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How to Build a Sustainable Supply Chain

At FourKites, we believe that every business can be a sustainable business — and every supply chain professional can be a sustainability champion in their organization. Here’s how and why organizations are building sustainable supply chains.

Building a sustainable supply chain is easier said than done.

Amidst pressure from investors, employees, and other stakeholders, executives have boldly put a stake in the ground, marking their supply chain sustainability goals. While headcounts and commitments to going green are growing, very few have demonstrated real progress.

In fact, according to MIT, only 38% of companies have mapped their supply chain and less than half (46%) have audited their suppliers.

So where do you start?

Despite renewed efforts, achieving sustainability broadly across the supply chain often remains elusive.”

 

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Why are supply chains focusing on sustainability?

A study of 500+ executives from E&Y explores the short and long term benefits that organizations are seeing as they build sustainable supply chains.

Cost savings is the top motivation for supply chain sustainability but there are a wide range of business benefits that organizations are seeing already and expect to see in just a few years.

The Secret to Sustainability

Cardinal Health is a leading distributor of pharmaceuticals, medical
and laboratory products with operations in more than 30 countries.

They’ve made real, tangible progress on their sustainability goals by partnering with FourKites to unlock new opportunities for impacting their long-term sustainability goals. Learn exactly how Cardinal Health is building a sustainable supply chain by accessing the full case study.

Access Case Study

Sustainability

Start Making Progress

Does your organization need to make progress toward its sustainability goals, but you’re wondering where to start?

You’re not alone – a survey of nearly 1,500 executives revealed that nearly three-quarters of executives said they want to advance sustainability efforts but don’t actually know how to go about doing it.

Here’s 4 opportunities where you can make progress:

1. Benchmarking & Goal Setting

You can’t manage it if you don’t measure it – but you don’t have to measure everything all at once. Start small and begin by tracking your transportation.

2. Carrier & Supplier Scorecards

Expedited shipping and having little insight into suppliers can often come at the expense of your sustainability goals. Defining acceptable outcomes and tracking your providers against them can help you measure day-to-day progress.

3. Cold Chain Efficiency

Real-time supply chain data can be used to optimize the routing and scheduling of deliveries, while automated monitoring and alerts can prevent spoilage, reduce waste, and minimize the need for manual intervention.

4. Better Yard Management

The yard is one of the most inefficient parts of your supply chain – at any given minute, dozens of trucks might be sitting idle at a facility, waiting for their next move. An idle truck burns a gallon of diesel an hour, emitting 22.4 lbs of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. With the right technology, you can optimize your time slots and yard processes to significantly reduce truck dwell time on-site and reduce your carbon dioxide footprint.

Data-Driven Sustainability

Data-driven decision-making is the law of the land in freight and logistics. Shippers always know their costs, transit times, and tradeoffs. But as we enter another variable into the equation, how can freight buyers and sellers have confidence in measuring their carbon footprint? And once it’s known, how can it be managed and operationalized?

Priya Rajagopalan - Chief Product Officer
Priya RajagopalanChief Product Officer, FourKites
Tyler Cole
Tyler ColeHost, FreightWaves' Net-Zero Carbon Podcast

Sustainability Resources

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Industry-first Supply Chain Sustainability Analytics

FourKites’ Sustainability Hub helps supply chain leaders with advanced emissions tracking and reporting capabilities

Read More

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Global Supply Chain Sustainability Summit

Watch the exclusive talks and sessions from FourKites’ Global Supply Chain Sustainability Summit. Learn from the industry’s top minds how to build greener supply chain and logistics operations.

Watch Now

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The Definitive Guide to Supply Chain Sustainability

Learn everything you need to know about supply chain sustainability from our definitive guide. We cover best practices, technology, and metrics companies use to build a sustainable supply chain.

Read the Guide

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The Current State of Supply Chain Sustainability

Did you know that transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the US? Learn this and more about the current state of supply chain sustainability.

Download the Infographic

Sustainability Center of Excellence

FourKites’ Sustainability Center of Excellence is a thought leadership council dedicated to promoting actionable, data-backed strategies to help companies improve sustainability across their supply chain. Contact us to learn more.

Contact Us

Sustainability

Sustainability Dashboard

FourKites’ Sustainability Dashboard allows you to identify the highest sources of freight-related emissions in your supply chain.

“With FourKites’ Sustainability Dashboard, we are able to assess and validate our sustainability efforts on an ongoing basis. Combined with other FourKites visibility tools, such as Network Visibility, we are gaining fantastic insight into our supply chain.”
– Dustin Braun, Senior Director, Logistics, Land O’Lakes

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