VIP Dinner: The Evolution of the Sustainable Supply Chain | Recap

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of hosting a highly-engaging VIP Dinner in Chicago where we discussed challenges and best practices for increasingly complex supply chain dynamics.

We hosted global executives from companies including Anson Industries, ConAgra, Eli Lilly, Hyatt Hotels, Kennicott Brothers, Kraft Heinz, Mars, Molex, Mondelez, Plenty, Tyson Foods, and UL Ventures.

The discussion kicked off with the big picture question: As we enter the post-pandemic state, what about your supply chain is still keeping you up at night?

During the height of the pandemic, most manufacturing companies did everything they could just to get product on the shelf, which for many included SKU consolidation as a primary strategy, and inevitably myriad stockouts.

Last night, supply chain leaders shared the following as ongoing challenges in their supply chains:

• Mapping supplier risk (beyond Tier 1 suppliers) and enabling predictive sourcing for risk mitigation.
• Achieving supply chain sustainability goals and adherence to emerging ESG standards.
• Collaboration amongst manufacturing companies to drive sustainability goals – even when competitive in nature.
• How to reduce packaging waste and drive the circular economy for CPG/FMCG, among other manufactured products.
• Achieving energy, water, and waste reductions as aligned with long-term Net Zero goals.

My two favorite questions raised during the session are below, and I’d be interested to hear any additional thoughts people may have:

• How have manufacturing companies witnessed tangible ROI (via cost savings and revenue increases) from supply chain sustainability initiatives?
• Are customers truly willing to pay more for sustainable products, or is this just a myth?

Over the past few months, Landmark’s Events Practice has made a thoughtful return to in-person events, and as a result, they have been phenomenally well-attended. The engagement level during these events has been through the roof. We’ll continue to host events around transformational topics in different cities in the coming months. To learn more about our programs as either an attendee or partner, please contact me – [email protected].??