Managing Risk with Sustainable Supply Chain Management

Blog by Julie Urlaub, Founder and Managing Partner at Taiga Company
Mar 17, 2011 11:38 AM ET

Taiga Company blog by Julie Urlaub, Founder and Managing Partner at Taiga Compa…

Sourcing many of it parts from various countries around the world, Ford Motor Company has come under recent criticism for its parts supply originating from China.  Following a safety incident involving a part destined for Ford’s Michigan plant, Yuwei Plastics and Hardware Product Co. has been further investigated to reveal that it dramatically overworks and underpays its workers.  With local criticism falling on Ford, the responsibility lies with the company’s sourcing practices and visibility to on-going procurement.

Seen a as significant area of improvement in a rapid increasing global economy, socially responsible sourcing is an on-going effort to increased transparency into process that extend beyond the walls of a company and the borders of any one country.  As an important part of a growing movement towards sustainable supply chain management, companies like Ford are experiencing first hand the impacts of the human rights issues that reside within their global supply chain operations.    Beyond business sustainability strategies to simply mitigate risk, supply chain leaders are taking defined action within the supply chain to drive mutually beneficial change.  The new generation of sustainable supply chain management is defining the value in an elevated level of responsibility across all sourcing and procurement activities.  This requires visibility, engagement, and stakeholder alignment to address global supply questions: click here to learn more about sustainable supply chain.
 

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".