IBM is offering a service that is designed to help businesses and
government agencies ensure that their suppliers are green and ethical.
The IBM Sustainable Procurement consulting service,
announced April 9, will work with customers to develop
guidelines for suppliers on everything from environmental friendliness
to labor practices to safety. It will touch on supplies, materials,
ingredients, components, finished goods and services bought by the
businesses, according to IBM officials.
The service also will help businesses develop ways to measure supplier compliance with those guidelines.
IBM officials said having such guidelines in place can help
businesses not only be environmentally friendly, but also more
efficient.
"Driving sustainability practices through a global supply chain
provides the biggest opportunity for companies and government agencies
to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact on a large
scale," Eric Riddleberger, IBM's business strategy consulting global
leader, said in a statement. "It creates a domino effect, helping all
supply chain partners become greener, more efficient and economical,
and improving their contributions to the communities and countries they
operate in."
Riddleberger also heads up IBM's corporate social responsibility consulting efforts.
IBM officials said that with global supply chains that have
thousands of suppliers around the world, issues can arrive around such
issues as hazardous materials, unsafe working conditions and poor
components. Having comprehensive guidelines can reduce those problems,
IBM officials said.
Greenhouse gas emissions are an example, they said. IBM estimated
that 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions related to the supply chain
come from operations out of the business. Having guidelines, and
ways to monitor compliance, can reduce those emissions.
IBM officials said being more responsible can also be good for
business, enabling a company to differentiate itself from competitors
and expand its operations into new markets.
IBM officials said the company has established its own set of
guidelines—the IBM Supplier Conduct Principles—for its supply chain,
which includes more than 30,000 supplier locations in more than 60
countries.
The IBM Sustainable Procurement service covers six primary areas,
including the environment and community—ensuring suppliers contribute
to their local areas. Other areas include health and safety, ethics and
financial accountability, diversity, and labor practices.
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