Supply Excellence — CPO Summit: Going Green – A Manufacturer’s Perspective

CPO Summit: Going Green – A Manufacturer’s Perspective

November 14th, 2007 · by Tim Minahan · No Comments · enviro/social sustainability, events, supply management

Guest blogger Andrea Soltysiak has another great report from Aberdeen Group’s CPO Summit — this time on one of my favorite subjects: sustainability. She reports on Material Science’s walk-before-you-run approach to developing a successful sustainability program.
Green supply chain has been a common theme on this blog, so I jumped at the chance to hear Kirk Eberhart, global director of supply chain at Material Sciences, present on the topic.

The difference in Kirk’s presentation versus others I’ve heard is that he has implemented green strategies and has results to show for his procurement efforts; not to mention that Material Sciences manufactures a “quiet” steel to reduce noise pollution. So, not only is a green strategy part of its procurement organization, it’s also part of its product strategy.

Material Sciences’ green strategy is based on the following principles: mitigate pollution, avoid creating waste and eliminate the use of toxic substances. That sounds good, but how do you get started? Kirk’s advice begins by looking internally. For example:

Recycle in the office (reuse printer paper, recycle aluminum cans)
Post avoided cost to show impact (what was your suppliers’ price break when you return used printer cartridges?)
Look at waste fluid products (oils, greases, etc.)

Once these approaches have been deployed, it’s time to take a look at your suppliers. Do you know your suppliers’ feedstock analysis? Production processes? Packaging strategy? Distribution methods?

Next, talk with energy suppliers, look for energy star ratings and understand chemical alternatives. Yes, getting information from suppliers, especially to questions surrounding their eco-friendly practices, may be challenging but you can include these questions in your RFI process (% waste recycled, % raw materials are from recycled materials, ISO 14000 certified, NPDES permit).

One tool that Kirk suggests is signing up for the ICE-Alert, which previous SupplyExcellence posts have mentioned and encouraged.

Do you have other green strategies to share?

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