An industry survey conducted by The Retail Hive, in partnership with DHL Supply Chain, has revealed that 72% of retail supply chain leaders consider supply chain sustainability a priority for their business.
Worryingly, though, 70% also admitted to being unaware of how much their organisation is actually investing in low-carbon or zero-carbon products and services across their supply chain.
This highlights a need for more education, collaboration, and awareness within organisations to ensure that all stakeholders are engaged with sustainability-related strategies and decisions.
Sally Green, co-founder and Editorial Director of The Hive Network, said: “Retailers can find themselves struggling with ‘analysis paralysis’ as they try to work out the most effective starting points for a supply chain sustainability programme.
“While this research shows that few have clear visibility on what this should look like, key lessons from retailers who have started on their journey include setting a manageable goal, introducing reporting structures, and working with partners to help increase the impact of sustainability initiatives”
Collaboration is key when it comes to sustainable supply chains, especially given the growing pressure to record and reduce Scope 3 emissions. 100% of the survey’s respondents stated that they would like to see their partners doing more to help them provide a greener fulfilment offering.
Tutu Akinkoye, GoGreen Lead for the UK & Ireland at DHL Supply Chain, commented: “Becoming a more responsible business is top of mind for both consumers and retailers today, but this latest piece of research makes it clear that for many supply chain leaders in the retail sector, successfully understanding and implementing a sustainability programme still feels challenging.
“The insights clearly show that retailers are in need of support from their partners to drive significant change across their operations, and we will continue to work closely with our customers to help achieve this.”
Logistics Manager recently interviewed Tutu Akinkoye for a feature on sustainable logistics – look out for her insights in the July issue of Logistics Manager Magazine!
