continuity and operational resilience by considering the following activities :
1 . Build-in redundancy & create flexible supply chains aligning cost and efficiency
2 . Develop robust and transparent supplier monitoring systems
3 . Treat logistics providers as partners , and become a customer of choice to suppliers
4 . Re-evaluate supply contract structures with options for shared risk & force majeure
As they strengthen the supply chain and ramp up production post-COVID , businesses have a fresh opportunity to re-evaluate their environmental management strategies and ensure it is in line with the global Environmental , Social and Corporate Governance ( ESG ) policies .
ESG policies in supply chain management provide a framework for environmentally friendly , socially acceptable and ethical supply chain activities in connection with procurement , sourcing and supplier relations management . The globalization of labour and the need for transparency into suppliers ’ activities has made ESG a major focus when developing procurement and sourcing strategies . In business performance evaluation by potential investors , environment , social , governance and sustainability concerns have become a very crucial part of the assessment process .
The goal here is to increase sustainability efforts , improve operational processes and protect the environment starting with supply chains as the most significant impacts on the environment and society from business operations start from there .
Perhaps , one of the few silver linings from the Covid-19 induced lockdowns was the positive impact on the environment as seen in the records of reduced environmental pollution levels and significant improvements in air / water quality witnessed in many countries during the period . Available data by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America ( PNAS ) revealed that after accounting for meteorological variability effects , there was a marked reduction in the population-weighted concentration of ground-level nitrogen dioxide by 60 %, fine particulate matter by 31 %, and marginal increases in ozone by 4 % in 34 countries during the lockdown date up until May 15 , 2020 . It is therefore important , now more than ever , that businesses reaffirm their commitments to responsible business practices by integrating sound environmental practices into their daily business operations .
7 8 The Corvus