CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, October 8th, 2019 - The MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (MIT CTL) and the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) have teamed up to launch the annual State of Sustainable Supply Chains Report that will help companies gain a better understanding of the importance of supply chain sustainability to their enterprises, industries, and the planet.
The data collection phase of the report kicked off on October 7th, 2019, with the posting of a 10-minute survey aimed at supply chain professionals across industries, regions, and positions. Practitioners who complete the survey will receive an advance copy of the report once available.
These insights are urgently needed. Although sustainability in its myriad forms generates intense interest across the globe, the role of supply chains in moving the planet towards a sustainable future is unclear.
"There are countless ways in which companies are promoting sustainability in their supply chains, but there is a critical lack of evidence on the collective value of these efforts and which policies and strategies are the most effective," says Dr. Alexis Bateman, co-author of the report and Director of the MIT Sustainable Supply Chains initiative.
Supply chains that deliver and return goods across the globe have enormous environmental and social impacts. For most companies, the majority of greenhouse gas emissions is generated in their supply chain. Poor labor conditions, the employment of child workers, and human trafficking are among the social ills that lurk in supply chains. Supply chain management is at the center of critical sustainability issues, such as how to reduce the ever-growing mountain of plastic waste that clogs our oceans.
More information is needed on the effectiveness of sustainability projects at both company and global levels. The State of Sustainable Supply Chains Report will track key questions such as what defines a sustainable supply chain, what resources are companies devoting to sustainability in supply chains, are companies under pressure to disclose and achieve their goals, and how will supply chain sustainability evolve over the next few years?
This information will help stakeholders, including companies, policymakers, and researchers to formulate and execute supply chain sustainability strategies and integrate them into the broader sustainability movement.
"We urge supply chain professionals to complete the survey and shed light on the critical role that the profession plays in securing a sustainable future for our planet," says Bateman.
The survey is open now and will remain open until November 1st, 2019. The report will be available to respondents and collaborators in early spring 2020 and to the general public by late spring.
For more information on the State of Sustainable Supply Chains Report contact Alexis Bateman at hickmana@mit.edu.
