Sustainability is an oft-quoted but highly contested concept. Brundtland’s definition of sustainable development, being that which ‘meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’, forms the basis of most contemporary applications of the term. This paper uses a case study of a French 2008 start-up corporation to demonstrate how the concept of sustainability, applied throughout modern supply chains, has become a new business platform that created a competitive advantage for the platform innovator and supply chain stakeholders alike.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Centre for Transportation and Logistics argues that in recent times, precious few innovations in
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‘EcoVadis’ established a business model that has the objective of ‘becoming a trusted partner of procurement organizations aiming at implementing sustainable supply management practices’. In doing so, EcoVadis confidently established its competitive advantage by uniting the broad social concern (and hence value placed upon) sustainability in all aspects of supply chains with rapidly evolving consumer and industry demands. EcoVadis was co-founded by Pierre-François Thaler, an electrical engineer with experience in purchasing. The firm provides a particular service that allows large organisations to assess the environmental and social performance of their suppliers. This supply chain analysis, verification and certification service, is the product that EcoVadis sells.
Understanding the role of sustainability in modern supply chains requires consideration of fundamental business models such as the Urbany & Davis model (2011 ) (see Figure 1). Figure 1 – the Urbany & Davis (2011) Three Circles analysis framework.
The three circles framework, drawing on the mathematical graphic concept established by John Venn (1834–1923), helpfully defines where the competitive advantage resides. The points of parity (at B) are common between competitors within the same market. The platform has points of parity, which are similar to some other platforms in this industry. The platform offers
When talking about sustainability numerous people associate it with just protecting the environment. Sustainability is far more than going green, but it is a principle that many companies have adopted and have worked persistently to improve over the last several years. Sustainability is defined as the ability to continue a behavior indeterminately, but it also includes improving human life overall. Sustainable development is broken down into three pillars: economic, social, and environmental (Harich & Bangerter, 2014). Economics is the study of how people use resources, which correlates to the goal of sustainable development by using resources to their full potential (Laszlo, C., & Zhexembayeva, N., 2011, p. 60). Economic sustainable development allows companies to give their customers what they want without overusing mutual resources. Social development combines the social world with the physical realm to provide a good quality of life (Benoit, 2010, p. 7). Social sustainability focuses on the well-being of people and their communities. Environmental development, the most recognizable, includes protecting the environment by reducing pollution, recycling, switching of electronic devices when not in use, etc. All three of these pillars make up what is known as sustainable development. In this paper, I researched a company and their involvement in sustainability and how it applies to the
Bertrand Piccard quotes, “In the 21st century, the heroes will be the people who will improve the quality of life, fight poverty and introduce more sustainability. This is a powerful message, it sums up the concepts discussed throughout the course. Additionally, the case studies such as the New Belgium Brewery, SC Johnson and The Kimberly Clarke organization have been proven to practice this philosophy. As society progresses in its efforts to provide a more sustainable future, there is a fundamental foundation of principles that must be followed to ensure success. Sustainable business development takes into account the application of business operations as it relates to the three pillars of sustainability, which is a dynamic yet integrative place to begin this journey. DesJardins, (2006) calls for a re-imagination of the future to create a vibrant sustainable model; which forms similar beliefs to Piccard. In addition, organizations are more inclined to create sustainable practices based on consumer demand and the willingness of leadership to participate in sustainability programs.
Kohl’s Department Stores has expanded its commitment to supply chain sustainability in 2012 to include analysis of 50 private brand vendors, as well as the company’s top 325 national brand vendors, which represents approximately 90 percent of the company’s merchandise spend. The company also surveyed 38 non-merchandise business partners in the areas of transportation and consumables, according to its newly released 2012 corporate social responsibility report. Kohl’s leverages these scores in key areas of sustainability to foster consistent dialogue and education and to help vendors establish their own programs and commitments.
The purpose of this paper is to illustrate three technology opportunities associated with the transportation and logistics industry. With today’s constantly evolving business environment, consumers are placing demand on businesses of all industries, and they want products and services faster, with more added value, and delivered immediately. Nevertheless, customers are smarter by requiring more quality, innovation, and choice, and at the same time wanting to spend less money and effort. Consequently, every transportation business has to remain highly competitive in researching and developing innovative cost-cutting techniques in order to save money.
The project plan is to import sustainable goods with an alternative supply chain. As a logistic coordinator at Eileen Fisher, I
Cooperated with partners and leaders in the field of supply chains and transport, the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Future of Logistics and Transportation started to conduct research on the supply chain. The report “Beyond Supply Chains Empowering Responsible Value Chains” analyses the impact that supply chain practices has brought to business, society and environment, and explores the issue how shared value can be made through better supply chain decisions. The report identifies “a set of 31 proven supply chain practices which provide companies with a blueprint of where they can gain both commercial and socio-environmental advantage (both environment and local economic development)—driving a triple advantage” (). In addition, the report “provides a framework for evaluating the potential value at stake behind each of these practices, and an implementation framework for
Sustainable Supply Chain – working with and influencing suppliers to manage and reduce the environmental and social impacts of their operations and of the products and services they provide to Telstra.
The availability of the sustainability product is important for WML if they would like the customer to purchase their new product lines (Joshi & Rahman 2015).
The main purposes of this talk are to share a powerful vision for sustainable commerce and business logics of sustainability.
Companies around the world are focussing on incorporating sustainability policy and practices in their supply chain (Ageron et al, 2011). The topic of sustainability has been of great interest for the last decade and businesses have adopted a certain level of commitment towards sustainability practices (Hassini et al, 2012), yet some business tycoons suffer in developing an effective supply chain model.
Climate change is also now widely accepted to be due to the carbon dioxide and greenhouse gasses produced when burning fossil fuels which we have come to rely upon for most of our world wide power.
Chris Laszlo and Nadya Zhexembayeva, authors of the book Embedded Sustainability The Next Big Competitive Advantage is an excellent and compelling guide to educate businesses worldwide. The authors cleverly combine sustainability and strategy, now and in the future while maintaining that competitive advantage. They illustrate how to be successful in the 21st-century and that corporations will have the capability to embed sustainability in their everyday agenda. For any business that wants to profit and maintain growth, embedded sustainability is essential. This strategy will help keep a competitive edge on concepts that will help future leaders with the upcoming strategies. These are distinct but interconnected trends that fall
(1) The supply chain managers should address the sustainability issues and should look at the entire supply
Amazon is the big online shopping conglomerate we know today, which is known for their presence in the online shopping scene. They started with Jeff Bezos’ leadership, growing to where they are today. Amazon is a powerful company, however it is not without its problems. The company’s problems regard its strategies with growth, compared to Patagonia, leading them towards unsustainable results (LMPGS). To bring forth my proposal, I will talk about the narrative of Amazon’s start. Also, the definition of sustainability and why it’s relevant to the proposal at hand. Thirdly, a counter-argument will be brought forth on a practice used by companies that counteract sustainability. The proposal to change practices, such as the waste of packages, and the communication with suppliers. Amazon could be made more sustainable by studying other, less growth-oriented companies.
Supply chain sustainability is increasingly recognized as a key component of corporate responsibility. Managing the social, environmental and economic impacts of supply chains, and combating corruption, makes good business sense as well as being