Through collaboration, your business and suppliers can reduce emissions and waste and help regenerate nature. In other words, you can help Aotearoa New Zealand shift to a circular economy.
You could begin by prioritising sustainability in your procurement choices, or by asking your customers and suppliers about their social and environmental impacts.
Whatever your starting point, here are our seven reasons to focus on your supply chain in your sustainability plans for 2025.
Understand your biggest impacts
It’s important to understand the environmental impacts created by your business up and down your supply chain. This will help you identify areas for change and improvement. That could include gathering emissions data from customers and suppliers. Or, you may want to know where the products you buy are made, how the materials are sourced and whether the people making them are treated fairly. Use Docket, our free online sustainable supply chain toolbox, to identify the key questions to ask.
Unlock collaboration
Your suppliers or business customers may have expertise you don’t. Sharing knowledge and working together to solve sustainability issues can help everyone.
Encourage businesses leading the way
We all need cheering on, especially when facing big issues like climate change and environmental harm.Your procurement choices can reward and support businesses leading the way to a future where people and nature thrive. Check out the Next 95 for some inspiring examples. And, as a supplier, you can make it easier for your customers to set and achieve ambitious sustainability goals.
Start ripples
You already have a relationship with your customers and suppliers. Talking with them about sustainability could be just the prompt they need to take action, or to start similar conversations within their supply chains. Use our guide to Essential Questions for Sustainable Procurement to help get started.
Get ahead of new regulations
Understanding your supply chain will give you a head start to comply with new regulations. If future legislation takes cues from our overseas trading partners, more reporting requirements for businesses are likely in the future. The first of these could be a new modern slavery bill for Aotearoa New Zealand.
Frustrated by political decisions that don’t engage with the reality of our climate and nature crises? When there are less incentives from government, working within your supply chain is a practical way to help make sure businesses across Aotearoa New Zealand keep making progress toward the future we all need.
Rise to international expectations
We’re moving into an age when everyone wants to know your business. Multinational companies, overseas governments and international investors are progressively raising the bar for disclosure of sustainability information. That includes expecting more information from exporters and throughout supply chains. Even if your business isn’t directly exporting or receiving international investment, you may be in the supply chain of a business that is.
Be better prepared for disruption
Our weather is getting more extreme as the planet heats up. Degrading ecosystems and loss of biodiversity are threatening resources that we rely on from nature. Understanding your supply chain can help you spot risks and plan how to deal with disruptions. Strong relationships with your customers and suppliers can help you create solutions or recover if something goes wrong.
Ready to collaborate on supply chain sustainability? We are running a half-day workshop in late February for sustainability and procurement professionals, contact [email protected] for details.