SUSTAINABILITY
“ The market is demanding prominence , authenticity and transparency from the supply chain ”
— Suranga Herath , CEO , English Tea Shop
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English Tea Shop ’ s next step in creating shared value across its supply chain involves a partnership with the Soil Association , a certification nonprofit based in Bristol . “ They ’ re leading from the front and we ’ re helping fund their efforts to build a platform ,” says Herath . “ English Tea Shop is one of the pioneer brands that is going to be tested on the model . All our supplies , the entire value chain will be a guinea pig for a process that , hopefully , creates transactional transparency from farm to cup .”
Herath sees the increased transparency in his supply chain as an opportunity to simultaneously operate in a more ethical way and create value for the company . He notes that the rest of the market is taking note . “ The rise of the CPO role , as well as the dramatically increased focus on supply chain management and the entire procure to pay process , has been elevated . And it ’ s in response to market demand , because the market is demanding prominence , authenticity , transparency . That ’ s what ’ s elevated the procurement
JUNE 2019