Integrating sustainability into core business models is key to reducing global emissions, supply chain experts said at the Toronto Supply Chain Meetup this week.
On Monday, industry leaders in the supply chain met to discuss issues facing the supply chain. With supply chains responsible for 60 percent of global emissions, putting sustainability into the overall business model is critical to success in reducing emissions, the experts said. Additionally, steps like using data-driven traceability and optimizing routes for efficiency can expand successes, they said.
“We’re in the age of sustainability. It’s critical we come together to discuss challenges and successes within supply chain sustainability,” panel participant Lauren Beerman, Corporate Sustainability Manager at Gay Lea Foods, said.
Members of the panel also emphasized the need for leaders in the industry to focus on quick wins in order to show their companies’ leaders tangible progress toward supply chain sustainability goals. Emerging technology for measuring carbon and waste reduction can help organizations automatically measure progress and improve sustainability practices, officials said.
The Toronto Supply Chain Meet-Up is a subsidiary of the Worldwide Supply Chain Federation and aims to foster a community of supply chain enthusiasts to exchange knowledge, information and insights about trends and changes in the industry.
The organization’s panel, “Driving Sustainable Innovation in Supply Chain” featured Beerman, as well as Dr. Alauddin Ahmed, CEO and Founder of ValueInfinity, Inc.; Amy Charette, Senior Consultant and Program Manager at The Poirier Group; and Chris Jarvis, COO of Go Bolt. The panel’s goal was to expand on the challenges and successes of implementing sustainable practices in the supply chain.