In last week's post about greening the supply chain, I referenced an article that suggested starting with overseas suppliers (specifically those in China) to increase the supply chain's energy efficiency. The article also discusses how Walmart has established a supplier energy efficient program in China, where the company has set a target of improving the energy efficiency of 200 factories by 20 percent over the next three years.
Today I found a bit more info on setting up a sustainability program such as Walmart's. This article from Logistics Management explains that the benefits go beyond being good environmental citizens:
"Shoppers are looking for a good deal, but they also expect transparency," she said. "They want to know that retailers are sensitive to global warming and other threats to future generations."
Regina Edwards, director, supply chain compliance, for MeadWestvaco, concurred, stating that shippers were asking for "green" metrics placed on suppliers.
"Given the fact that we are so diversified and global, our leadership realized that we had to develop a principal code of conduct for suppliers that included more than just basic compliance," she said.
It would not surprise me if, before long, going green becomes standard operating procedure, rather than something companies implement when they can.
