PHOTOGRAPH BY LISA DENEFFE PHOTOGRAPHY ; ILLUSTRATIONS BY HENRY CUNNINGHAM |
The vulnerabilities illuminated within supply chains this year aren ’ t inevitable . There are several ways supply chains can and should be adapted for the benefit of customers , of companies , and of the planet .
Modern manufacturing with sustainable materials Digital manufacturing takes production closer to the end user with much less freight and fewer logistics , which is a huge advantage in creating agile and more resilient supply chains . We must look to build the future that we want — one where we reduce product complexity and invest in novel materials that put less strain on the environment . In this way , companies can open up new paths for specialized product innovation that integrates customers into a smarter , more sustainable loop . Whether with 3D printing or more traditional methods , it ’ s critical that we continue to find more ways to reuse , recycle , and rethink our resources . HP has pioneered in this space for some time , not only creating some of the most sustainable products on the planet but also ensuring that customers and partners are well integrated into our closed-loop processes .
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Community impact and customer focus Sustainability is fundamentally about people — preserving and protecting the planet so that we can create livable , functional , and healthy societies for all . But the clock to save our planet , quite literally , is ticking . It ’ s critical that we find a way to reuse more of what we have already created to build a circular economy — we cannot keep drawing resources from the earth . The good news ? Communities around the world are ready to radically change the way they are buying and consuming products . A study by Accenture found that 80 % of consumers feel that it is important or extremely important for businesses to design environmentally-conscious products and packaging . What ’ s more , MIT found that consumers may even be willing to spend up to 10 % more on a purchase from a vendor that values supply chain transparency . The message is clear that corporate citizenship is no longer a strategy ; it ’ s simply just how we should all do business . |
Continuous improvement and digital transformation A resilient supply chain requires two critical capabilities : the capacity to resist and the capability to recover . To be stronger in both regards , companies must constantly evolve their supply chains — including factories
and freight networks — to continue gaining efficiencies and be able to deliver more sustainable solutions . That ’ s a tall order for any industry . For an industry like technology , where demand is growing , this imperative is even more profound . Amid the massive waves of digital transformation that many organizations are currently undergoing , continued improvement driven by data analytics must be placed at the core of how we all operate .
Our solutions must be holistic in order to meet this moment , and businesses , governments , and individuals all have a role to play . We must continue reducing single-use plastics and reorienting supply chains toward transparency and deploying technology to bind together these efforts . Only then will we meet the climbing demand for tech sustainably .
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HP / INNOVATION / FALL 2020 11 |