Gauravi Saini of Reclay Steward Edge Inc. made a presentation called “Introduction to Sustainability”.
Gauravi defined Sustainability as “Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” She provided several examples of company sustainability such as being energy renewable, recycling packaging materials, using recycled packaging and reducing carbon emissions all by selected dates.
She talked about sustainability in the supply chain, including providing transparency.
Supply Chain Sustainability should be based on the ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) principles (non-financial variables) including:
- Minimizing the impact of people & the planet, energy savings and reduction of pollutants.
- Reviewing working conditions, relationships with clients & suppliers and human resource management.
- Looking at the appointment & renumeration of executives and having respect for shareholders.
COVID-19 was a key disrupter in supply-demand activities. Supply Chain Management is not inventory management or cost cutting. It is redesigning for efficiency, cutting carbon emissions and increasing resilience. Companies should introduce sustainability by:
- Starting small by educating staff about trends and tools.
- Learning what the big players are doing.
- Looking at consumption of energy, fuel & water.
- Starting the sustainability conversation with first-tier suppliers.
- Measuring your carbon footprint.