Greener Supply Chains Become the Norm

For years, companies have tried to squeeze every dime out of their supply chains to improve the bottom line and deliver less-expensive products to their customers. Now, instead of focusing on purely financial improvements, there is great interest in making supply chains greener – especially since customers are demanding it. Most are pressuring their suppliers to reduce their carbon footprints, use less water, and minimize waste that would need to be stored in landfills. Given the importance of data gathering and analysis in the greening of supply chains, it is no surprise that IT and electronics equipment manufacturers have been on the leading edge of this field for years. Today, many are asking their suppliers to provide much more information than ever before. This information is needed to document and improve the sustainability aspects of their large supply chains.