We recently moderated a roundtable discussion at the GDS Supply Chain Digital Summit
.
Anouschka Jansen
, QIMA’s Director of Sustainability Solutions led the conversation alongside industry leaders, exploring how organizations are integrating environmental, social, and ethical principles into their supply chain operations. The discussion yielded some stimulating insights about ESG and supply chain management.??
In this month’s newsletter, we will share some insightful challenges and solutions from our roundtable discussion that will hopefully inspire and guide you on your journey towards building sustainable and resilient supply chains.?
The Challenge of Net Zero?
- "You have to think about circularity if you want to become to a net zero company.” ? ?
- "If we shift to net zero, we fundamentally need to redesign how our products are made.” ? ?
- Key takeaway: The transition to net zero presents both challenges and opportunities for supply chain management. There is a need for a shift in the approach from product design and manufacturing. This involves embracing circular economy principles, where waste is minimized, and resources are kept in use for as long as possible.? ?
Decoding ESG?
- "ESG is like an “alphabet soup” …The various acronyms that are used for different legislations for different things, its almost impenetrable to people because it's very difficult to understand the language and making that simple.”? ?
- Key takeaway: Simplifying the complex landscape of ESG, with its multitude of acronyms and legislations, is crucial. It allows for greater engagement, mobilizes action, and enables effective communication with end consumers.? ?
The Trust Gap in ESG Reporting?
- “There’s no set way of articulating ESG impact at the moment, so how do you trust any statement that’s being put out there?” ? ?
- Key takeaway: With the current state of ESG reporting, there is a pressing need for standardized reporting methods to enhance transparency and trust in ESG disclosures.?
The Path Forward: Building an Ecosystem of Collaboration and Collective Impact?
The future of ESG and supply chain management is dynamic and evolving. The quotes shared highlight several key trends:?
- Embracing circularity in product design and engineering?
- Continuously adapting to rapidly changing technology?
- Reducing packaging and rethinking material utilization for cost benefits?
- Considering customer perspectives on sustainability?
- Recognizing that sustainability can be a standard, not just a competitive advantage? ?
- “What I’m measuring might not be perfect or at the quality level I wish it was, BUT we still have some indicators and we keep track of progress made.”? ?
- "Carbon is very well known... upstream downstream scope 123, so we I think people have got a good understanding of that but the other two areas 1) how we can become more circular in terms of how we design and engineer and 2) also how we can take the end of life of the products into our supply chain.”? ?
- "A lot of listening! The temptation is to think we've got the answers when the truth is: no one's really got all the answers, so you've got to listen to what our supply base is saying! What are they doing with their suppliers and then try and formulate that into an active package of work that can help us deliver on our commitments.”? ?
- “Today we put the ESG as a competitive market in order to for the end consumer to say hey buy my product because I have less carbon footprint. But also at one point it needs to be like a standard.”? ?
- “The technology is changing so quickly you don't want to be locked into something for 10 years. They could be obsolete in two years! Your supply base cannot really rest. They’ve got to continuously be adapting and advancing what they're doing.”? ?
- “Through reduced packaging and the different utilization of materials we try to bring us some cost benefits.”? ?
- “It is also a very important criteria for our R&D teams to make sure that whatever new things we are bringing to the market this is more sustainable compared to the previous ones”.?
We hope that you found these perspectives interesting, and they have provided you with valuable insights and ideas to research further.??
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with our experts today to build sustainable and resilient supply chains for the future.?
At QIMA, we offer a wide range of ESG Solutions including:?
