Posted September 16, 2014Director Richard Bank delivered a presentation on Sustainability and Energy Savings in the Logistics Industry, focusing on warehouse operations, at the 2014 Biennial Workshop in the Program on Energy-Aware Operations in Manufacturing and Service Enterprises organized by Penn State University and the National Science Foundation. The conference program targeted sustainability and energy issues in building operations, logistics operations, the power grid and factory operations. Richard's presentation at the Penn State / NSF sponsored conference was designed to bridge the area between the academic and theoretical studies on energy savings on the operational and engineering levels, with the rationale for sustainable practices within the day-to-day business activities of proprietary and 3PL warehouses and transpiration entities. He highlighted the twin drivers of economic benefit and the desire of commercial enterprises to be good corporate citizens in terms of sustainability and energy savings. He discussed the need to calculate the return on investment (ROI) associated with the introduction of the latest energy-saving sustainable technology and the implementation of best practices within the logistics industry. He also focused on the need to establish standards and metrics for measuring sustainability (especially in energy savings) within the logistics industry, noting the growing confluence of the actual manufacturing of products with their transportation and distribution throughout the supply chain. Posted August 4, 2014Richard Bank, Director of the SSCF, gave a presentation on Sustainable Supply Chain Management on August 4, 2014 at the Corporate Environmental Forum Meeting organized by ORCHSE Strategies, LLC in Washington, DC. Richard's presentation demonstrated how environmentally sustainable supply chain management and practices in the transportation and distribution sectors can assist companies and organizations in not only reducing their total carbon footprint, but also in optimizing their end-to-end operations to achieve greater cost savings and profitability. He explained how all supply chains can be optimized using sustainable practices accompanied by the use of metrics which facilitate the tracking of progress. He noted that consumers and Wall Street recognize the importance of green practices and sustainability, which more and more drive increased sales and share valuation, as well as at the same time display corporate social responsibility. Posted June 12, 2014Director Richard Bank delivered a presentation and conducted a discussion on the future of sustainability in the transportation and distribution industry at the 12th Annual North American 3PL Summit and Chief Supply Chain Officer Forum in Chicago on June 12, 2014. The yearly Summit is organized by eyefortransport (EFT), a London-based economic research company which focuses on key industries including transportation, logistics, technology, life sciences and retail. Posted January 27, 2014Richard Bank, Director, Sustainable Supply Chain Foundation supplies an update on the organization's efforts to instill voluntary standards for sustainability in the warehouse, as well as other logistics processes. Posted September 17, 2013SSCF Director Richard Bank presented a paper drafted with the assistance with Richard Murphy of Murphy Warehouses, Minneapolis, Minnesota and Dr. Serm Kulvatunyou of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) entitled Warehousing Sustainability Standards Development at Penn State’s International Advances in Production Management Systems Conference on September 12, 2013. The paper discusses the economic and operational rationales for developing a sustainable supply chain. It focuses on logistics operations of supply chain management, i.e. those operations which include the storage distribution, and transportation of products. It emphasizes the importance of sustainability in this step of the supply chain in particular. It calls for the consolidation and development of sustainability metrics in warehousing by reviewing the relative merits and shortcoming of existing metrics in this field. and discusses the important steps now being undertaken by the International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA) through its Sustainable Logistics Initiative (SLI). More than 200 delegates from more than 20 countries attended the conference. Posted May 21, 2013The Sustainable Supply Chain Foundation (SSCF) is pleased to announced that Christina Boulineaux will be joining The Foundation as an Intern on June 1. A 2010 graduate of the National Cathedral School in Washington, DC, Christina will be entering her junior year at the University of St Andrews in St Andrews, Scotland in September. Christina, who helped establish the Journal of Sustainability and is a Contributing Editor, was an intern this past year with Astrum Solar, where she assisted a financial engineering team in financial modeling projects for solar panels. At St Andrews she was the Sustainability Officer of the student Representative Council, where she managed the Kenly Wind Farm Project campaign. While at The National Cathedral School, she was President of the Environmental Action Group where she led the initiative to finance a $20,000 installation of solar panels on the high school, successfully raised the funding for that project and was involved with applying for and receiving a grant from the William Penn Foundation. Welcome Aboard, Christina ! Posted March 28, 2013SSCF Director Richard Bank will moderate a panel on the Sustainable Supply Chain - Environmentally Conscious Growth at the Eyefortransport 11th North American 3PL Summit in Chicago June 18-20. The panel will be discussing integrating environmentally and financially viable practices into the complete supply chain life-cycle, from product design and development, to material selection, manufacturing, packaging, transportation, warehousing, distribution, consumption, return and disposal through