Given labor shortages, supply chain issues, and expectations of same-day...
Consumers have become much more environmentally conscious in recent years. Sustainability has not only become part of their personal lives, but for many, it also factors into their purchasing choices. Manufacturers have worked to meet these growing needs by focusing on making their businesses greener.
Unfortunately, these goals can conflict with the strategies that help avoid supply chain disruption. Balancing efficiency and sustainability can be one of the toughest parts of supply chain logistics. Learn how to combat supply chain disruption and maintain sustainability with the help of a third-party logistics provider like Brown West Logistics.
Carefully mapping the entire supply chain allows business owners to identify the factors that could lead to a disruption, as well as predict the overall impact of focusing on sustainability.
The mapping process is an opportunity to seek out logistics and sustainability challenges at the same time. It could lead to major changes that limit the risk of disruption and increase sustainability. These steps could involve selecting partners who are more environmentally conscious or better prepared to address the structural issues that could lead to a supply chain disruption.
It’s one thing to map the supply chain and identify its weak points, but another thing entirely to make the appropriate changes that come to light during the mapping process. This requires a company to communicate its expectations throughout the supply chain, and the type of communication required for success involves more than just internal discussion.
Communicating these expectations and needs to outside suppliers and 3PL providers could pay dividends when it comes to improving sustainability without major disruptions. Changing suppliers can be costly and time-consuming. By communicating your company’s expectations, it could be possible to lead a supplier to adopt necessary changes from a sustainability standpoint.
Many companies rely on the same packing methods and materials that they have been using for decades, despite improvements in packing technology over the years. A regular review of a company’s packing material needs could have a tremendous impact on sustainability. The fewer materials used in the packing process, the less waste is created by the manufacturer.
What’s more, using fewer materials can decrease the overall cost of recourses used. Limiting the need for packing materials could also help avoid supply chain disruptions. The more material required for packing and shipping, the more things could go wrong outside of a company’s control.
A sudden shortage in the material a company relies on could increase costs or even make it impossible to meet their needs. These efforts could lead to big improvements for both supply chain disruptions and sustainability.
The assistance of a third-party logistics provider like Brown West Logistics could be invaluable as you balance sustainability with your need to avoid supply chain disruptions. Our team could provide you with supply chain solutions tailored to your business needs.
Addressing sustainability issues is a noble goal and an important part of customer satisfaction. Contact Brown West Logistics to learn about how we could balance these goals with the importance of keeping your supply chain up and running.
