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Q&A: Green Supply Chains
List examples on how companies are greening different parts of their supply chains – sourcing, production, distribution, and reverse logistics, and categorize your answer. For example, your answer should read as:
Green Distribution: HP replacing the packaging material in its printers to make it PVC free and biodegradable
Green Production: General Electric reducing the water consumption of its facilities by improving valve operation, replacing older single-speed pumps with new variable frequency drive pumps, control valves and closing loop cooling opportunities.
Green Distribution: Walmart is doubling its truck fleet efficiency in the U.S. by October 2015 and reducing packaging by 5 percent globally by 2013
Green Logistics: UPS operating more fuel-efficient aircraft types and engines, implementing fuel saving operational initiatives, and introducing biofuels as a replacement for fossil fuels.
1. Technology giant Apple recently opted to eliminate significant levels of toxic pollutants being released by its suppliers after receiving pressure from environmental groups and activists around the world.
2. The largest furniture retailer in the world, Ikea Group, recently announced it will double its investment in renewable energy from $2 billion to $4 billion by 2020 in an effort to reduce costs and make product prices more affordable to struggling consumers worldwide.
United Airlines is conducting experimental flights that focus on using bio-fuels as the main source of fuel for the entire duration of one flight-leg. The airline industry as a whole is seeing a more condensed version of its network frequency in a way to increase the load factor on flights, decrease emission from unnecessary conduct flights with low utilization rates, and constantly upgrading to newer more fuel efficient aircraft and airport vehicles.
1. Green Logistics: Walmart fills every trailer to capacity; drives those trailers the fewest miles possible; and uses the most efficient equipment.
2. Reverse Logistics: Dell’s new efforts to decrease product returns resulted in making 94 percent of returned assets available for resale through our Dell Outlet.
3. Green Production: Starbucks achieved LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) in 75% of newly built company-owned stores.
One company that has a initiative to go green is Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola, and their bottle watered partner Dasani have been marketing a new “PlantBottle” that is 30% more eco-friendly than regular plastic water bottles, and they have actually seen a 20% spike in revenue due to it. Coca-Cola has been working with plastic manufacturing companies to design a eco-friendly plastic bottle for years. They have limited released a bottle made of ice in Colombia that could be melted away after consumption. They are trying to do everything in their power to be more eco-friendly, because they understand that tomorrow’s business will require a eco-friendly based product to full capture all its potential profits.
Green Reverse Logistics:
Starbucks promotes the use of cups and personal tumblers to reduce paper waste. Cups and hot-cup sleeves have been made with recycled paper fiber for the past few years.
Nike uses recycled plastic bottles from landfills and uses them create recycled polyester performance gear. They also take worn out shoes, grind them into pieces, and turn them into new shoes.