Corporatin Business

o-------------------------------------------------

Top of Form

By incorporating carbon reduction into your overall supply chain management strategy you not only reduce your environmental emissions footprint, but you can strengthen your brand image and develop a competitive advantage. Q Which business processes are more likely to bring energy savings? A All areas of the supply chain present options for becoming more sustainable and managing carbon emissions better: from product design to supply chain planning to logistics and production.

 »  Jump to indexing (document details)

Full Text (804  words) |

Copyright Rogers Publishing Limited Apr 21, 2008

[Headnote] |

[Innovation in Action] |

|

As the planet heats up, so do regulatory mandates to reduce greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Much of the opportunity to address CO2 emissions rests on the supply chain, compelling companies to look for new approaches to manage carbon effectively - from sourcing and production, to distribution and product afterlife. In an interview for Macleans readers, David Stevens, IBM Canada's Supply Chain Management Practice Leader, reveals how your company can start building a green supply chain.

Q More and more companies seem to be seeking more sustainable ways to operate their businesses. How does "supply chain management" fit into this trend?

A I think we're seeing an evolution towards environmental considerations and concerns - not just among the public but within government and corporations across the globe. In many organizations, the supply chain is your key area for reducing carbon emissions.

One third of the organizations that we've surveyed in 2008 say they've already been asked by their trading partners to become much more green in their supply chain so the pressure is building.

Q Can you comment on the cost of a green supply chain? What are the trade-offs?

A The traditional view of the supply chain is that the trade-offs are between cost, service and...