The week of May 10th was a banner week for sustainability news and discussions, including the two days I spent in Chicago at ASA's Sustainable Manufacturing conference, Procter & Gamble's new sustainability supplier scorecard, the introduction of Kerry-Lieberman's American Power Act, SAP's new interactive sustainability report, an EPA ruling on GHG emissions, and my colleague Simon Ellis' experience on a sustainability panel at Transplace's Shipper Symposium.   I'll follow up in another piece with more information on the Sustainable Manufacturing conference and my earlier attendance at a March MIT Green Supply Chain event, Simon will provide some highlights of his panel in his May Theory & Practice newsletter article, and SAP's report is worth a look but is fairly self-explanatory.  For now, I'll concentrate on Procter & Gamble, the EPA, and the American Power Act.

In our 2010 supply chain survey of 400+ U.S. manufacturers, IDC Manufacturing Insights asked "How important is driving environmental or social sustainability initiatives in the supply chain?"   The good news is that 58% think it's important.  Because this wasn't a sustainability survey, we don't ask them out right why sustainability in the supply chain is important.   But we can see correlations to other issues that have high importance - like risk avoidance and risk management.  

The pace and complexity of change the automotive industry is facing is staggering.  If we look ahead 10 or 20 years, how many times will the product need to change?  Joe Barkai and I have taken a look at just a few of the high profile announcements we've seen over the last couple months - from recent auto shows, investments in new technologies, and even the relationship between the industry's products and regulations, voluntary or involuntary.   A common theme runs through many of these announcements - sustainability.

For the auto industry, sustainability isn't just about one issue or one product.  It's about addressing a combination of environmental, social, and economic issues, such as customer expectations, government regulations, and financial pressures, all at the same time;  knowing the risks and opportunities across every aspect of the business and across the lifecycle of every product is crucial.

This week, starting on December 7^th, is the kickoff of the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen, with diplomats from 192 nations.  Although the type of high-level negotiations and goal setting at the conference are important steps in the process, I believe there are many smaller steps the manufacturing community can and should take to incorporate environmental sustainability into their products, processes, and plants.  I've always said that manufacturers play a critical role in sustainability, and it's their job to make it easy for their customers to go green.  Basically, manufacturers know their products best, and it's up to them to take a closer look at how they shape and influence the product lifecycle from cradle to cradle.  From my perspective as a sustainability-conscious consumer, there are many changes I'd like to see in the coming year.   In the spirit of the holiday season and our forthcoming Top 10 Predictions for 2010, here are the top 10 sustainability wishes for manufacturers, from a consumer perspective developed by myself and Simon Ellis, our supply chain practice director.  

"Regulatory return" – that's the phrase Chemical Week's editor used to describe the EPA and the legislative branch's movement forward on regulations.  With signs the recession is easing and growing pressure to respond to climate change, we agree that regulations are going to be high on everyone's agenda.  

On July 16th, Walmart announced plans to develop a worldwide sustainable product index during a meeting with 1,500 of its suppliers, associates, and sustainability leaders at its home office in Bentonville, Arkansas. Walmart claims the index will establish a single source of data for evaluating the sustainability of products, but a better way to think about it is as a starting point for evaluating the sustainability of the suppliers themselves. Walmart is going to do this through a series of 15 questions, which fall under 4 headings - Energy and Climate, Material Efficiency, Natural Resources, and People and Community. (Click on the link to Walmart CEO Mike Duke's speech and you'll find a way to download the Fact Sheet and 15 question pdfs).