As corporations become increasingly focused on ESG initiatives, their supply chain and logistics partners respond with tools and services designed to help them grow sustainability and other goals. By Sandra Beckwith
nterest in environment, social responsibility, and governance—or ESG— initiatives is growing among businesses of all sizes across the country, thanks in large part to widespread changes in the United States and abroad. Some changes are environmental—greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other factors contribute to climate change and an increase in severe weather events that impact the supply chain. Others are societal. Social pressure from the Black Lives Matter and Me Too movements are prompting organizations to evaluate their workforces and corporate cultures. There’s also increasing stakeholder pressure to do business in a more sustainable, socially responsible way. Nearly two-thirds of businesses responding to the 2020 Gartner Sustainability Survey said they were pressured by customers to invest in sustainability initiatives while 48% said pressure was coming from investors and 48% cited regulators. The largest year-over-year increase in pressure in 2021 came from investors, governments, and international governing bodies, according to The State of Supply Chain Sustainability 2021 study from The MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics.
June 2022 • Inbound Logistics 35
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