Corporate Tends in Greening the Supply Chain: a Macro Perspective

Corporate Tends in Greening the Supply Chain:
A Macro Perspective
March 20, 2013

Introduction When trying to detail trends of greening a supply chain it is imperative to first understand that a supply chain is a network of activities that deliver a finished product or service to the customer. With that said, I find the concept of greening a supply chain very fascinating. The reason I found this concept so interesting has to do with how does one define, at what point and/or what unique initiative greened a supply chain. One may be able to say if I were a supplier would not my efforts to green my own company essentially green my supply to my customer? To take this one step further, (based on our definition) would not Walmart who sells Coke act as a supplier to the customer? Walmart engages in activities (along with Coca-Cola and their suppliers) to deliver a finished product. So then, if Walmart were to green their activities to supply the Coke, they would be making efforts to green their supply chain of that product. Through my search for relevant information there seemed to be an overwhelming sense that the efforts of individual companies contained within the continuum of a supply chain were really what greened the chain. The list of techniques ranged from reducing waste, Leaning processes, changing product design and production, modifying delivery systems and routes, utilizing alternate sources of energy, and managing inventory; to just name a few. Of all the resources describing the activities and benefits related to companies going green, few really provided a good handle on what was driving the trends, to what extent are companies greening their supply chain, and what more can be done? In an effort to address these questions I will provide examples of green efforts and initiatives companies have undertaken to green their activities; however, a macro approach will be used to discuss the corporate trends of greening supply

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