Sustainability is now on your agenda

Sitting here in California, I am concerned about:

Wildfires raging all over the West, especially in our redwood forests,

The floods in Kentucky and the other parts of the Midwest, and

Heat waves scorching the East Coast.

These events are evidence of global warming and a reminder that the sustainability of our planet is now a real emergency. There is not one simple solution.

As supply chain professionals, we now have the additional responsibility of enforcing sustainability and circularity throughout our supply chains – with suppliers and service providers. Now is the time to step up and become part of the solution.

Some companies have gone so far as to add environmental performance metrics to all employees’ annual reviews, driving the idea that everyone is responsible for saving our planet. Just having a recycle bin in our conference rooms is no longer enough. It’s time to step up and get creative.

Environmental initiatives of all kinds can be started anywhere in your organization - it doesn’t have to come from the C-suite. The enthusiasm for creating a sustainable company must also spread to suppliers and logistics providers, magnifying the effect significantly.

Supply chain professionals should include environmental programs as a top criterion for the selection of suppliers and logistics providers. To gain or retain your business, logistics providers such as truckers and warehouses must have sustainability programs in place and strategic plans for a reduction in carbon emissions.

Sustainability and circularity are no longer nice-to-haves in global supply chains. We are in an emergency situation. Now these initiatives are critical.

Setting an example

A good example of circularity is Andela Products and Ruby Lake Glass in Richfield Springs, New York. Andela Products makes glass crushing and pulverizing machinery for the recycling industry. But that’s not all. Andela’s sister company, Ruby Lake Glass, takes recycled glass sand and coats it with a pigmentation to produce colored glass aggregate that is used to mark bike lanes in roadways, landscaping, and even playgrounds.

In a recent Frictionless Supply Chain podcast Cyndy Andela, owner of Andela Glass, had some advice for us in developing our own sustainability and circularity programs:

Think outside the bottle – get creative in ways to work with suppliers on new programs. Try new things.

Consider combining multiple waste streams for new or reusable products. Partner with other departments in your company to find ways of combining efforts to minimize waste and your carbon footprint.

Saving our planet is no longer an option. We all must take responsibility and work together to reverse the damage we have done to the earth.

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