Technology will drive sustainable sourcing
Technology will drive sustainable sourcing
Solving the multifaceted issues in the supply chain requires an all-round approach to fostering digitisation and improving sustainability .
As the first stage of the process , a proactive , integrated , technologydriven , and sustainable sourcing strategy will improve visibility along the supply chain .
This will have transformative logistical and financial benefits , as companies are able to track products from manufacturing to processing to delivery - and therefore can respond as needed , in live-time , to disruptions or delays from the beginning . An integrated and technology-driven sourcing strategy will also foster collaboration between different departments , as individuals explore best practices for sourcing decisions and actions . This includes ethics and logistics , as well as financial considerations .
Many supply chain software companies now provide standardised platforms to ease business solutions . By centralising and streamlining data processing across , as well as within , organisations , supply chain software promises to improve workflow , operations , productivity and sustainability from sourcing to shipping , as well as enriching the customer experience and increasing profits .
Roastery worker standing at pile of sacks with coffee beans . Most coffee is produced on monoculture farms , which reduces biodiversity .
In procurement , will sustainability ever be as ingrained as ‘ cost ’? We need to distinguish between two sustainability dimensions : mandatory requirements and the more consumerled shifts .
Many companies already include compliance requirements , such as no child labour or no toxic materials . These are mandatory , and well-enforced as supplierselection criteria .
Once these requirements have been met , companies can begin to focus on both cost and carbon footprint reduction in the second dimension of sustainability .