Supply chains and sustainability

Article tags Supply chainsSustainability

Last week, Corporate Network hosted a virtual briefing on supply chains and sustainability. This session is part of our new programme, CSCO Foresight, designed for Chief Supply Chain Officers and senior professionals with supply chain roles from companies within The Economist Intelligence Corporate Network and sponsored by Accenture.

We were joined by Vivek Luthra – Managing Director, Strategy & Consulting – Supply Chain & Operations Lead, Growth Markets, Accenture; Miranda Carr – Executive Director, ESG Research at MSCI and Graham Major-Ex – Head of Green Business at Sennder, who shared their experience and insights on the increasing importance of sustainability – and ESG goals in general – on supply chains. Below are some of the key takeaways that we have summarised after the discussion:

• Resilience is a top priority for supply chain directors, and nothing would make supply chains more resilient than decarbonisation. In the end, a decarbonised supply chain runs at lower cost, which is a financial incentive in itself on top of ESG goals.
• Renewable energies and advanced fuels are steadily being integrated into manufacturing and road freight. Sea freight lags behind and will continue to rely on fossil fuels for the foreseeable future. However, hydrogen has shown positive initial results as an alternative clean fuel in maritime transport.
• Consumers are ever more conscious of ESG standards and practices, looking beyond finished goods’ brands and into the earlier stages of production. As modern information technology and communications increase corporate transparency, decision makers are conscious of the risks of letting their guard down regarding sustainability.

Sat, 23rd Jul 2022 Article tags Supply chainsSustainability