4 Ways Supply Chain Managers Can Improve Sustainability

As the climate crisis reaches an extreme, potentially irreversible point, many consumers are calling for a drastic response to help protect the earth and preserve it for future generations to enjoy.

 

One of the biggest causes of pollution in the business landscape is corporate supply chains, meaning that managers need to take drastic action to reduce their impact on the environment and still provide an efficient service to customers and end-users.

 

This might sound like a daunting challenge, but with these 4 ideas, you can achieve significant change that benefits the environment and your stakeholders.

1. Conduct A Sustainability Audit

One of the easiest ways you can reduce your environmental impact is to audit your supply chain’s sustainability, focusing on wastage, fuel consumption, and the type of fuel your supply chain uses. Remember to explore external suppliers and their processes, as well as your own. Once you have this information, you can explore the small changes you can make immediately and create plans to transition towards employing more significant sustainability tactics in the future.

 

2. Use Reusable Pallets

Wooden pallets break easily, causing waste and draining your organization of time and money. A more sustainable, cost-effective solution is to use plastic pallets. These durable solutions will last for years, meaning you won’t have to waste precious natural resources and will still be able to ship thousands of products around the world. Justin Bean from Reusable Transport Packaging said in a recent article that “in most cases, the single-use packaging is very convenient and inexpensive in the short term, but all that waste adds up over time and that is why we offer a pay per use model for RTPs that is cost-competitive with single-use packaging.” Solutions like the one Justin mentions can be seen through these plastic pallets for sale, so you can easily find top quality pallets that will reduce your supply chain waste and improve your efficiency.

 

3. Reduce The Miles Your Products And Components Travel

The consumption of fossil fuels, such as petrol and diesel, is one of the biggest contributors towards the environmental impact your supply chain has, so you need to try to reduce their use where possible. Explore the journey of each product, from conception through to assembly, testing to packaging and finally shipping. Work out if any parts of the journey could be removed or shortened, to reduce the number of miles your products travel before they reach the customer, and therefore their carbon footprint.

 

4. Explore Sustainable Transport Providers

Supply chains revolve around logistics and transport. For larger organizations, this work might be undertaken in-house, but for many businesses, it will be outsourced to external companies. As such, you won’t have control over the efficiency and sustainability practices of your chosen transport provider, but you can explore the market to find a more environmentally minded supplier. Search for a firm that’s at the cutting-edge of the latest developments in the transport and logistics markets, including sustainability. This approach will allow you to find a supplier that can offer you a quality service and increase the sustainability of your supply chain.

 

With the environment a major consideration for many consumers and businesses, now is the best time to proactively explore the ways you can make your supply chain more environmentally friendly. Use this list to find inspiration and start on the road towards creating a sustainable supply chain.