The results of the study suggest that a successful turnaround towards sustainability can be achieved if consumers first change their mindset and translate this new way of thinking into action and demand.

Nevertheless, according to Thorsten Gensmer, Director, Miebach Consulting GmbH, companies should not sit back: "Those who think ahead now and lay the foundations for sustainable business activities can benefit greatly from the newly developing market. Collective action with a complete cradle-to-cradle approach is necessary for greater climate protection goals in the supply chain. The high level of planned initiatives shows that this can already be worthwhile!"

These are the findings of the latest sustainability study by Miebach Consulting. In mid-2020, the international supply chain consultancy examined which strategies and measures companies are taking to make supply chains sustainable - and the extent to which sustainability and corporate goals can be reconciled.

277 companies took part in the global online study, including an unusually high proportion of managing directors (18%), which illustrates the significance and strategic importance of the topic.

With regard to the most recently implemented and the next planned initiative, the majority of respondents cited improving efficiency (14% on average) or reducing costs (15% on average) as their motivation. This is followed by topics such as CO2 reduction (7%), green packaging or the reduction of plastic in general (7%). Sustainable measures based on ecological or social motivation, such as employee health and safety (1%) or environmental protection (1%), are rather rare.

Sustainability in supply chain management is gaining in importance

On average, the companies surveyed have currently implemented 16 sustainability initiatives within the company. For the future, however, the companies surveyed plan to almost double the number of sustainability initiatives they have already implemented over the next few years (+97%). This suggests that sustainability will become increasingly important in supply chain management.

High resource input and complexity are a deterrent

In general, sustainable initiatives are seen as less attractive if they require a high level of resources, such as the development of reverse logistics, which is rated at just 4.2 out of 10 points. Issues that are already complex, such as network planning, which scored 4.6, are also perceived as less important. Resource-saving and relatively simple measures are therefore generally preferred.

The results report on the Miebach study "Sustainable Supply Chain Management" is available free of charge and can be requested via the following link: https://www.miebach.com/de/insights/veroeffentlichungen/?publication=947&country=DE