In the corporate world, most business leaders agree that achieving real bottom line improvements, whether through cost savings or elevated revenues, is critical to business sustainability.  However, these bottom line achievements are not a one-way street.  Our sustainability consulting experience tells us that success is the result of close collaboration with key stakeholders committed to the business’s success. 

Referring back to the post, Long Term Supplier Partnerships Key to Unilever’s Sustainable Growth, we build upon this concept though the eyes of a business sustainability leader.  As the article explains, focusing on increased collaboration and integration with key suppliers has proved to be a win-win for Unilever and its supply chain.

Unilever's most recent sustainability value creation presents itself in its partnership with DHL.  According to the Environmental Leader post, Unilever, DHL Partner to Drive Sustainability, Efficiency, "Unilever and DHL Supply Chain have partnered on a series of initiatives that the companies say will increase sustainable practices and the speed of bringing products to market.  According to Unilever and DHL, these new initiatives include developing technology to improve carbon efficiency and reduce waste within global logistics operations.  This joint business development plan is part of Unilever’sPartner to Win program to work more closely with its suppliers. It also supports both companies’ carbon-reduction initiatives: Unilever’s Sustainable Living Plan, which include more than 50 social, economic and environmental targets such as its goal to reduce by 50 percent the company’s greenhouse gas emissions, water and waste used by the company in its direct operations; and DHL’s GoGreen initiative, a carbon-neutral shipping option for DHL and Deutsche Post customers."

At Taiga Company, our professional consulting works with clients to build a long term business sustainability plan that adds value by identifying critical relationships and taking proactive steps to engage those stakeholders in the process.  Through collaborative stakeholder engagement, a company can promote engagement, create alignment, and ensure the most effective results.  Some of the specific benefits include:

• The supply chain working together under aligned sustainability goals. 
• Business responsiveness to the expectations of the consumer.
• Business practices designed for minimal environmental impact.
• Realized benefits of a supportive local community.

Whether incorporating individual sustainability concepts or creating a sustainability plan for the entire business, the ability to effectively engage the outside world in the process is critical to success.  Because ultimate success relies heavily on the effective stakeholder engagement with the company’s internal and external business resource, our sustainability consulting focuses heavily upon social media engagement strategies  to optimize the communication gateway within the supply chain.