Reports
Published: 24 January 2015

Beyond Supply Chains - Empowering Responsible Value Chains

Over the past few years there has been mounting pressure on global supply chain directors not only to increase supply chain performance for commercial gain but also to ensure that their supply chains are having a positive social impact, which the World Economic Forum define as their impact on the environment and their ability to improve local economic activity. Major catastrophes such as the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh in 2013, and evidence of child labour and unsafe working conditions in the extended supply chains of multinationals, have put significant pressure on chief supply chain officers to adopt responsible supply chain behaviors.The Beyond Supply Chains report, created in collaboration with Accenture, has identified a set of companies that are implementing world-class supply chain practices that are best in class from a commercial perspective, while also improving environmental impact and local economic conditions – building “ethical supply chains”. We call this the “triple supply chain advantage”.Beyond Supply Chains identifies a set of 31 proven supply chain practices. The report shows that companies applying these practices can increase revenue by up to 20% for responsible products, reduce supply chain costs from 9%-16% and increase brand value by 15%-30%. Adopting the triple advantage can also shrink carbon footprint by up to 22% while enabling companies to contribute to local development.

Over the past few years there has been mounting pressure on global supply chain directors not only to increase supply chain performance for commercial gain but also to ensure that their supply chains are having a positive social impact, which the World Economic Forum define as their impact on the environment and their ability to improve local economic activity. Major catastrophes such as the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh in 2013, and evidence of child labour and unsafe working conditions in the extended supply chains of multinationals, have put significant pressure on chief supply chain officers to adopt responsible supply chain behaviors.The Beyond Supply Chains report, created in collaboration with Accenture, has identified a set of companies that are implementing world-class supply chain practices that are best in class from a commercial perspective, while also improving environmental impact and local economic conditions – building “ethical supply chains”. We call this the “triple supply chain advantage”.Beyond Supply Chains identifies a set of 31 proven supply chain practices. The report shows that companies applying these practices can increase revenue by up to 20% for responsible products, reduce supply chain costs from 9%-16% and increase brand value by 15%-30%. Adopting the triple advantage can also shrink carbon footprint by up to 22% while enabling companies to contribute to local development.

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