If your organization isn’t on the environmental responsibility bandwagon yet, what are you waiting for? Last year Wal-Mart announced plans to investigate more than 100,000 suppliers with a Sustainability Index. Now, according to Fast Company, “IBM is following Wal-Mart’s lead by asking its 28,000 suppliers in 60 countries to establish environmental goals and measure energy conservation, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste management/recycling practices.” (“IBM to Suppliers: Embrace Sustainability…Or Else,” Ariel Schwartz, April 14, 2010)

The Baldrige Criteria ask how you consider societal well-being and benefit as part of your operations, including the environmental systems to which you contribute. As with everything in the Baldrige model, acting on your environmental responsibility requires well-defined  and deployed processes that align with your mission and vision and support sustainability and long-term success.

IBM seeks the same systemic approach by its suppliers. According to Wayne Balta, IBM’s VP for corporate environmental affairs and product safety, “We want them all to build long-term sustainability in a way that is integral to their routine operations, not as an add-on fix.”

The Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program (VACSP) Clinical Research Pharmacy Coordinating Center, which won the Baldrige Award in 2009, is a small organization of approximately 112 people that supports and manages drug-related activities in clinical trials. In its application summary, it describes how it considers societal well-being and sustainability:

“As a small organization, the Center has a culture of improvement, including a strong commitment to conserving natural resources and to environmental stewardship. The Center maintains a constant focus on process improvement and efficiency, including the assessment of the environmental impact of our administrative operations and trial-related processes. The Center has recycling programs for paper, cardboard and aluminum. Used equipment, including manufacturing or lab equipment and computers, is repurposed through the VA Excess Program, which reuses or recycles the equipment. From study design to closeout, the Center has developed approaches to minimize environmental impact. The Center continually seeks new technologies that minimize the amount of chemical waste generated during the manufacturing process and regularly implements waste-reduction improvements in the packaging of drug products. Over the years, the Center has shifted from using kit boxes to cartons to trays, which use 65% less material and are recyclable. The Center is committed to total incineration of all non-useable drug products. This practice exceeds federal and state requirements and thus avoids landfill and groundwater contamination.”

That’s what 112 people are doing. How is your organization supporting sustainability?

To read more about corporate social responsibility, click on these articles:

• How to Build a Culture of Social Responsibility
• New Guidelines for Social Responsibility
• Another Sign That Green is Mainstream
• Purpose-Inspired Growth
• Corporate Social Responsibility

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