How sustainable is your supply chain?
Sustainability is a collaborative process and an accountable supply chain process can assist greatly in its success.
Ceres has created a free 20-page template to help companies assess which business partners may be putting their own sustainability agenda at risk. The Ceres Supplier Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ): Building the Foundation for Sustainable Supply Chains offers a series of questions intended to identify, assess, manage and disclose potential risks within a company’s supply chain, including
- Does the facility hold the necessary license(s) or permit(s)
- Has the facility received any fines, prosecution, or warnings by regulators?
- Does the facility have a system in place to reduce the environmental impact of energy use and greenhouse gases?
- Does the facility consider Design for Environment in its development of products?
Even though the questionnaire was developed specifically for businesses in the industrial sector, Ceres describes the tool as a “conversation starter” that helps any company understand where it is vulnerable and take steps to improve the sustainability of its operations.