Sustainable Supply Chain Management Expanding into Healthcare

Blog by Julie Urlaub, Founder and Managing Partner at Taiga Company
Jul 21, 2010 10:17 AM ET

Taiga Company Blog

The emergence of sustainable supply chain management is proving to be an opportunity for progressive procurement organizations to review processes, materials, and operational concepts from an expanded perspective.  In fact, it is becoming more common for organizations to incorporate the role of the environmental and social responsibility metrics in supply chain value creation.  

Until recently, only the major players like Wal-Mart and IBM have been recognized in the mainstream press for rolling out business sustainability qualification and performance criteria in their supply chains.  This week Kaiser Permanente became the first health care organization to launch a rating system of its own.
 
Expanding sustainable supply chain management, Kaiser Permanente joins other leading companies searching for unique value opportunity in supply chain.  As a sustainability consultant, I am encouraged by this step to bring business sustainability best practices to improve healthcare:
 
•    Align supply chain goals with business sustainability goals.
 
•    Evaluate each product and service supply chain as a single full life-cycle system.
 
•    Leverage a sustainable supply chain as a catalyst for innovation with suppliers and customers
 
•    Focus on source management to deliver responsible high quality supplies.
 
Driven by a wide variety of business sustainability goals and objectives, leading companies around the world are searching for value in greater supply chain efficiency and business sustainability transparency.  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".

 TAIGA7959