Biodiesel could help green supply chains

Companies looking to assess the sustainability of their supply chains could find biodiesel to be one solution.

Eco-friendly biodiesel can help to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels for companies with their own collection and delivery fleets to maintain.

It could also be a step towards a greener supply chain to meet corporate social responsibility commitments without requiring a substantial change in operations.

Dan Welch, co-editor of Ethical Consumer, notes the growing trend for end-users and business customers to ask the question about eco credentials.

"If your company is business to business, you'll be asked the question more and more," he predicts.

For consumer-facing firms, he adds that ethical practices represent a reputational risk but also a substantial opportunity for gain.

Whichever category companies fall into, Mr Welch says it is likely that "getting serious about the ethics in their supply chains is key" to establishing the set of principles that customers of all types now expect.