Strong Supply Chains Through Resilient Operations

CHAPTER 12Ensure Long‐Term Resilience by Embracing Sustainability

To be resilient in the long run, you must grapple with sustainability issues. It can feel unpleasant, because people are always saying you should, you must, you need to. But if you can shut out the hectoring tone of voice, you may be able to see how initiatives such as decarbonization or treating employees, contractors, and their communities with the respect they deserve can make your operations more diverse and flexible. That can help you deal with the unexpected hurdles that a VUCA world will present. Here are five ways to start.

Ensure Full Sustainability Compliance in Your Team and with Your Direct Partners

We firmly believe that sustainability is about more than complying with regulations. Investing in sustainability generates benefits far beyond the “not getting fined” part. When you do it right, it's a source of competitive advantage. As you seek to do it right, it's a mindset, it's a journey, it's a value to plant at the core of your firm.

But, hey, complying with all relevant regulations is a place to start.

And it turns out that this, too, is harder than it might sound, full of potentially conflicting stakeholders and targets. Regulations are changing quickly. Different countries, and even different US states, are taking different approaches and establishing different standards. Many organizations lack the data or capabilities to ensure that they are doing everything right—especially when there are ...