When you buy and sell goods or services, it’s important to do it in a sustainable, environmentally friendly way.

About 70% of your business’s sustainability impact comes from your supply chain, so it’s a good area of your operation to prioritise if you want to make your business more sustainable.

It’s also important to make sure other businesses in your supply chain are taking their sustainability responsibilities seriously.

Supply chain sustainability is when you provide goods or services while:

• cutting wastage of resources
• considering the environmental and human effect of a product’s journey through your supply chain – from sourcing raw materials to production, storage and transportation
• reducing environmental damage from your carbon footprint, energy usage, water consumption and waste production
• having a positive impact on the people and communities in and around your business.

An easy way to check the sustainability of your supply chain is by using the free self-assessment toolbox, Docket.

Docket was created by the Sustainable Business Network in partnership with the government and the private sector and was launched in February 2023.

The Docket toolbox provides a short online assessment, and practical tools and guides so you can see how well your business is caring for the environment and your team.

It will also guide you on how to make improvements, if necessary.

No matter the size of your business, Docket can help you check and improve the sustainability of your business and supply chain.

It can do this by showing you how to:

• cut carbon emissions
• cut wastage
• regenerate nature
• eliminate modern slavery
• keep your workers happy, safe and healthy
• share your sustainability achievements with your customers and networks.

It’s a good idea to share Docket with your suppliers to make your business – and theirs – more sustainable.

Apart from helping to reduce the overall global carbon footprint, there are benefits in having a sustainable supply chain for your business.

These include:

• saving you money, as being more efficient with energy and resources cuts your costs
• being environmentally responsible, to help to attract and retain talented people
• taking climate action, which can drive innovation and put you ahead of your competition.

Start using Docket now.

Docket(external link) — Sustainable Business Network

Welcome to Sustainable Business Network(external link) — Sustainable Business Network