Green Supply Chain in Business
There is a problem with Going Green as a business. I am convinced that the fast-approaching period called “The Green Equalization” will create a generation that seeks an “Authentic Green” in every business. As the Green era matures, consumers will seek out services and products that are honestly Green and reject the ones that mock the subject. This generation will ask for a businesses to demonstrate their environmental commitment by their Green practices rather than their Green marketing.
An “Authentic Green” is not easily acquired. Nearly all environmental efforts are based on the marketing efforts without credibly affecting the daily operation of the business. This creates a serious contradiction between boast and fact. The concept of the Green Supply Chain has brought this problem to the forefront of our attention. If a business wishes to “Sell Green,” then it should also “Buy Green” as well.
Ethically, businesses need to practice what they preach (or market). The obvious lack of Green Ethics is seen in a very overt fashion when the businesses ask people to buy their Green product or service, when they do not do the same in their own operation. This brings us to the concept of Green Practices heralded by the Green Business League as the solution for all businesses to embrace. In simple terms, the Green emphasis in your marketing department needs to be seen in the other practices of your business operation, and that includes your purchasing department or protocols.
The Green crisis is not just another marketing opportunity that can be usurped to sell goods and services. The scope of the environmental problem requires more of all of us than opportunism. This need not be an anti-business issue, but business needs to make room for this unrelenting problem in our midst. There is a parallel initiative from the EPA called Environmentally Preferred Purchasing which is similar to the Green Supply Chain concerns. As this whole process matures, there will be an insistence that everyone “Walk the Walk as well as Talk the Talk.”
Working with a local Certified Green Consultant turns a complex and difficult task into something that rewards everyone. Going Green is first of all about the health of your facility, but it is also about an more efficient and well-rum program. Most people are shocked to learn that Going Green will literally save the business thousands and thousands of dollars. The return on investment is quick and remains for years. It begs the question, why do this badly using amateurs when a Certified Green Consultant can pay for himself in just a few months making the rest of the year a profit to the company. The Green Business League offers the best program in the country and increases the bottom line. How good its that?
A Certified Green Consultant will also assist in the Green Supply Chain process by Greening up the purchasing processes. Why struggle with something that can be done so much better by the experts? By the way, these Green Consultants work with a Zero Cost Consulting model that will easily recover more than the cost of their service. This is because there are great efficiencies to Going Green now that were not available before. There seems no reason that any business cannot honestly Go Green now, and the process can be a big cost savings as well as a reputable marketing credential.
