Perspectives on information management in sustainable supply chains

This paper looks at perspectives on the current situation on sustainable supply chains in comparison to the past. It particularly focuses on identifying the key drivers behind the current sustainable supply chain management models and the challenges that are yet to be overcome.

The authors argue that a new era of supply chain management is unfolding that puts sustainability at the center of the executive agenda. Sustainable supply chains provide companies with a competitive weapon to maintain, improve and expand customer and supplier relationships and to ensure access to strategic markets. Companies are being driven to develop systems that provide greater insights and the ability to influence the behavior of supply chain partners. The paper identifies some of the key drivers for sustainable supply chain management with savvy customers expecting ethical supply chain practices and companies facing multiple standards and regulations. The challenges facing companies include communications gaps between companies, suppliers and third parties, fragmented supply chain information management and limited transparency of supplier information across organisational boundaries.

Key concluding points are;

• as demand grows for greater transparency of buyer and supplier information, so does the need for technology to help facilitate and manage environmental and social compliance processes and information
• to respond to demands for responsible practices among their supply chain partners, companies must equip their organisations with tools to effectively manage information related to sustainability
• sustainable supply chain management will increasingly become an important consideration for sourcing and procurement departments, as well as the CSR, quality and compliance functions
• business has an opportunity to make a positive impact on sustainable development while achieving commercial success. Leaders who see this opportunity will create the right incentives to align and automate all supply chain related information, allowing more focus on making sustainable change in the communities and environment in which we work and live.