Environmental How-To's from Walmart: Tapping the Supply Chain

Every January, millions of Americans unveil a brand new list of their New Year’s Resolutions. Gyms are packed and purchases of healthy food shoot up dramatically. At least in January. As time goes on, more and more people begin to give up on their goals and things revert back to normal, more or less.

I think a major cause of this annual phenomenon is that people tend to overemphasize bold, herculean goals over changes in lifestyle that, while less flashy, can make just as significant of an impact. How many more people would be successful in becoming healthier if they made a goal of reducing the amount of sugary foods they eat rather than pledging to lose 40 lbs.?

Similarly, a lot of attention is paid to companies that make ambitious, unprecedented goals around their environmental impacts. While such initiatives are certainly important, this tends to lead to an underappreciation of other strategies companies take that can have just as much of an affect on a company’s footprint.  

Often, these strategies revolve around a company’s internal operations. By examining a company’s supply chain, energy use, and employee buy-in through a new light, significant savings can be found.

When a company like Walmart decides to incorporate rigorous environmental standards into its supply chain, the positive environmental effect can be enormous.

For example, when a large, multi-national company like Walmart decides to incorporate rigorous environmental standards into its supply chain, the positive environmental effect can be enormous, often reverberating through thousands of smaller suppliers.

BCLC will be hosting a series of webinars in the first quarter of 2013 aimed at showcasing such best practices in internal operations and ensuring that every company has the opportunity to be as efficient and productive as possible.

The webinars will focus on practical ways that companies can lower their environmental costs, save money, and better integrate sustainability into their company principles today.

The first webinar in the series, featuring Jeff Rice, the Senior Director of Sustainability at Walmart, will focus on ways that companies can find ways to cut costs and emissions through their supply chains. It will be on January 28^th from 3:00 – 4:00 EST. To sign up, please register here.

On January 28, Jeff Rice, Senior Director of Sustainability at Walmart, will focus on ways that companies can find ways to cut costs and emissions through their supply chains.