NMBC Sustainability Forum Recommends Green Strategies for Winning RFPs

NEW YORK - April 3, 2013 - PRLog -- A panel of supply chain sustainability experts, ranging from a waste management archeologist to representatives from ConEd and major financial institutions, addressed the growing demand for evidence of environmental sustainability from prospective vendors by corporations in the United States and abroad.  The forum was hosted by the Green Initiative Committee of the National Minority Business Council (www.nmbc.org) on March 27th, the cusp of annual “Earth Month” celebrations.  

Michael S. Robinson, chair of the Green Initiative Program and treasurer of NMBC’s Board of Directors, established this new initiative. “It makes good business sense to be attuned to the fragility of our planet’s fragile ecosystem.  Living and working in a global economy presents greater opportunities for businesses of all sizes, but it also presents greater risks for generating more packaging waste, an excessive carbon footprint, more demands on natural resources, and for cranking up the virtual thermometer of global warming,”  said Robinson, president and CEO of New York Staffing Services.  Robinson is also the author of “One Hundred Pennies” (Microbin), a guideline for small businesses for navigating government bureaucracy, weathering dips in the economy, and embracing new technology and business practices, including supply chain sustainability, for greater profitability.

“Sustainability not too long ago was limited to the supply chain clerk.  Now, companies that are able to reduce waste and water not only have a positive impact on society but also on their profitability,” noted Michael Jones-Bey, director  of Con Edison’s Supplier Diversity Program. “Do the math.  You’ll see how you can have a positive impact on your profitability.”

Dr. Kevin Lyons, an assistant professor at the Rutgers University School of Business, specializes in supply chain management and marketing strategies.   “Dr. Trash,” as he is affectionately called by his students and colleagues alike, said he got interested in supply chain practices as a teenager after enrolling in the U.S. Air Force.  Working in procurement, he became interested in what the Air Force was buying, why and from where.  “Companies can’t keep mass producing products and entering them into the supply chain, utilizing raw materials for their production and for getting them to their destination” without negative consequences on the environment, he noted.   He said current business practices have to be changed, including changes in the amount of water used for the manufacturing process and the implementation of self-disposing packaging.

 “There is a financial benefit for small businesses to be on the horizon of the next generation of alternative packaging technology and materials.  Partner with other small companies to set up a sustainability strategy to add value to your organization as you go after large multi-million dollar contracts.  Show them how you will help these larger organizations reduce their environmental impact,” recommended Lyons.

As Vice President of Energy and Sustainability at BNY Mellon, Drew Schechtman helps develop and implement the organization’s international sustainability strategy. This includes measuring, reducing and reporting on the global investment company’s environmental impact.  “What do we invest in? Are we being socially responsible?  What are the products that BNY Mellon buys?  We have to be able to talk to investors in the company about this.  We are doing sustainable things at BNY Mellon but we also have to be marketing them to our customers and investors.  Small businesses also have to take on this responsibility at their company,” said Schechtman.  “At BNY Mellon we have accountability for all aspects of our impact on the environment.  If out contractors don’t have sustainability certification documentation, they need to get it.”

Citi has similar expectations of its vendors, including a 26-point supply chain questionnaire to make sure suppliers are engaged in sustainable practices, according to I. Javette Hines, senior vice president of supplier diversity.

Marjella Alma, manager of external relations for the New York regional office of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), a non-profit organization that promotes economic, environmental and social sustainability, noted that 100% of European companies are issuing sustainability reports, compared to about 50% in the United States.  “But this is up from 19% in 1990.” However, only 10% of U.S. companies are having their data verified by third parties.

 “Our objective in taking on this educational and outreach initiative is to not only create awareness for new global business opportunities for our members but also to create awareness of their responsibility of to the environment as they expand their business outreach beyond the borders of their normal marketplace,” said John F. Robinson, president and CEO of NMBC.  

For more information on NMBC’s Green Initiative Program and future programs, contact Michael S. Robinson at (212) 425-2979 or via e-mail, mrobinson@nystaffing.com.        

Pictured left to right: Michael Jones-Bey, Con Edison; John F. Robinson, NMBC; Drew Schechtman, BNY Mellon (rear), I. Javette Hines, Citi, Michael S. Robinson, New York Staffing and Forum chair; Marjella Alma, GRI, and Ben Jones, NMBC Chair.  Not pictured: Kevin Lyons, Rutgers.