“Sustainability” has been a big business buzzword for a few years now – but it applies to more sectors of business than you might expect.

Take, for example, the supply chain. Frequently thought of as the centerpiece of most retail operations, the supply chain has actually undergone a number of changes from top to bottom, in order to better serve customers while functioning in a more sustainable capacity.

No matter where your warehouse falls on the supply chain, a more sustainable operation can provide a number of benefits for your warehouse, your clients, and even your employees.

Warehousing Benefits of Sustainable Supply Chains

Improved inventory continuity

One of the biggest aspects of a sustainable supply chain is the availability of products from different suppliers or sources. Overreliance on a single warehouse or manufacturer is a leading cause of pollution and wasted energy in supply chains, and as a result, many more sustainable methods involve sourcing different warehouses for products.

This can have the fringe benefit of making sure you run out of certain products or items less frequently. By maintaining these supplier relationships, you can ensure your supply chain both has less impact on the environment, and less impact on your potential inventory shortages.

Standardized customer service

Implementing sustainable best practices along the supply chain tends to have an interesting ripple effect across your warehouse operations, including customer service.

By standardizing your supply chain best practices, you can actually respond to customer needs more efficiently. Whether it’s designating a specific set of warehouse metal shelving for your returns, cutting down on the amount of handling time it takes an item to make it onto your commercial warehouse shelving, or just changing how frequently you communicate with customers, standardizing your practices through sustainability can help improve customer relations too.

Cost control

Sustainable practices can also lead to reduced overhead for many aspects of your business.

Even something as simple as investing in more environmentally friendly industrial LED lighting, or committing to using more local suppliers, can start to reduce your expenses in a number of areas, and provide a more environmentally stable way of doing business overall. And when cost savings and environmental focus come together, everyone wins.

Reputation

Finally, as intangible as it may be, sustainability has been the focus of the modern business world, and it can benefit your business in more ways than just financial.

How many times have you seen a business praised for focusing more on environmental safety in its practices – or, on the flipside, seen a business condemned by the public for not adopting these practices? By turning to a more sustainable business model, your reputation is bound to improve both among potential new customers, and those that already trust you with their business.

And as anyone can tell you, a good business reputation is something that you can’t just buy.