drought or worse.

Despite recent precipitation bringing welcome relief and downgrading of the drought status in some parts of the country, the long term picture shows challenges remain.

Changing weather patterns and increasing likelihood of extreme weather events are pushing sustainable supply chain management up the agenda for many companies. The US drought is just one of many examples of how changing weather patterns can create clear and present supply chain risks.

Read the rest of Sustainable supply-chain at risk: the US drought example » » »

Greendex: Survey of Sustainable Consumption

If your business is expanding into new or facing competition in existing markets, can you benefit from enhancing your green credentials to meet consumer preferences?

Greening your supply chain could provide a competitive edge in markets where consumers are increasing concerned with environmental issues and making spending decisons based on those concerns.

Find what you can learn from the Greendex Survey.

Sustainability Trends

We have picked up a few tips recently from participating in a Conference Board of Canada webinar where sustainability thought leader and governance specialist, Coro Strandberg discussed the drivers and trends of CSR governance and shared emerging best practices in the Canadian context.

We have also been reviewing the Carbon Disclosure Project and other reports to highlight some of the key points that are useful to the supply chain profession.

Read the rest of Sustainability Trends » » »

Cutting Carbon in the Supply Chain

For many manufactured products, the majority of their carbon footprint comes from energy used in extracting, refining, processing, manufacturing and transportation.

There are several options for reducing the carbon footprint:
· redesign manufacturing process; use alternative raw materials and new technologies to find energy efficiency savings
· shorten supply chains; reduce CO2 from transport
· Use / purchase renewable energy; renewable energy produces (almost) zero carbon
Read the rest of Cutting Carbon in the Supply Chain » » »

Carbon Disclosure Project Supply Chain Report

The 2012-13 annual Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) Supply Chain report has been recently published. There is a glut of useful information within the 22 pages, and here are some of the highlights.

Firstly, the report concludes that climate change is creating very real supply chain risks, with 70% of respondents identifying at least one serious risk to their business due to the impacts of climate change. This makes sober reading where ever you are in the value chain of a product and emphasizes the need for a risk based approach to sustainable supply chains.

Read the rest of Carbon Disclosure Project Supply Chain Report » » »