Joining the Heavy Hitters in Re-Imagining Your Inputs

Ten years ago, the new green business trend was just getting off the ground.

Having recently completed my Ph.D. qualifying exams at UC Davis' Graduate Group in Ecology, I'd have laughed in your face if you'd have told me what more and more major corporations would be doing in 2011 to green their products and services.

Why is it so important when corporations like Ford, Coca Cola and Wal-Mart green their supply chains?  It's not just that their huge purchasing power can quickly influence a supplier to change to greener materials and practices -- sometimes with dramatic measurable reductions in environmental and health impacts.

It's also, as this piece by Ford's Director of Sustainable Business Strategies notes, the power of peer influence: "if a 109-year-old car company with one of the most expansive and established global supply chains in the world can re-imagine its design process, any company can."

The author advises:

"The next time you're faced with supporting an option between a traditional process and a more sustainable and innovative alternative, know that by making the more eco-friendly choice, you're not only making an immediate impact, you're sending the message that you recognize the importance of environmental considerations in the design process -- from a product's development until the end of its life. And your employees and customers will support you for it."

Why shouldn't your company aim to join Ford in realizing these important business benefits?

Read more>>
...