ALEXANDRIA, VA: The Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) has published a guide to the business case for supply chain sustainability.
The publication includes case studies from Alcatel-Lucent on corporate ethics; Cisco Systems on sustainable packaging; Deutsche Telekom on China labour relations; and PCH International on upgrading supply chain manufacturing efficiency in China.
Produced in conjunction with the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), the goal of the guide is to provide a review of challenges and field-tested solutions designed to help suppliers new to Sustainability improve their triple bottom line.
"[Our] members have a long history of working with their suppliers to achieve responsible and sustainable practices that have long-term benefits, to both companies and societies," declared Luis Neves, chairman of GeSI.
Rob Lederer, executive director of the EICC added: "While the supply chain sustainability movement has grown tremendously in the past decades, we need to ensure that all companies – large and small, experienced and inexperienced – have the basic tools to begin successful sustainability programmes. This report is a straightforward, step-by-step guide designed to help CSR professionals gain internal and external support for sustainability activities, and ensure those activities yield great results."
Research published last year by Harvard Business School showed that companies with integrated sustainability policies and practices achieve better financial performance in the long-term. A return-on-assets (ROA) analysis demonstrated that a US$1.00 investment in a company with a fully integrated sustainability programme could result in US$7.10 gain over an 18-year period, compared to a US$4.40 gain for an organization with little or no sustainability activities.
The EICC is a coalition of nearly 100 leading global electronics companies working together to improve efficiency and social, ethical and environmental responsibility in the global supply chain. The GeSI is a 36-member strategic partnership between the information and communication technology sector and the UN Environment Programme and the International Telecommunications Union.
