Unlocking Sustainable Performance with Supplier Training & Capacity Development and Supplier Days

Supplier engagement and supplier training programmes can provide suppliers with the knowledge and tools they need to improve their sustainability practices, thus allowing companies to significantly enhance their overall environmental performance.

Training and capacity development is a crucial component of supplier engagement strategies. Supplier trainings and workshops have helped clients to:

  1. Improve the immediate performance and reliability of suppliers, helping them meet ESG goals, regulations and standards.
  2. Increase communication and collaboration with their suppliers to foster long-term relationships built on trust, innovation, and mutual benefit, ensuring suppliers are better equipped to handle potential market changes.
  3. Upskill suppliers, often leading to greater efficiency and reduced wastage. Suppliers who operate more efficiently can also provide better pricing to their customers, which can result in cost savings.
  4. Align the supplier’s goals and values with those of their customers. When suppliers understand and share the customer’s mission and values, they are more likely to work towards common objectives and support strategic initiatives.

In this article, we will explore various examples of trainings and workshops that can be leveraged to improve supplier engagement in sustainability initiatives across your supply chain.

Supplier Training & Capacity Development Topics

At Anthesis, our Supply Chain experts curate diverse training and capacity development programmes to meet a variety of needs. A few examples of Anthesis’ popular supplier trainings include:

Carbon Footprinting and ReportingWorkshops on Carbon Footprinting:
Training sessions that teach suppliers how to calculate and report their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, focusing on methodologies like the GHG Protocol.

Emissions Reporting Tools:
Training on using software and tools for accurate emissions tracking and reporting, such as the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) reporting system.
Sustainable Supply Chain ManagementSustainable Procurement Practices:
Training on integrating sustainability criteria into procurement processes, including the selection of sustainable materials and suppliers.

Supply Chain Collaboration:
Workshops on collaborating with other stakeholders in the supply chain to achieve collective emissions reductions.
Energy Efficiency and Renewable EnergyEnergy Audits and Management:
Training suppliers on conducting energy audits to identify inefficiencies and opportunities for energy savings.

Renewable Energy Adoption:
Workshops on transitioning to renewable energy sources, including feasibility studies, implementation strategies, and financial incentives.
Employee Engagement and AwarenessAwareness Campaigns:
Programs to raise awareness among supplier employees about the importance of reducing emissions and how they can contribute.

Training the Trainers:
Developing internal champions within supplier organizations who can continue training and promoting sustainable practices.
Regulatory Compliance and StandardsCompliance Training:
Ensuring suppliers are aware of and comply with relevant environmental regulations and standards, such as ISO 14001.

Best Practice Sharing:
Sessions where suppliers can learn from each other’s successes in reducing emissions and improving sustainability.

Additional Trainings

Anthesis offers additional training including sustainable product design and manufacturing, waste reduction and recycling, transportation and logistics optimization, water and resource management and climate risk.

Getting Started with a Supplier Day

Committing to engaging your suppliers is a journey that requires continuous time and resources but organizing a supplier day is a great way to get started.

A supplier day is a one or multi-day in-person or virtual event, which is typically led by procurement and sustainability teams to align an organization and its suppliers around business and sustainability goals. Hosting a supplier day is an excellent opportunity to drive progress on your supplier engagement and sustainability goals.

Anthesis helps our clients plan and deliver a customizable and comprehensive supplier day to strengthen collaboration with and between suppliers. We work with our clients to identify supplier engagement goals and KPIs, to define the scope and scale of the event, and to develop and deliver the content and communication.

To learn more about our supplier engagement expertise and to get started planning your supplier day, contact us today.

We are the world’s leading purpose driven, digitally enabled, science-based activator. And always welcome inquiries and partnerships to drive positive change together.