SUSTAINABILITY
M
ultiple factors influence purchasing decisions : cost , convenience and some form of verified status are important , but today ’ s consumers also expect goods that are environmentally friendly .
As a result , organisations are reinventing the way they plan , design and produce products and services , with sustainability now front of mind . Yet sustainable product design can be technically challenging , as businesses seek to straddle the twin demands of sustainability and product quality .
With pressure increasing on businesses to make their operations more climate responsible . Industry bodies now exist to help organisations measure and recalibrate their social and environmental impact . The Sustainable Apparel Coalition and the Sustainable Packaging Coalition are just two among many .
Measuring is important ; a company cannot change what it is unable to measure .
“ Supply chain encompasses design and manufacture , planning , logistics and assets
MARTIN BARKMAN SVP GLOBAL HEAD OF SOLUTION MANAGEMENT , DIGITAL SUPPLY CHAIN , SAP
But once a business has a clear picture of its sustainability goals it then has to achieve these – and that , of course , is the difficult part .
In the context of supply chain , sustainability is most effective when it is designed into the product itself , in the premanufacturing stage , so that a product uses different , or fewer materials , is designed to last longer , be more repairable and more recyclable , when it has reached the end of its useful life .
Firms need help to embed sustainability Clearly , businesses need expert help with this , and German multinational software giant SAP is in the vanguard of organisations who offer tech-driven sustainability solutions that can be embedded at every stage of a product ’ s life – from drawing board to recycling centre .
SAP customers generate 87 % of total global commerce , and its advanced analytics help customers make a difference to both their bottom lines and also the environment .
SAP hard-bakes sustainability into its solutions , so that businesses can think green and behave green , from one end of the supply chain to the other .
“ The supply chain encompasses every part of the process , all
94 October 2023