Businesses operating within the organic sector in Wales are being offered the opportunity to save up to 25 per cent in their supply chain costs thanks to a new sustainability project being run by the Better Organic Business Links (BOBL) project.
The project, which aims to support the sustainable development of the organic sector in Wales, is looking for up to 25 organic businesses to take part in a programme where they will receive free help and business consultancy from sustainability experts, Weir Total Supply Chain Sustainability.
The project will work with the selected companies to benchmark their supply chains, identify opportunities and develop sustainability action plans that could result in up to a 25 per cent reduction in supply chain costs, reduce environmental impact and improve business reputation and market share.
The Director of Organic Centre Wales, which runs the BOBL project, Sue Fowler, said: “Supporting the sustainable development of organic businesses in Wales is central to the objectives of the BOBL project. This includes helping all parts of the organic supply chain to understand their sustainability footprint and to improve the performance of their business over time.
“We know that this sustainability project will interest organic producers throughout Wales as it represents a real opportunity to reduce distribution costs and wastage whilst also getting a higher price for their products. Organic producers also have a strong interest in what happens to their products once they have left their stage of production – integrity, freshness and quality of the product when it reaches the end consumer is key. The learning from this project will enable the whole organic business community in Wales to deliver increased profitability, sustainability and exemplary environmental performance.”
The project will look at the supply chain of the whole process, from the sourcing and buying of raw materials; processing, packaging and storage to the distribution, selling and consumption of the products – even through to any post-consumer waste.
Weir Total Supply Chain Sustainability project manager, Chris Stanley, said: “This project offers a unique opportunity for organic businesses in Wales to expand market share, reduce costs and improve sustainability.
“There are obvious economic benefits such as improved profit margins across the supply chain, better risk management and improved cost control. The project will combine these with a wide range of sustainability aspects including environmental factors such as energy, waste, water, land stewardship and food miles. It will also cover the ethical and social factors such as working practices, commercial relationships and community development. Our project will look at all these aspects for the Organic sector supply chains in Wales and we encourage businesses in the sector to actively participate to gain direct benefits.”
For more information on the BOBL project and Organic Centre Wales visit www.organiccentrewales.org.uk or call 01970 622248.
