Survey findings revealed

This year’s report indicates that pressure to support SCS came from multiple sources, both internal and external to companies, but increased the most among investors and industry associations. Internally, company executives were standout champions of SCS, indicating that the growth in SCS is a business trend and not a fad.

The report is founded on a large-scale international survey of supply chain professionals with over 2,400 respondents conducted in late 2020. Survey results are combined with 21 executive interviews and supported by news and social media content analysis from the same year. The MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (MIT CTL) and the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) collaborated on data collection in order to attain the broadest audience of practitioners and input from various sectors. This year’s report is sponsored by BlueYonder, C.H. Robinson, KPMG, Intel, and Sam’s Club.

The report findings are beginning to shed light on how supply chains are becoming increasingly recognized for their impact on a firms’ sustainability objectives and public image. “Our members tell us that now, more than ever before, that the very notion of embedding sustainable practices from within their company’s supply chain delivers real, tangible results,” says Mark Baxa, CSCMP President and CEO. “Competing in today’s global marketplace is not just about the high-quality products supply chains plan, procure, make and deliver. It’s about doing the right things right for the whole of society.”

Although there are many approaches to investing in SCS according to the report, interest in human rights protection, worker welfare and safety, and energy savings & renewable energy, increased significantly over the last year. Supplier development was found to be the most common mechanism used by firms to deliver on their SCS promises.