practices which address the following drivers: environmental stewardship, conservation of resources, reduction of carbon footprint, financial savings and social responsibility. Richard's panel will include Mike Delbovo, President of Saddle Creek Transportation; Tom Sanderson, CEO, Transplace and Lisa Denneril, Director Supply Chain, Sunny Delight. Posted March 28, 2013On April 16, SSCCF Director Richard Bank will be addressing the Spring Conference of the Canadian Council of the International Logistics Warehouse Association in Toronto, Ontario. In 2012, Richard introduced IWLA’s Sustainable Logistics Initiative to IWLA members in Canada. Recent studies show how the rationale for sustainability programs has changed from primarily focusing on environmental stewardship to an understanding of an exiting economic reality; that 3PLs, their customers, 3PL employees and legislators are recognizing the importance of a company’s green policies as it affects the business model. He will highlight the Initiative’s progress in the past year and discuss how sustainability shows up on the bottom line. Posted March 12, 2013March 12, 2013 --- The Sustainable Supply Chain Foundation (SSCF) is pleased to announce that Professor Rachelle C. Sampson, Ph.D has joined its Advisory Board. The Board provides expertise and guidance, as well as professional support regarding the activities of the Foundation. Posted February 21, 2013Sustainable Supply Chain Foundation ( SSCF) Director Richard Bank, and Richard Murphy, President and CEO of Murphy Warehouse, and Chair of the Sustainability Committee of the International Warehouse Logistics Association, will be giving a presentation on February 27 at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The presentation will describe the role of warehouses in addressing sustainability issues and the Sustainable Logistics Initiative (SLI) of the IWLA, which Is monitored and verified by the SSCF. NIST, which is part of the US Department of Commerce, and the SSCF are in discussions as to how NIST and the industry can improve supply chain logistics sustainability performance via standards and metrics. Posted February 20, 2013ALAN Receives Support from Sustainable Supply Chain FoundationAnnapolis, February 12, 2013 - The American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) announced today that it has received a sponsorship from the Sustainable Supply Chain Foundation (SSCF) to provide ongoing support for its mission of engaging industry to address the unmet needs of relief organizations, communities, and people. Posted January 31, 2013Richard Bank to Speak at Agrion’s Energy and Sustainability SummitSSCF Director Richard Bank will deliver a presentation on supply chain and logistics sustainability at Agrion’s Energy and Sustainability Summit in New York February 19 and 20. The agenda on corporate social responsibility and sustainable energy practices will focus on business trends, the return on investment for sustainable corporate practices and energy efficiency. Agrion, the leading global network for energy and corporate sustainability, connects the main stakeholders of energy markets as well as Chief Sustainability Officers from the world’s largest corporations. The New York Summit is expected to attract 450 senior executives. (www.agrion.org) Posted January 31, 2013Sustainable Supply Chain Foundation Announces Formation of its Advisory BoardPosted December 31, 2012Lisa Harrington Resigns as Co-Director of the Sustainable Supply Chain FoundationPosted November 30, 2012The New Mission of the Sustainable Supply Chain FoundationRichard Bank and Lisa Harrington, directors of the Sustainable Supply Chain Foundation, bring us up to date on the group's efforts to introduce third-party verification of companies' sustainability programs. [Run Time (Min.): 12:54 Posted May 5, 2012The Impact of Measurement on Sustainability within the Supply ChainRichard Bank, Director of the Sustainable Supply Chain Foundation, says that cost-reduction can be driven through sustainability projects, but effective ... Posted March 27, 2012Shippers embrace new sustainability initiativeShareholder pressure is forcing publicly-held manufacturers to adhere to the highest levels of sustainability, said industry analysts and experts speaking yesterday a the International Warehouse Logistics Association 2012 Convention & Expo in San Francisco. Posted December 13, 2011Sustainable Practices plus Verification Form Cornerstone of SLI Supply Chain Sustainability ProgramSSCF Director Richard Bank Provides Update on 3PL Industry Sustainability Program at NITL Annual Convention in Atlanta. November 15, 2011 – Atlanta, GA – Supply chain sustainability practices – together with neutral third party verification – are the key components of the Sustainable Logistics Initiative (SLI), a ground-breaking self-assessment program launched earlier this year by the International Warehouse and Logistics Association (IWLA). Bank, co-director of the Sustainable Supply Chain Foundation (SSCF), together with Jay Strother, director of membership, marketing and business development for the IWLA, discussed the program in a presentation at the National Industrial Transportation League’s (NITL) 104th Annual Meeting & TransComp Exhibition (click here for the full presentation). The SSCF is the neutral, third party verifying partner for the SLI. The SLI, designed by the IWLA specifically for its members, is a web-based tool companies can use to easily assess and quantify the sustainability of individual warehouse/logistics facilities. SLI enables companies to establish a sustainability baseline for each facility enrolled in six key areas: electrical usage, recycling, liquid fuel usage, water consumption, employee safety and community service. The SLI program enables companies to track and verify their individual facility progress toward improved sustainability in each of these six areas. "Using the SLI self assessment, IWLA member third party logistics facilities and companies will be