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The mini-conference on ‘The quest towards Sustainable Value Chains’, held on April 20, at 15:00 pm was both inspiring and informative. The conference was held online and educators and professionals from across the globe joined us.  

We were delighted to have with us our co-founder, Hans Kremer, along with keynote speakers Prof. Ed Weenk (MSc, PDEng) and Peter van Grinsven. Throughout the conference, they discussed how companies can make ambitious targets that have a constructive impact on the 3ps of sustainability: People, Planet, and Prosperity. The keynote speakers also addressed some poignant questions about how companies can respond to their growing expectations in becoming more sustainable.   

Painting the current landscape and talking about current best practices 

While telling his story about the 3Ps, Prof. Ed Weenk pointed out the importance of looking at Supply Chain through a social dimension. He mentioned, “we have to take into consideration all of our stakeholders. And we have to know our stakeholders to begin with.” 

Prof. Weenk emphasized that to truly integrate sustainability into a business strategy it is important to identify and prioritize the problem areas. He said that although it might not be an easy task for every problem there has to be an attempt to come up with an idea for a solution. He also addressed the biggest challenges of the trade-offs. He said, “It’s not only the financial payback that should be requested but we should also include the sustainability dimension.” 

Gamifying the measurement and management of a company’s carbon footprint 

Even though there are many aspects to sustainability, Hans Kremer made it more tangible with a gamified session powered by The Fresh Connection. He focused entirely on the carbon footprint aspects of the value chain and showed how such decisions have trade-offs both within and across roles. The supply chain business game, The Fresh Connection provides an experiential learning platform with a lasting impact. It gives participants the scope to measure their performance and receive constant feedback while reflecting on their decisions and the outcome.  

The quest to becoming a sustainable manufacturer 

Peter van Grinsven shed some more light on the practical implications of sustainability strategies. Drawing from his 38 years of experience in supply chain management in the cacoa industry, he addressed the question, “How do you get alignment in a competitive industry?”. He spoke about the role of enablers such as governments and stakeholders who have a big role to play in a company’s sustainability journey. From his story, he showed us how important failures are for improvement and how that reveals further gaps in our knowledge regarding different stakeholders. 

Thank you to all participants, Ed Weenk, Hans Kremer, and Peter van Grinsven for making this mini-conference happen! Let’s take action together towards a more sustainable future.  

Missed the opportunity to attend this mini-conference? You can check out the recorded version here. 

Want to learn more on this topic? 

Do you want to learn more about sustainability and how to integrate the 3Ps into your business model? Check out our latest business simulation game, the Triple Connection, which engages participants to create an effective strategy considering the 3Ps while keeping in mind the budget constraints.