If you look at the Sustainability Consortium’s Greening Global Supply Chains 2016 Impact Report one way, the current state of reducing environmental impact from global industry appears terrible, at best.
The 2016 impact report includes some essential graphic depictions of the state of supply chain emissions in 12 consumer industries, and if you flip straight to page 26, you might feel discouraged to see all of the red and yellow hues.
Glancing at some of the statistics – more than 60% of emissions are related to consumer goods, with the demand for consumer goods expected to increase by 2.5 billion people in the next few decades, and emerging economies still relying on forced and child labor to compete in the global marketplace –things look dire.
But, if you really dig deeper into this fairly remarkable effort at comprehensively assessing global industry, there is hope.
With such a clear and direct look at exactly what is happening along each supply chain, no industry can hide behind a lack of data or claim that their own impact is insignificant.
Shining a harsh light on the true state of environmental and social responsibility progress, it becomes clear that every step along the supply chain is important, and every small move to reduce impact will add up.
Suppliers, manufacturers, and retailers, and consumers must work together move the bar – and this report demonstrates that everyone has a role and everyone should start to move their own piece.
The Sustainability Consortium recommends that suppliers offer a universal reporting tool to deliver to all customers. Both the purchasing party asking for a top-down report, and the supplier itself delivering a bottom up report, should work together as a team for the ultimate goals of reducing environmental and social impact and delivering sustainable goods.
Companies today being pushed to report on sustainability metrics and make meaningful change because of stakeholder demand should accept this as the new normal. And it’s always better to take control of the process rather than be pushed around. Suppliers and small manufacturers need to get in the driver’s seat and do their part to contribute to a sustainable supply chain instead of resist the change.
Are you a manufacturer or supplier contributing to the supply chain of the consumer goods industry and ready to jump out ahead on sustainability? Contact us for an assessment on how we can put together your sustainability report, keeping your organization ahead of the pack.