10 things you can do to become a "sustainable" organization

10-things-you-can-do-to-become-a-sustainable-organization<p>The sustainability efforts of communities, governments, and companies are rising. A large retailer has developed a Sustainability Index. Its goals are to create a more transparent supply chain, drive product innovation and provide customers with information they need to assess products' sustainability.</p><p>This retailer accomplishes these goals by collaborating with their entire supply chain. In order to be a supplier to this retailer, a supplier must comply their Supplier Sustainability Assessment. Here’s an abbreviated version of the survey …</p><ul><li>Have you set greenhouse gas reduction targets?</li><li>Have you set solid waste reduction targets?</li><li>Have you set water use reduction targets?</li><li>Have you established sustainability purchasing guidelines for your direct suppliers that address issues such as environmental compliance, employment practices, and product/ingredient safety?</li><li>Have you obtained 3rd party certifications for any of the products that you sell?</li><li>Do you know the location of 100% of the facilities that produce your products?</li><li>Before beginning a business relationship with a manufacturing facility, do you evaluate their quality of production and capacity for production?</li><li>Do you have a process for managing social compliance at the manufacturing level?</li><li>Do you work with your supply base to resolve issues found during social compliance evaluations and also document specific corrections and improvements?</li><li>Do you invest in community development activities in the markets you source from and/or operate within?</li></ul><p>These are ways to make your entire operation more sustainable. Learn more about how to <a href="http://blog.containerandpackaging.com/2009/05/what-is-sustainable-packaging-and-how.html">make your packaging more sustainable</a> by reading this previous post.</p>