2Sustain

Supplier risk is greater than it has been in decades. The current economic downturn, combined with an increasingly complex global business and regulatory environment, has created an atmosphere where most firms are feeling more vulnerable than ever to uncertainty in their supply chains.

Despite this new sense of exposure, however, I continue to see organizations adhering to the same supply chain management practices that they have been using for the past five to seven years. That’s unfortunate. In a volatile economy, outmoded supply chain operations can be disastrous. They can threaten your ability to make tradeoff decisions early enough to avoid problems in managing ‘risky’ suppliers who could impact business performance.

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A variety of factors are converging to make “green” a top business priority, even in this down economy.

For starters, cost-cutting is high on everyone’s agenda right now, and study after study has shown that sustainability initiatives can save money. Of course, “going green” can also save jobs and offer opportunities for innovation. Take a look at sustainable supply chains, for example. Sustainable supply chains that capture value-creation opportunities can provide considerable competitive advantage –they’re an excellent illustration of the direct correlation between sustainability, innovation, and profitability. Once you factor in other significant drivers, such as consumer demand, pending regulations, and concern about climate change and resource depletion, it’s easy to see why companies are embracing sustainability now, more than ever before.

Of course, anytime a company begins down a new path, the initial steps can seem a little daunting. After all, implementing a comprehensive sustainability plan is a complex process. There are bound to be questions and concerns, and naturally, everyone wants to avoid making mistakes.

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Information technology is now a fundamental component of virtually every aspect of business, and that means that IT is also becoming an increasingly significant factor in your company’s overall carbon footprint. Any comprehensive environmental sustainability plan needs to include green IT initiatives, and in fact, some have even called green IT the number one priority for CIOs.

But, what’s the first thing you think of when you hear “green IT?” Do those two words conjure up visions of energy-efficient, cost-saving initiatives – and nothing more?

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Once your company has made a commitment to “go green,” where do you go from there? How do you translate your values into actions and create a sustainability plan that aligns your triple bottom line? Are there certain steps that you should follow to engage and educate your employees on environmental issues?

The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) recently researched issues like these and compiled the findings in a new report titled, "The Engaged Organization: Corporate Employee Environmental Education Survey and Case Study Findings (March 2009)." 

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Andrew Winston, president of Winston Eco-Strategies and co-author with Daniel C. Esty of Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage, is not one to mince words.

In his article yesterday at Industry Week, Winston states, quite simply:  

“Delaying action on sustainability plans may be the absolute wrong thing to do for your business.”

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