10 things you can do to become a “sustainable” organization

The sustainability efforts of communities, governments, and companies are rising. A large retailer has developed a Sustainability Index. Its goals are to create a more transparent supply chain, drive product innovation and provide customers with information they need to assess products’ sustainability.

This retailer accomplishes these goals by collaborating with their entire supply chain. In order to be a supplier to this retailer, a supplier must comply their Supplier Sustainability Assessment. Here’s an abbreviated version of the survey …

• Have you set greenhouse gas reduction targets?
• Have you set solid waste reduction targets?
• Have you set water use reduction targets?
• Have you established sustainability purchasing guidelines for your direct suppliers that address issues such as environmental compliance, employment practices, and product/ingredient safety?
• Have you obtained 3rd party certifications for any of the products that you sell?
• Do you know the location of 100% of the facilities that produce your products?
• Before beginning a business relationship with a manufacturing facility, do you evaluate their quality of production and capacity for production?
• Do you have a process for managing social compliance at the manufacturing level?
• Do you work with your supply base to resolve issues found during social compliance evaluations and also document specific corrections and improvements?
• Do you invest in community development activities in the markets you source from and/or operate within?

These are ways to make your entire operation more sustainable.