Sustainable Supply Chains: Can Retailers Be the Rising Tide That Lifts All Boats?
by Tim Greiner
08 December 2014
A whopping 97 percent of environmental impacts in the retail sector come from the product itself — from raw materials, transportation and product manufacturing. With impacts so heavily weighted in the supply chain, retailers are increasingly and creatively wading upstream to partner with their suppliers on their greatest impacts. The key to success lies in selecting the appropriate supplier engagement method and then using that approach as a vehicle to deeper collaboration. But can successful retailer approaches truly motivate meaningful supply chain improvements?
The benefits of engagement
Probing a vast supply chain that may extend across the globe and include thousands of raw material suppliers and as many materials and processes is not easy. But retailers don’t have to go it alone; there are many well-respected, third-party tools and surveys that they can leverage to support this work. And as retailers turn their attention to this challenge, they are finding exciting opportunities for collaboration and innovation. Read more here.
Written by Tim Greiner
Tim Greiner, a Pure Strategies Co-founder and Managing Director, has pioneered approaches to building environmental and social integrity into products, brands, and businesses. He is also a co-founder of the Chemical Footprint Project and has guided sustainable chemicals management strategies for companies across diverse industries. His experience spans the spectrum from developing sustainability strategy, drafting sustainability goals, designing product sustainability programs, creating approaches to transform sustainable supply chains and facilitating a landscape level stakeholder process to improve climate and water quality outcomes.
Tim's recent projects include helping build a leading climate strategy for Ben & Jerry's, developing sustainability goals for King Arthur Baking, creating a corporate sustainability strategy for Lush, and developing a regenerative grazing standard for Timberland.
