Last week I shared energy conservation and sustainability approaches from some of the marquee supply management organizations presenting at Empower 2007. I’m happy to report that Purchasing magazine has picked up on the sage sustainability approaches of one of these panelists in a recent article, Sustainability Efforts Boost Procurement Status, Value.

The article centers on practices supply chain veteran and consultant Wesley Gibson, managing partner of VMG Consulting, has used with his roster of large- and mid-size enterprise clients. The article states quotes Gibson as saying that CEOs are very interested in sustainability due to the potential for cost savings. “For example, the right strategies could result in 20-25% reductions in electricity usage,” said Gibson.

The article goes on to highlight Gibson advice to leverage sustainability to elevate the strategic role of the supply management function. “All you have to do is look at a balance sheet to see where the company is spending large sums of money,” such as energy and waste.

I encourage you to read Purchasing’s article to identify ways in which you can leverage sustainability to drive savings and performance improvements — and increase your strategic role — within your own organizations.