The buzz on green supply chains

There’s plenty of talk these days about “sustainable” or “green” supply chains and how these could help save forests while benefiting producers and consumers. But what are they?

In this edition of the TFU, ITTO Executive Director Gerhard Dieterle (page 3) writes that green tropical-timber supply chains “would bring benefits to all stakeholders, from forest owners in the tropics to consumers of the final products—as well as to the global environment”. Businesses might want to implement green supply chains because they are good corporate citizens, but, according to a recent workshop in China (reported in Dr Dieterle’s article), the private sector also sees green supply chains as a means for reducing costs and increasing efficiency.