Supply chain sustainability: 5 ways to make business green

With the growing environmental concerns worldwide, it has become imperative for several businesses related to supply chains to rethink operational ways and introduce the concept of sustainability. However, it doesn’t seem as easy as it sounds. If a business wants to implement sustainability in its supply chain, it must introduce changes and modifications at every level, whether in integration or transportation.

So, the best way to ensure supply chain sustainability is to make it green. GSCM, or green supply chain management, is a process where every single operation related to the business can be transformed to improve the environment. It can involve reducing waste generation, carbon footprint, recycling or upscaling of products, and so on. In this following article, we have introduced five different ways in which you can ensure the green supply chain is sustainable and future-proof.

Green purchase

Every supply chain business has to buy a certain volume of raw materials or base products from a supplier. Green purchase means associating with a supplier that offers environmentally sustainable products. For example, suppose you have a furniture manufacturing or distributing business.

In that case, you can collaborate with a bamboo supplier because bamboo is both environmentally sustainable, cheap, and readily available. Similarly, when you buy lumber from a supplier who sources wood from the hemp farm, you take one step towards a green purchase because hemp plants can grow faster and don’t alter the soil conditions.

Green Manufacturing

Green manufacturing involves reducing nonrenewable resources like fuel for manufacturing purposes. Similarly, taking appropriate steps to reduce pollution and release harmful elements into the environment also help establish a green manufacturing business.

Since it needs to be implemented at a large scale and there might be several challenges to shifting towards a new manufacturing method, going for ESG consulting services will help you a lot. These professionals understand how manufacturing processes can be changed to introduce environmental sustainability while maintaining governance within the business.

Green packaging

Another way supply chain sustainability can be introduced through green packaging. Instead of using new boxes or packets to transport the raw materials from supplier to manufacturer or from the manufacturer to the end customers, businesses can use reused or recycled materials.

For instance, boxes made from waste cardboard, paper, and wood laminates can reduce the use of new elements. This can also help discard plastic as a packaging element in several industries.

Green warehousing

From getting new warehouse machine items to incorporating strategies for lowering CO2 emissions, there are many ways in which you can make the warehousing practices eco-friendlier and sustainable. This will reduce your business’s carbon footprint, and a significant amount will lower the environmental impact.

Green Transportation

Last but not least, green transportation is the final method you can incorporate to make your supply chain green. Instead of regular vehicles, one can use electric vehicles since they do not run on nonrenewable fuel. Similarly, consolidation of products and goods at the time of shipment can reduce the number of cycles of air freight. Therefore, less fuel consumption will help you to establish a green supply chain that will be sustainable and much better for the environment.

Conclusion

In this article, we have walked you through the five ways in which you can make your supply chain green and establish the best sustainable practices. Sometimes, incorporating these practices with your existing supply chain business can become quite complicated and increase room for errors. For this, you can opt for ESG consulting that will help you to understand the relationships between environment, governance, and sustainability and find the right solutions for your business.