Think sustainability is slowing down because of economic tough times? Think again. For many businesses, sustainability is still going strong, despite what some skeptics predicted. If you’re curious as to why, I suggest you take a look at Brendan May’s most recent short article at Climate Change Corp.
How can you distinguish a sports fan from a true procurement pro? Easy. Take the person in question aside today and mention one word: “Accenture.” The sports fan will start rattling off details about Tiger Woods’ triumphant comeback in yesterday’s first round of the World Golf Championships (WGCs)-Accenture Match Play Championship. The true procurement pro, on the other hand, will reply with something like, “Accenture? Sure, they’re in the news. They just published a report on balancing cost, customer service, and sustainability to achieve a high-performance supply chain.”
I’m guessing you know how I would respond.
Remember my post about the Ceres report that analyzed climate change governance practices among leading consumer-facing corporations? Ceres found that the travel and leisure industry was a poor-performer in their analysis, scoring only 27 out of a possible 100 points and sitting next-to-last among 11 sectors surveyed. Ever since I read that report, I’ve been especially keen to hear about sustainability initiatives in travel and leisure. (These companies will have to “tune in” to this issue sometime soon, won’t they?) As it happens, over the past few days, I’ve run across some encouraging news from this sector.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about how UPS is greening its Windward data center to save money, improve efficiencies, and achieve environmental goals. Now, there’s word that Highmark, the largest health care insurer in Pennsylvania, is doing the same.
Is it another one of those Mondays when you’re starting the week looking for ways to cut costs? If so, then it’s time for your company to consider sustainable packaging initiatives. For proof, take a look at Ryan Humphrey’s article “Sustainable Packaging Initiatives Are a Viable Cost-Reduction Solution in a Downward Economy,” published a few days ago at IndustryWeek.com.
