Sourcing to Support the Green Initiative

The green or environmental sustainability movement has taken hold throughout the world. Its staying power is confirmed by that fact that environmental emphasis did not decrease during the recent global recession, but rather increased. Organizations see that greater environmental emphasis in their product and service offerings not only helps their image, but also may help reduce inefficiency, waste and corresponding cost. However, since most organizations rely heavily on their supply base for providing components, materials and services that become part of their final products, organizations must revisit their sourcing processes and choices to have a real impact on the environment.

Sourcing to support an organizations green initiatives begins in the conception stage of new product development. Just as organizations consider the features that their products will provide to customers, they should also consider the environmental footprint of their products and services, and design them accordingly. Ideally, an environmentally sound product should be a goal of product design and suppliers should be made aware of that goal up front. Their continued role as a supplier may depend on their ability to meet the criteria set by the developer and they may need to retool for green in order to retain business.

This book begins with an introduction to the idea of sustainability and to the concept of what it means to source to support organizations green initiatives, and why this is important from a holistic, life cycle perspective. The initial chapters will also provide a point of view of how green sourcing fits into the organizations entire portfolio of sustainability initiatives. Examples of industries and associations that lead the way in green sourcing will be presented. In addition, best practices in green sourcing will be discussed. The book also provides a viewpoint on how organizations can encourage and support their suppliers in pursuing green initiatives, and what types of initiatives provide a good starting point. The final chapters of the book will present a view on end-of-life product issues and how they relate to green sourcing, and how the organizations transportation decisions and choices can support green sourcing and the overall goal of the organization to reduce its environmental footprint