Hear from sustainability leaders who are greening their supply chains

“We’re trying to be stewards of our little corner of the planet. We invest in energy alternatives like solar and heat capture, and our farm has been certified organic for 25 years. Perhaps most importantly, we actively support local, provincial, and federal initiatives to save forests, protect farmland, and engage with consumers and other producers to think about how we can improve.”

Eatmore Sprouts & Greens Ltd.

“In today’s world, true business resilience is only reached through sustainability, including greening supply chains. Several hundred new products go through 3M’s commercialization process every year, and all of them have to demonstrate impact for the greater good. The choices we make for our material and service providers must also reflect these values – companies need to collaborate to meet our collective environmental goals.”

3M Canada

“We recognize the opportunity to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture, where many supply chains begin. We prioritize projects that reduce our energyrelated emissions, including lighting retrofits and building Canada’s largest solar-powered egg-laying farm. We have a responsibility to enrich natural spaces rather than deplete them; as part of that commitment, we’re conserving and managing 400 hectares of wooded areas in Eastern Ontario.”

Burnbrae Farms

It takes a village

Recyclers

“Our high regard for sustainability is our organization’s key differentiator, and we believe companies can always do more. Focus on the positive outcomes of implementing sustainability practices, look for ways to improve your existing green projects, and think outside the box. In our case, the exponential reuse of technology through our rental program raises the bar in our industry for creative sustainability initiatives.”

DCR Systems

“By recycling, companies benefit in three ways: they can be paid for their scrap metal, they lower the cost of supplies because recycling reduces the cost of supplies over mining for metals, and they reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These benefits ripple across the supply chain and can, with enough participation, create a circular and sustainable economy.”

Peel Scrap Metal Recycling

“Since 2005, we’ve been proving that a company can practice sustainability and still be successful in a competitive marketplace. In addition to engaging our own staff, we seek out suppliers and vendors that align with our goals to be green. We’ve even helped some of our raw material suppliers identify and trial new products that require less energy to process.”

Distributors

“It was important for us to green our services because there’s a misconception that all printing is bad for the environment. We do our part to educate our customers and provide an environmentally friendly option. By the same token, we do our research when it comes to production processes and recycling programs. We can’t ignore other aspects of our supply chain.”

Warren’s Waterless Printers

Flexahopper

It takes a village

Emissions from a company’s value chain often outweigh its operational carbon footprint. This can be a challenge to measure, but it also represents huge opportunities for emissions reductions. We spoke to bullfrogpowered organizations from all parts of the supply chain to learn how their sustainability efforts extend well beyond their own operations.

“The powerful connection between the environment, education, and entrepreneurship is at the foundation of what we do. We want to be an organization that our associates and the communities we serve are proud of. We do that by greening our own operations and by helping Canadians make sustainable choices through partnerships, education, and programs like in-store recycling.” “Distributors can play a key role in advancing supply chain transparency and tackling industry-wide environmental, social, and governance (ESG) challenges. We’re partnering with both manufacturers and retailers to unlock trapped value and eliminate inefficiencies. And when we reduce our operational greenhouse gas emissions, we’re supporting our customers in achieving scope 3 emissions reductions.”

National Tire Distributors

Retailers

“Retailers have considerable influence over both the upstream and downstream value chain. We recently installed a cardboard shredder at our SPUD Edmonton warehouse that lets us wrap glass bottles in recycled carboard instead of the plastic usually used in distribution. To reduce downstream waste, we donate excess food from our stores to local charities.”

Blush Lane