Total Supply Chain Sustainability

The need
More than 80% of world trade involves physical elements of a supply chain. The risk to corporate reputation, profit and customer service from unethical or unnecessarily complex or lengthy supply chain links is growing. How can a company ensure that it is sourcing, manufacturing, transporting and storing its products in the most environmentally, ethically and cost-effective manner?

The Weir approach
The Florida Grapefruit story best illustrates our approach:

Picture the simple grapefruit on your breakfast table. Now imagine the complex supply chain which put it there: growers, packers, truckers, dockers, shippers, warehouse pickers, retailers…

• What did it cost to give you a taste of sunshine on a winters morning? In financial terms, probably less than one Euro, but what about other costs?
• How much carbon was emitted to grow, pick, process, package and ship it?
• Was it intensively fertilised – a long-term cost to the productivity of the soil?
• Was everyone along the supply chain paid a fair rate for their efforts?
• Where is the packaging now – including the plastic carrier bag?

If you had to pay for the carbon from your personal ration, or negotiate wages directly with the grower, or dispose of the packaging in your own back garden, how you would organise the supply chain?

Total supply chain Sustainability means going beyond the items in the orange bubble in the illustration by adding the green ones.

(Click here or on the illustration to download a full version of the grapefruit diagram.)

The benefit

• Total Supply Chain Sustainability policy/strategy developed
• Performance management metrics established
• Operational improvement and process redesign
• Training and action plans (with interim management support if required)