Friday 8 February 2013

The Impact of Procurement- The good, the bad and the ugly (part two)


Authored by Chloe Hanley

Yesterday we concentrated on the darker side of procurement & supply chains, so today I would like to lift the Strategic Sourcing blog team and reader’s moods prior to the weekend and share with you some positive news stories from our industry. 

Marks and Spencer- Supply Chain Champions

Good old M&S! Not only are they one of the UK’s much loved stores, they are also on track to become “The world’s most sustainable retailer”. In early 2007 they launched the “Plan A Sustainabilty Programme”. This is made up of comprehensive and far-reaching goals to create changes in its global supply chain, to be completed by 2015. The company are working with charities such as Oxfam, Woodland Trust and WWF to name but a few, to help make sure each step of its supply chain is sustainable as possible. With suppliers in 70 countries and 2 million people working for them this is no mean feat and has lead to them winning the GSB Supply Chain Award (Guardian Sustainable Business) in 2012. 

Timberland aim to build a better life for workers families 
Timberland's mission statement is “Our mission is to equip people to make a difference in their world. We do this by creating outstanding products and by trying to make a difference in the communities where we live and work while doing it.” This is an essential part of Timberland's supply chain. Happy workers = sustainable and well made products. Companies can only thrive to massive proportions if the supply chain is strong. What if every multinational company had this outlook? Click here for more
information. 

 
The Public’s awareness of what they put in their mouths 
Although all of yesterday’s stories were extremely negative, I feel the implications of some of these news stories could be positive. I think most of us realise that burgers which retail at under £0.13 each, are probably not a good idea, others may not. High profile companies like Tesco being put under pressure to review their supply chains will hopefully make other companies consider where they are sourcing from. No one wants the humiliation of such a huge media story. I also believe that the more the public know about what they are eating the more pressure will be put on the giants to manage their supply chains and scrutinise each link. It has also meant that the FSA will be under intense scrutiny to oversee and implement the UK’s food safety rules. Hopefully great news for food procurement and the nation’s stomachs!

On a related note, we’re extremely proud to be sponsoring this year’s Procurement Leaders Awards, where we’ll join 800 leading procurement professionals from around the globe to celebrate more good news stories from our industry. It's on 22nd May at the Hilton on Park Lane. We hope to see you there!

No comments:

Post a Comment