Practical strategies to help boost supply chain sustainability

From every pressure point, the demand for supply chain sustainability is on the rise.

Environmental indicators like air quality and waste generation are signaling the need to reduce impact. Governing bodies are driving companies to document and report on sustainability metrics like carbon footprint and product lifecycles. Consumers and businesses are making buying decisions based on a brand’s environmental impact and the availability of sustainable solutions.

To begin to build a more sustainable supply chain that reduces waste and your carbon footprint while balancing costs, start with these strategies and solutions.

3 steps to help improve supply chain sustainability

The traditional supply chain approach emphasizes speed, cost, and reliability. Building a sustainable supply chain prioritizes these critical factors while also keeping environmental and societal issues in mind.

Sustainable supply chains are about balancing every step of the product lifecycle—from material sourcing and transportation to end-of-life options.

Here’s how you can begin to improve your supply chain sustainability.

1. Choose vendors that support your sustainability journey

A survey from McKinsey reveals that value-creating companies choose to collaborate with their partners and vendors on sustainability issues by taking steps to consider sustainability together. These high-performing companies also account for sustainability factors when selecting and evaluating their suppliers.

Seek out vendors that can support your sustainability journey, and then collaborate with you to map out your priorities and clear action plans. The right vendors can help you understand your carbon footprint and evaluate practical solutions to drive greater efficiency through tools and/or special guidance they provide related to sustainability. This will empower your company as it works toward meeting its own sustainability goals.

2. Reuse materials and avoid rework

Reducing waste isn’t only about recycling paper products when they’re no longer useful. The right quality assurance practices can also help reduce waste to improve supply chain sustainability.

Consider color printing as an example. Color inconsistencies or shifting can negatively impact your company’s branding and reputation. When print products don’t meet your standards and can’t be used, color adjustments and reprints are required, which generates waste and rework. To avoid this, select commercial printers that prioritize automation and standardization throughout their networks to ensure strong quality-control practices that can help reduce waste.

In addition, you can improve the lifecycle of your printed materials by investing in high-quality pieces that may be used multiple times and for different purposes: at a tradeshow, at a job fair, and during a sales meeting, for example.

3. Find print options that work for your business—no matter where you are

Working with vendors that can support your printing needs no matter where you are—or they are—can help reduce carbon footprints all around.

When your printing projects are handled and managed online, for example, you can often save time, energy, and resources. Online printing tools allow business professionals to create and customize their projects from home, at the office, on vacation, or on the road. Whenever and wherever they’re needed, the documents can be uploaded and printed on demand.

In addition, consider working with vendors that can commit to sending materials or products to you from their closest distribution center. This can reduce shipping distance, which could decrease emissions and improve sustainability.

How print vendors impact your sustainability initiatives

As you work to build a sustainable supply chain, don’t forget about the impact of your print vendor. The right company can help you move the needle faster on your sustainability initiatives.

To help you reach your goals, seek out a vendor that can provide you with clear, reliable, published data about:

Material origin and recyclability. Print vendors should know where paper materials come from and how they’re produced.
Paper harvesting. Printing on paper that is third-party certified (such as by the Forest Stewardship Council [FSC] or Sustainable Forest Initiative [SFI]) indicates that materials are harvested in an environmentally responsible manner instead of relying on harmful practices.
Paper production. Working with paper mills that align with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) guidance and recommendations can help improve forest management and support forest-positive actions.
Sustainable practices. From reducing energy to using sustainably sourced paper, your print vendor should be playing a part in creating a more sustainable future.
End-of-life options. Work with a print vendor that can offer guidance on what to do with print products like signage, event material, floor and wall graphics, menus, and presentations once you no longer need them. Whenever possible, these choices should include recycling or repurposing instead of adding to the landfill.