Buying into sustainability

Supply chain management provides the opportunity for companies to influence the practice and performance of their suppliers - large and small - to deliver environmental and social responsibility improvements in their product or service and to minimise risks.

Results of the 6th Business in the Environment (BiE) Index show that integrating environmental risk into Supply Chain Management provides a real challenge for many companies. This important aspect of sustainable development attracts the lowest management score, with 17 out of 38 sectors scoring below 50%.

This business conference included the experiences of those sectors that have successfully integrated environmental issues into their supply chain management and was designed to promote the transfer of best practice.

BiE is recognised as a leading advocate of environmental and social issues as part of supply chain management. Through information gained from the BiE Index and association with professional bodies, leading academic institutions, regulatory bodies and business practitioners, BiE is uniquely placed to inform the debate on supply chain management and to help spread good practice. We are currently researching business needs and possible solutions to assist companies in assessing risk in the Supply chain.
For further information, or to get involved please contact or phone Jenny on

Chairman's welcome and introductions
Dr Geoff Spriegel, Director of Quality & Innovation Group, Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd

Promoting Sustainable Development through Public Sector Procurement
Mark Yeomans, Head of Procurement, Environment Agency
View presentation

Benchmarking supply chain management in leading companies: analysis of the 6th BiE Index
Jens Birkenheim, Senior BiE Index Manager, Business in the Environment
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Best practice examples from leading companies

1. Effective risk assessment in supply chain management
   David Crawshaw, Group Environmental Manager, United Utilities plc
   View presentation
2. Integrating environmental issues into strategic supply chain management
   Paul Riley,Services Cluster Leader - Supply Chain Shared Service, Carillion plc
   View presentation

3. Active responsibility through the value chain
   Jayn Harding, Environmental Manager, Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd
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4. Engaging smaller companies (SMEs) through the ACORN programme
   Mike Galley, Environmental Affairs Manager, Vauxhall
   View presentation

Afternoon focus corporate responsibility & supply chain management

Thinking global, acting local through the supply chain Dr Geoff Spriegel, Director of Quality & Innovation Group, Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd
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The challenges presented by ethical trading in global supply chains Dan Rees, Director, Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI)
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Designing products for the future
Professor Albert Stevels, Senior Advisor, Environmental Competence Centre, Philips Consumer Electronics and Chair of Applied EcoDesign, Design for Sustainability Group, Delft University of Technology
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Workshops

How can companies better integrate corporate responsibility through their supply chain management?

1. Integrating social and ethical issues into supply chain management
   This workshop examines how formalised codes, such as those promoted through the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) are helping to shape supplier relationships.

   Chaired by Dan Rees, Director, Ethical Trading Initiative

   Facilitated by Simon Hodgson, Partner, Acona
   View presentation

2. Product design for the environment
   This workshop looks at how considering environmental issues at the design stage can deliver Innovative solutions and nurture new forms of supplier relationships.

   Chaired by Professor Albert Stevels, Senior Advisor, Environmental Competence Centre, Philips Consumer Electronics

   Facilitated by Prof. Martin Charter, Co-ordinator and Visiting Professor of Sustainable Product Design, Surrey Institute of Art & Design, University College
   View presentation

3. Comparing and contrasting approaches to environmental and social auditing
   This workshop explores how knowledge of environmental audits might be used as a basis for social audits.

   Chaired by Russell Foster, Chief Executive, Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment

   Facilitated by Dr Ben Vivian, Technical Training Manager, SGS UK Ltd
   View presentation

4. Risk assessment in supply chain management
   This workshop will build on the earlier presentation by United Utilities and will examine in detail how to use Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a tool for prioritising suppliers.

   Chaired by David Crawshaw, Group Environmental Manager, United Utilities

   Facilitated by Barbara Morton, Environmental Supply Chain Forum Co-ordinator, UMIST
   View presentation

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