Eight Transformative Steps for Supply Chain Sustainability

This is an excerpt of the original article. It was written for the March-April 2014 edition of Supply Chain Management Review. The full article is available to current subscribers.

March-April 2014

Retailers and distributors alike have attempted to solve their inventory challenges by using forecasting tools to determine what to buy and when to buy it. A better approach is to change the flow of inventory by reducing cycle times, more effective inventory positioning, and synchronizing supply chains based on the variability of demand.

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During the past eight years, I have studied and helped companies move down the path to supply chain sustainability. The supply chain process for any company transforming to sustainability is one that evolves over time and has to work within the existing corporate operational structure. This transformation is not easy and requires financial justification for many of the proposed sustainability changes.

The biggest obstacle many supply chain leaders face is providing a favorable return on investment (ROI). In today’s world, corporations and organizations are still incentivized with making an organization as profitable and as efficient as possible. This is the basis of corporate success and the rules to which we must adhere in order to change our supply chains. Thankfully, many companies have seen a favorable ROI when working on supply chain sustainability projects. The goal for many supply chain change agents is to prove that sustainability will reduce costs and help the environment. Many companies and organizations are already moving down this path. But how do you do it? What steps should an organization take to transform its supply chain in order to successfully walk the path of supply chain sustainability?

Based on my research at the Whitman School of Management and consultations with organizations, there are a number of supply chain issues business will contend with in the coming years along with eight steps companies can take to successfully walk toward supply chain sustainability.

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