The power of the individual: how our daily choices can promote sustainable change
We can all play a part in promoting sustainable change. Our individual daily choices have a big impact on the flow of goods being transported globally. Here’s how you can make a difference in making sustainable change possible for supply and procurement.
Procurement and supply have a major role to play in promoting sustainable change for global supply chains.
Business and governments are coming together to unite against climate change, but there is a lot that we can do to put sustainability front and centre of our communities.
The choices an individual makes by buying locally sourced products and services, or reusing products, can do a lot of good for the environment.
If you need some help understanding where to start, we can help guide you through some things that you can do to promote sustainable change.
Sustainable change and sustainable societies
Sustainability is a word that is used over and over again to address climate change. When it comes to sustainable change, it’s a term that links very well with a sustainable society.
Sustainable change involves the individual making changes that are environmentally friendly to their everyday life. Instead of using a petrol-powered car, the person can cycle or use public transport. As well as buying less, we should also think about purchasing higher quality products from local supply chains.
The sustainable changes that an individual takes in their local community can be promoted to others. These changes have trickled down to other individuals in their neighbourhood who are moving towards a sustainable society – and in turn, sustainable supply chains.
How can individuals and supply chain professionals promote sustainable change?
There’s a lot that we can do to promote sustainable change – both in and out of work.
Customers demand that not only are their raw materials sourced sustainably, but also when it comes to creating products that are ethically sourced.
As an individual, promoting companies that protect workers from unsafe working conditions will drive demand towards other people buying higher quality products.
It’s important that the supply chains and procurement processes when buying a product from the company have a robust supplier code of conduct with their supply chains.
Ensuring that you are working with supply chains that hold the same values as you is essential to gaining trust from people who are buying your materials or products.
This means you are informed about how the materials were sourced into the products that are available in your local shop.
What daily choices can you make to promote sustainable change?
For the individual, there is a lot you can do with the daily choices you make in promoting sustainable change, not just in your neighbourhood, but also in the workplace.
It can be confusing and scary at first to make sustainable daily choices that you can use in everyday life. Once you get over those hurdles, you can use what you’ve learned to promote sustainable change to friends, family members, and work colleagues.
The power of education in promoting sustainable change
Education can play a vital role in shifting your daily choices to promote a sustainable lifestyle that protects the environment and benefits society.
If your workplace already has sustainability built in to their company values, then you can go onto training courses that will help with your professional development of the subject. There’s always something new to learn when it comes to promoting sustainable change in your every day life.
You can apply what you’ve learned on the training courses at your job into out-of-work activities. It means that you’ve got the confidence to not only promote sustainable change in the industry you work in, but also in other aspects of your life, from leisure to general and everyday hobbies you partake in.
Buy locally sourced products from local shops
One of the things we all need to think about when it comes to promoting sustainable change is buying products that are locally sourced.
Continuing to buy the same product you’ve always used from large company and corporations will transfer into, not only material shortages, but also price increases.
Rather than buying products that use unsustainable materials, you can go for products that are sourced from local supply chains.
By buying your products locally, you are promoting companies that use sustainable materials to create their products over organisations who have a poor environmental record.
Collaborating with supply chains and businesses
Supply chains and businesses who work together with you can help to not only promote sustainable change, but also contribute to the industry’s sustainability goals.
When companies and supply chains come together to create sustainable practises for the sectors they operate in, it benefits everyone in the industry. By putting aside company rivalries, it means that the sector is united against the common goal of climate change.
The collaboration between these three parties provides the opportunity to build trust with the public and industry around their sustainability goals.
There is a lot that you can do when it comes to promoting sustainable change, not just in the workplace, but also in your community.
It means that individuals are making sustainable choices that benefit not just the environment and society, but also the supply chains that deliver locally sourced goods and services.
This article was originally published on 15 March 2022
