Supply chain managers fight a tough battle in trying to meet management demands to decrease costs while creating efficiencies and implementing sustainability measures. Economic growth has improved but lacks the stability to provide companies comfort to budget for implementation of many of the innovations in their long- or short-term plan. However, companies can stagnate without taking the time to identify opportunities to innovate. With pressure to sustain its competitive edge, leading organizations are beginning to consider their reverse supply chain to find hidden value.

Danish oil and shipping group A.P. Moller-Maersk said it has entered into an agreement to explore biofuel as an alternative energy source for its ship fleet.

DB Schenker Logistics has increased the number of its service locations with Qualified Envirotainer Provider (QEP) accreditation, geared toward serving the pharmaceutical and chemical industries.

DHL Express has introduced a "carbon-neutral" envelope for U.S. customers.

Recent issues in the European food supply have resulted in supply chains making the news for all the wrong reasons. Consumers have been shocked at revelations that products labeled as beef also contained significant quantities of horsemeat, up to 100 percent in some cases. More than a month after the Food Safety Authority in Ireland published its findings of traces of horse DNA in burgers, we are still seeing daily announcements of new product withdrawals by retailers across Europe.

Analyst Insight: Sustainability is a global business megatrend with cross-functional implications that for-profit corporations cannot afford to ignore any more than IT or quality management. Sustainability means balancing environmental impacts, social welfare and profit-making activities to promote value along the so-called "triple bottom line." Given increasingly conscientious consumers and growing limits to resource availability, success in the era of climate change will be reserved for companies that have sustainable supply chains and operations. - Nada Sanders, Professor and Iacocca Chair, Lehigh University; Director of EcoNautics Sustainability Institute