Your supply chain needs to clean up its act. With the way the political climate is going, government after government will be stepping in and enforcing change on the environment and human rights front in ways it has never before done.
The UK government’s labor party has already agreed that a climate emergency must be put in place, and that new rules, regulations, and investments should be put into a greener economy.
This stance was taken after months of campaigning and protesting around the world and especially in the capital. Companies need to take note because the only way to get out on top, save money, and become a big player is to take up the challenge before you are legally required to act.
It can be hard to improve the impact of your supply chain, especially if your suppliers and partners are less than forthright with their own business models.
You need to audit them and work hard on improving your own operations. Offset the costs of doing this by improving your supply chain’s efficiency, and you have a winning business model others will love to copy:
Improve Your Workshop
The first step is to improve your own workshop.
1. Make It Clean
Deep clean your workshop. It should be free of dust, but it should also be free of rust and free of debris. You want it sparkling. While you are at it, you will also want to service all your machines so that they work faster than they have done in years.
2. Make it Organized
There are many ways you can improve the organization of your workshop or manufacturing floor. For items that are used regularly, consider investing in a shadow board. These boards have cut-outs where tools go so that they are safely and properly stowed away every single time. You will also want to label where everything is and even consider creating a digital tool so that newcomers can find even the smallest of items.
3. Ask Your Employees
When improving the organization and efficiency of your work floor, you will want to ask your employees. They are on the front line, so to speak, and will know what is needed most.
Use Recyclable or Reusable Materials
We have drowned ourselves in plastic, and while the material is certainly not going to go away, it can be recaptured for a better purpose.
Rally the community up to clean up the beaches in your area and then use the plastic in your own production. Rescue plastics from being burned and releasing emissions in the air.
Keep what you don’t immediately need to use tied together safely with bale ties. Do whatever it takes to use recyclable materials in a new way.
If you can, try to design your products so that they can be dissembled and reused or composted in the future. Make your supply chain into a closed loop and your budget for raw materials will plummet.
Work Closely with Your Supply Chain Partners
In order to really see an improvement to your bottom line and efficiency, you will need to work closely with your supply chain partners.
Far too often corners are cut for the sake of efficiency, but this then either violates environmental or human resource rights. By working together, you can find a way to reach a happy balance that is sustainable and perpetual.
