During my time as an editor with IndustryWeek (IW) magazine, “supply chain management” (SCM) was mentioned a lot. It was such a hot topic, in fact, that the company that published IW at that time launched a publication dedicated to SCM. Supply chain management, as currently defined by Wikipedia, is the “process of planning, implementing and controlling the operations of the supply chain with the purpose to satisfy customer requirements as efficiently as possible. Supply chain management spans all movement and storage of raw materials, work-in-process inventory, and finished goods from point of origin to point of consumption.”
Take a potato, for example. Its chain would start from the creation and acquisition of its seed for planting to its consumption as a hash brown in your restaurant. There is most definitely a connection between SCM and resource consumption. The most successful companies locate their suppliers close to their production facilities. In a perfect green world, the consumers of those products would be located close by as well.
What does your supply chain look like? Do you have any idea where a product has been before it has reached your hotel? Digging down even deeper than that, do you know where the ingredients for that product originated? It does make a difference in the size of the footprint that you are leaving on this planet. In the coming months, take a close look at what you buy, where it is made, what it is made from, and how far it has traveled to get to you. Consider this a challenge.
Document Your Supply Chain
Begin with the products that you purchase in volume. In a spreadsheet or on paper if it is easier, plot out where those items are manufactured. How many miles will those products have to travel to reach you? Is there a producer closer to you? Don’t be afraid to ask your supplier where it sources its materials from. If one part of what you buy is made in China, another in Indonesia and another in Brazil, take a look at other options. If the equivalent of a tanker truck of oil is being consumed to get a bed frame to your hotel, can you really call your hotel green?
Don’t be afraid to challenge your suppliers to do better. Work with them to help educate them about alternative options. If they are not willing to work with you to improve their supply chain, drop some hints about taking your business elsewhere. They just might be willing to make some changes.
What I just described is something you can do at a macro level but reduce that approach to the confines of your property as well. How efficiently do products move from one area to another? Is energy being consumed as efficiently as possible to get that work done? Are “parts” located as close to the source of production as possible?
In Japanese manufacturing, there is something called “kaizen.” It is a word that means “continuous improvement.” Kaizen aims to eliminate waste. Kaizen blitzes are focused, short-term projects to improve a process. Think about holding a Kaizen blitz every now and then. By recognizing areas where improvement can be made, you will have taken the first important step toward sustainability.
Odds & Ends
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As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com, or by calling (440) 243-2055. I look forward to hearing from you.
