Pressure Points
Using sustainability to build
resiliency in the supply chain
Over the last year, I’ve written multiple columns about the
end-of-life of aerosol products, including the recycling
of empty aerosol cans and States’ adoption of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)i rule to add aerosol cans
to their universal waste programs. The disposal of a product and
how that impacts the environment are important to a product’s
sustainability story, but they are not the only parts.
The sustainability of an aerosol product includes the packaging
and the chemistry (both the formulation and the propellant). For
an aerosol product to be sustainable, the supply chain of its entire
delivery system must be resilient. Companies need to be able to
maintain business operations, fulfill customer orders in a timely
manner and mitigate supplier challenges. The goal when building
a supply network is to have partners and procedures in place that
keep the flow of materials and products running smoothly, but this
can be a challenge even under normal circumstances.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the fragility of
the supply chain and the importance of minimizing stressors to
ensure the reliability of the overall supply channel. The world has
faced unprecedented challenges due to the disruptions caused by
COVID-19 and resulting lockdowns. Employees and communities
must always come first, but many businesses needed to adjust
quickly to new virtual worlds. The supply chain was forced to pivot
to focus on key ingredients and products, which has made it more
susceptible to external factors. Disruptions continue to create
shortages in the marketplace, cause delays to production and order
fulfillment and increase costs that will eventually be passed down
the supply chain.
I previously wroteii about the importance of mapping out the
entire supply chain, but there are other important procurement
strategies that also can play a role. When selecting partners and
suppliers, companies often make decisions between single or
multiple sources of materials, local or global sourcing and various
contignecy plans. Robust and resilient supply chain management
will not only consider its current supply chain, but also the future.
However, there are trade-offs when making these decisions. For
instance, a global supply chain approach provides more options
than a local supplier. As a result though, the increased transportation
to move these materials increases energy and emission costs
and exposes the supply chain to more unpredictable changes. Who
could have guessed that a deep freeze in Texasiii or a container ship
stuck in the Suez Canaliv would significantly impact global trade?
Making these decisions can become more difficult when looking
into the sustainable practices of suppliers and ensuring that they
align with your own. It’s important for companies
to set and promote sustainable practices—both environmentally
and socially—not just for themselves,
but for their entire supply network. This should
include setting long-term sustainability goals, ensuring
that their network fits into an overall sustainability
strategy and working with suppliers to build
sustainability programs if they do not already exist.
While the pandemic, the weather and an unfortunate
shipping accident have caused plenty of constraints
on the overall supply chain in the last year,
a supplier with less than desirable practices can also
cause plenty of headaches. No company wants their
reputation damaged because an upstream supplier
has unacceptable social or environmental practices.
Collaboration throughout the supply chain and
within industry—by sharing best practices—can help
reduce the impact of these challenges and help
grow the industry. I would like to invite everyone to
participate in a conversation to discuss these best
practices, as well as end-of-life aspects for aerosol
products, at HCPA’s virtual Mid-Year Meeting on
May 24–27. For more information or to register,
please contact me at ngeorges@thehcpa.org. Spray
10 Spray May 2021
NICHOLAS GEORGES
HCPA VP of Scientific
& International Affairs
Who could have guessed that a container ship stuck in the Suez Canal would significantly
impact global trade?
Photo: Satellite Image ©2021 Maxar Technologies
iEPA’s Increasing Recycling: Adding Aerosol Cans to the Universal Waste Regulations
can be found at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-12-
09/pdf/2019-25674.pdf
iiFound at https://www.spraytm.com/how-covid-19-has-redefined-supplychain
management.html
iiiTullo, Alexander H. “Texas Petrochemical Production is Still Thawing.” Chemical
& Engineering News. Volume 99, Issue 11. March 24, 2021. Available at
https://cen.acs.org/business/petrochemicals/Texas-petrochemical-production
still-thawing/99/i11
ivStahl, George. “Ship Stuck in Suez Canal and Chip Shortages: What Global
Supply-Chain Problems Mean for You.” The Wall Street Journal. March 26,
2021. Available at https://www.wsj.com/articles/whats-wrong-with-globalsupply
chains-and-how-it-affects-you-11616763749