It’s nice to see a big publication like Inc. address the issue of sustainability in supply chains. It’s even nicer when it says that smaller supply chains without the financial means to make an aggressive push towards sustainability can still take gradual steps to be more socially, economically, and environmentally responsible, as it did in a recent article that addressed How to Build Sustainability Into Your Supply Chain.

Going after the low-hanging frutit of transportation and sourcing efficiency is a big step. Transportation is among the most unsustainable processes in an average supply chain as there are no viable long-distance shipping options that don’t rely on fossil fuels. While plants can be powered by wind, hydro, and solar energy, trucks, planes, and trains still require fossil fuelds. Thus, minimizing shiping distance, and the need for shipping in the first place, takes a lot of waste out of the operation and makes it sustainable.

Another easy step, as the article points out, is to minimize waste. Many manufacturing by-products can be reused or recycled, and can often even be resold to companies that can reuse or recyle them, turning (the) cost (of waste disposal) into profit.

Yet another easy step, not pointed out in the article, is to install timers and motion sensors and automatically turn off lights, heat, cooling, etc. when it’s not needed. A considerable amount of your energy is wasted heating and cooling space that no one is using.

Even if you can’t transform your operation overnight, you can still green it considerably taking baby steps.