Savvy organizations moved beyond vanilla CSR mandates years ago, but 2016 has seen an exceptional upswell of awareness around the potential positive impacts of corporate buying. In the past, eco-friendly brands we’re often niche players, determined to hold their values above their bottom lines. But a recent surge in creativity from the procurement department had bred a new hybrid model–where profit and values go hand in hand.
Consider the upcoming Sustainable Brands ‘16 conference in San Diego. Speakers include not only executives from environmentally-focused brands like Clif Bar and Ben & Jerry’s, but leaders from Fortune 500 stalwarts like McDonald’s and Walmart. These giants have recognized that good business practices are not only desirable but can actually increase customer affinity as people continue to vote for sustainability with their wallets. There’s also global recognition that resources are finite and to do business for decades to come, corporations will have to act as stewards of the circular economy, much the way we expect governments to (whether they live up to that or not).
In an effort to explore where this trend is heading and what successful companies can do now to have the best of both worlds, we released the sixth of our reports on supply chain agility in the age of disruption. In this case, disruption is being driven simultaneously by societal expectations and heightened corporate awareness of the power of spend.
Get your copy of Circular procurement–a new mission beyond savings!
The report offers perspectives from Ida Auken (former Minister of Environment, Denmark) and William (Bill) McDonough (a globally recognized leader in sustainable development), as well as analysis from procurement industry analyst and author, Vishal Patel.
If you need incentive to read on, consider that by 2050, the world economy is expected to quadruple, and the global population is projected to grow from the 7.3 billion it is today to close to 10 billion. The decisions businesses make on how they buy and who from will have a massive impact on future resource strain and growth. Those that invest now and build for the long term are likely to far exceed their more short-sighted peers. Simply fill out the form below to discover more.
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