The Leading Role of Sustainability in Supply Chain Design

Blog by Julie Urlaub, Founder and Managing Partner at Taiga Company
Aug 11, 2010 10:31 AM ET

Taiga Company Blog

Increasingly, businesses around the world are beginning to recognize the value of sustainable supply chain management, often citing cost and risk reduction opportunities.  Companies such as IBM and Wal-Mart are tapping into the value of redesign.  In addition, start-up organizations and newly formed supply chains also realize that working the front end design can have an even greater impact. 

With a majority of cost typically locked up in initial design, up to 90% in some extreme cases, the ability to engage the supply based early in the design process becomes critical to the long-term sustainability.  Early supplier involvement is becoming an even more important business sustainability discussion.  In working with procurement organizations in our sustainability consulting, we often ask: who better than your supplier to identify:   •    What is the range of options? •    How could it be sourced? •    What will be the environmental and social impacts of design choices? •    What processes will be used to develop one option versus another? •    What will be the ultimate energy requirements and waste?   Pursuing business sustainability, by definition, requires organizations to be aware of the dynamic relationship with their stakeholders. Click here to continue reading.  

Home to one third of the earth's trees, the Taiga is the largest land-based biosphere and encircles the globe. Its immense oxygen production literally changes the atmosphere and refreshes the planet. It is this continuous renewal that has shaped Taiga Company's vision to drive similar change in the business world. Taiga Company seeks to be the "oxygen for your business".



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