able to demonstrate their sustainability practices to existing and potential customers and to the market in general," Bank noted. "Our foundation will independently and neutrally verify SLI assessment results." "This independent, neutral verification is a key differentiator for SLI," added Strother. "Many of our members are already working to improve their sustainability practices. This outside, neutral verification by the SSCF assures the credibility of their efforts. This is especially important in light of the fact that more and more 3PL customers are requiring their supply chain partners to adopt 'green’ practices throughout their operations." Posted December 13, 2011SSCF Recommends ALAN for Social Sustainability OptionThe Sustainable Supply Chain Foundation is recommending that companies support the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) as a means of fulfilling corporate social responsibility and community service commitments. ALAN accepts support through donations of funds, manpower or in-kind contributions. For more information about ALAN, visit www.alanaid.org. Posted November 21, 2011DC Velocity—Special Report on Sustainable LogisticsThe following article appeared in the November 21 edition of DC Velocity magazine. It describes the cooperative activity undertaken by the Sustainable Supply Chain Foundation and the International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA) in regard to the IWLA's Sustainable Logistics Initiative. NOTE: While the overall description of the Sustainable Logistics Initiative operated by the IWLA is correct, specific cost elements are still being finalized as of December 2011. Posted December 12, 2011Video—An Introduction to the Sustainable Supply Chain FoundationOn SupplyChainBrain.com Richard Bank, director of the Sustainable Supply Chain Foundation, discusses the organization's mission, and how companies can benefit from it. Posted June 30th, 2011The IWLA has selected SSCF to be the neutral, third party verifying partnerJune 30, 2011 – Washington, DC - The International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA, www.iwla.com) has selected the Sustainable Supply Chain Foundation (SSCF, www.sustainable-scf.org) to be the neutral, third party verifying partner in its newly launched Sustainable Logistics Initiative (SLI). The SLI is a cutting edge tool, designed by the IWLA specifically for its members, with which companies can easily assess and quantify the sustainability of individual warehouse/logistics facilities. Using the SLI self assessment, IWLA member third party logistics facilities and companies will be able to demonstrate their sustainability practices to existing and potential customers and to the market in general. The SLI, after establishing a sustainability base-line for each facility enrolled, will provide the capability to monitor, track and verify sustainability practices in areas such as energy usage, water consumption and waste disposal. The Sustainable Supply Chain Foundation will independently and neutrally verify SLI assessment results. The SLI is designed to be a continuous improvement tool for IWLA members. The IWLA, which has been in existence since 1891, is the leading warehouse trade association in North America. The nearly 500 member companies provide a wide range of logistics services including warehousing, transportation, value-added services and consulting. IWLA’s members are committed to protecting the free flow of products domestically and across international borders in the most efficient, cost-effective and sustainable manner. The SSCF provides consultation services, funds and conducts research related to sustainability in global and domestic supply chain and transportation-related industries. It also works to identify and assess best practices and emerging technologies that advance sustainability in every aspect of supply chain management. For more information contact: Rickard K. Bank, Sustainable Supply Chain Foundation, 202.375.3269, rbank@sustainable-scf.org. Posted November 27th, 20104th Sustainable Supply Chain Summit — Opening RemarksRichard Bank, a Director of The Sustainable Supply Chain Foundation chaired the 4th Sustainable Supply Chain Summit held in San Francisco in October. In his opening remarks, he highlighted the six drivers which have assisted in establishing the principles of sustainability in the supply chain. The Summit brought together key supply chain executives from over 100 companies. Chairman's Opening Remarks (PDF) Posted October 5th, 2010SSCF Director Richard Bank to Chair Sustainable Supply Chain SummitOctober 16, 2010, Washington, DC - .For the second year in a row, Richard Bank, director of the Sustainable Supply Chain Foundation (SSCF) will serve as Chair of the Sustainable Supply Chain Summit, presented by Eyefortransport in San Francisco October 28 and 29. The Summit will focus on supply chain sustainability in terms of environmental impact, social responsibility and economic consequences. It will include presentations by corporate executives, including many from Fortune 500 companies. Topics to be addressed include the use of correct standards to improve organizational performance in sustainability, how to maximize sustainability via collaboration with suppliers, how to measure sustainability, and how to communicate one’s sustainable supply chain efforts to customers and consumers. The Directors of the SSCF attended the recent Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Annual Global Conference and were active participants in the track which presented expert speakers on the creation of sustainable and successful supply chains. The Sustainable Supply Chain Foundation Incorporated researches, and supports research to identify and describe best practices and emerging technologies aimed at furthering sustainability practices as they relate to domestic and global supply chain operations and sourcing. For more information, contact Richard Bank at 202.375.3269 or email at rbank@sustainable-scf.org |