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Our firm's mission is to help companies throughout the product supply chain create environmentally-sustainable businesses. Our consulting services include: creating enterprise-level environmental sustainability visions, goals and strategies; re-engineering internal processes to reflect environmentally-sustainable best practices; and maximizing the environmental sustainability of product supply chains through the design and implentation of supplier assessment mechanisms.
We are particularly interested in working with small- and medium-sized enterprises. We work nationwide in a variety of industries. We are extremely sensitive to clients' budgets and their capacity for change.
Whether it's an energy, water, chemicals or solid waste issue, our team of professionals is ready to help your business. Please contact us to learn how we can help you.
Call 212-343-1006 today.
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Greetings!
This Newsletter provides valuable information on the relationship between business and environmental sustainability, one of the hottest topics in business today. This month's Feature Article is on the unique and important role that the supply chain manager plays in advancing a company's sustainability agenda. We've also included tips on how to apply this immediately to your company.
Happy reading! |
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Announcements: Website and Blog | Kuhn Associates Management Advisors continues to update its website, www.kuhnassociatesllc.com. Among recent additions, the site now includes a blog, with news and articles on the most important issues in sustainable business. |
| Feature Article: The Supply Chain Manager's Sustainability Role
| Any company wishing to market sustainable products or publicize sustainability changes to existing products will face a number of potential challenges.
First, different buyers may respond differently to sustainability claims.
Another challenge: for many people, a phrase like 'sustainable' doesn't yet have a definite meaning, and they may be unsure what, in practice, makes a product 'sustainable'.
A third issue is that many effective sustainability improvements that a company could make aren't immediately marketable.
These are the sorts of problems that any company entering the green arena will face. The supply chain manager is one of the professionals in an organization best suited for addressing these difficulties. This position has a unique role in a firm's sustainability efforts.
First of all, with an understanding of the supply chain and the various suppliers that make it up, the supply chain manager is best positioned to
understand the capabilities and attributes of each source. Interestingly, this makes the supply professional
invaluable to their company's marketing team - for instance, for providing guidance on which sustainability-related changes are most likely to be feasible and at what cost.
Related to this, supply chain professional is also likely to have a powerful grasp of the more
subtle points of a sustainable supply chain. Such points might include the business
practices of particular suppliers, or reasons to prefer one component to another. A marketer may only consider sustainability as it visibly impacts the final product; by contrast, the supply chain manager can give an informed view of the broader sustainability picture.
Lastly, where understandings of terms like 'sustainability' are not
consistent throughout the company, the supply chain manager, with
up-to-date knowledge of sourcing etc., is an important source of information on what is feasible, what has already been achieved, and on what can be attained in terms of sustainability for a particular product.
The supply professional is not, of course, the only one in the company with a privileged
understanding of a product's sustainability. The product's designers,
for instance, may be able to make significant changes to packaging,
energy efficiency, and a host of other factors, and will be another inside authority on sustainability that should be made available to others, including marketing.
Nonetheless, supply chain managers play a key role. Effectively
utilizing their knowledge is key for companies wanting to successfully
market their products' sustainability.
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Ideas You Can Use Now! |
We've talked above about the unique role that supply chain managers have to play in a company's sustainability operations. Here are some tips for making the most out of this opportunity:
- Make sure the your communications with marketing and other departments are as clear as possible.
- For instance, consider creating and distributing a frequently asked questions (FAQ) sheet, detailing the general policies and practices of purchasing related to sustainability.
- Include a glossary in this document, to help fix the meaning of commonly-used terms and avoid confusion.
- Be sure to include purchasing department contact information, letting other departments know who to talk to for questions and clarifications.
- In your regular communications with other departments, make sure that changes that relate to sustainability are clearly flagged.
- For these communications, as well, be sure to include contact details. It's a good idea to designate one person and a backup to make sure that questions get answered uniformly and efficiently.
Think about the specific situation of your company, the constitution of its supply chain and the way different departments communicate. Then, use these tips to best perform the supply chain professional's special role in sustainability.
Any comments or questions on the role of supply chain professionals? Feel free to contact us at info@kuhnassociatesllc.com.
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Calendar of Events |
With the recent slump receding a little, there are more and more sustainability events on the horizon. We've picked out some of the most interesting ones coming up soon:
February 26-28, Baltimore, MD... The Green Earth Expo will have over 300 exhibit booths covering all areas of green business and living, from alternative fuels and energy to green building and supply chain practices. Visit the website here. March 18-19, New York, NY... The ninth annual Ethical Sourcing Forum should be of interest to supply chain professionals looking to make their processes more sustainable. More details here.
March 23-25, Vancouver, BC... One of the biggest events of its kind around, Globe 2010 is an international gathering of more than 10,000 professionals. For us, highlights should include their sessions on corporate sustainability innovation. Official site here.
April 24, Dallas, TX... Organized by Greenergy 2030, GreenCamp is a collaborative event bringing together professionals and thought leaders from across business. The focus is on green job creation and on helping existing organizations meet new sustainability challenges. More info here.
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Thanks for reading! Please contact us today to discuss anything you've read here, suggest a topic for a future edition or learn how we can help you build a more sustainable business.
Call 212-343-1006 or email us at info@kuhnassociatesllc.com for more information.
Sincerely,
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