CHAiNA’s recent article Green or Green Washed? 7 Lessons in Green Supply Chain Management offers some excellent insights into how firms can approach greening their supply chain.
Lesson 1: In the financial downturn, more than ever it’s all about the bottom line.
Lesson 2: Risk-prevention is a motivator
Lesson 3: Greenwashing is prevalent.
Lesson 4: Transparency is key
Lesson 5: The system of accountability doesn’t work.
Lesson 6: Green is a smart long-term solution
Lesson 7: But in the end it has to pay to go green.
Smart lessons for managers to pay attention to, why I believe it is important for managers to begin grasping the lessons above is that we can certainly green the supply of energy through solar panels, or capture the brown through carbon sequestration, but before seeing those as solutions we need to begin addressing the fact that there are steps that can be taken to reduce the demand on resources well before a firm straps solar panels on the roof.
I highly suggest anyone involved with the design, manufacturing, and delivery of goods take the time to review the lessons and spend 5 minutes with each to see where their firm fits… or ways that it can change.