Does your consumer packaged goods (CPG) company practice ethical sourcing compliance measures involving contract packagers and others in your supply chain? If not, your company is vulnerable not only to inconsistent procedures, but also to inefficiency that could inflate costs.
Cadbury is one product manufacturer that has adopted ethical sourcing compliance practices across its supply chain. Sherilyn Brodersen (shown below), ethical sourcing manager, outlined Cadbury’s practices March 21 at the Contract Packaging Association’s annual meeting in Braselton, GA.
“The reputation of our brands is hard to build but easy to lose,” Brodersen said in explaining the reasons behind Cadbury’s ethical sourcing initiatives. “When lost, the entire supply chain suffers.”
Ethical sourcing should be seen as fundamental to the success and sustainability of a CPG company to work effectively, Brodersen added. A successful program helps to minimize a variety of risks associated with external operations by instituting uniform standards. For contract packaging, that could include materials selection and sourcing, and workplace procedures.
Brodersen suggested that CPG companies join SEDEX (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange) and complete a company self-assessment in ethical sourcing. The Web site also allows for a data exchange between CPG companies and their suppliers. One benefit of an open data exchange, Brodersen said, is an established comfort level between service buyer and seller that establishes trust in giving a contract packager autonomy to place orders, allowing a CPG company to focus more on its core competencies.
Find the fox
In another presentation at the annual meeting, Al Barrenechea, CEO and COO at Eco Green Products, answered a question that contract packagers often pose when approaching CPG companies to assess their packaging needs: “Who is the right initial contact to approach?” Barrenechea said the best results come if a contract packager can identify the “power sponsor” inside the company. He defined this person as the “fox.”
The fox has authority, is well-respected, delegates well, is results-oriented and a strategic thinker, and listens and organizes well.
“Find the fox,” Barrenechea advised. “Then ask what does he or she feel bad about in their packaging effort? Find his or her pain, and then resolve it.”
Cadbury is one product manufacturer that has adopted ethical sourcing compliance practices across its supply chain. Sherilyn Brodersen (shown below), ethical sourcing manager, outlined Cadbury’s practices March 21 at the Contract Packaging Association’s annual meeting in Braselton, GA.
“The reputation of our brands is hard to build but easy to lose,” Brodersen said in explaining the reasons behind Cadbury’s ethical sourcing initiatives. “When lost, the entire supply chain suffers.”
Ethical sourcing should be seen as fundamental to the success and sustainability of a CPG company to work effectively, Brodersen added. A successful program helps to minimize a variety of risks associated with external operations by instituting uniform standards. For contract packaging, that could include materials selection and sourcing, and workplace procedures.
Brodersen suggested that CPG companies join SEDEX (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange) and complete a company self-assessment in ethical sourcing. The Web site also allows for a data exchange between CPG companies and their suppliers. One benefit of an open data exchange, Brodersen said, is an established comfort level between service buyer and seller that establishes trust in giving a contract packager autonomy to place orders, allowing a CPG company to focus more on its core competencies.
Find the fox
In another presentation at the annual meeting, Al Barrenechea, CEO and COO at Eco Green Products, answered a question that contract packagers often pose when approaching CPG companies to assess their packaging needs: “Who is the right initial contact to approach?” Barrenechea said the best results come if a contract packager can identify the “power sponsor” inside the company. He defined this person as the “fox.”
The fox has authority, is well-respected, delegates well, is results-oriented and a strategic thinker, and listens and organizes well.
“Find the fox,” Barrenechea advised. “Then ask what does he or she feel bad about in their packaging effort? Find his or her pain, and then resolve it.”
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