– About 25 % of their MSME suppliers from across India have benefited from the company’s initiative to create efficient, accountable, and resilient supply partners

Mumbai – Over a decade ago, Godrej & Boyce, the flagship company of the Godrej Group, announced that its marquee initiative for suppliers, ‘Beyond Sourcing’, has strengthened its supply chain by onboarding 25% of their MSME suppliers and plans to induct 50% more by 2030. With MSMEs being the backbone of the manufacturing industry in india, Godrej & Boyce has created a robust suppliers’ network benefitting from the various initiatives taken under this initiative. The company also recently announced its plans to double its revenues in the next 5 years and initiatives like Beyond Sourcing will be instrumental in driving this growth by creating a more accountable, efficient, resilient, and sustainable supply chain.

As a part of this initiative, suppliers are upskilled in basic management nuances to enhance productivity through robust systems, which can in turn be transcended to uphold sustainable practices in terms of Lean & Green Management leading to ZED (Zero Effect Zero Defect). The company has set up an internal rating system where each supplier receives periodic feedback on operative areas that need improvement. G&B further evaluates its suppliers on a variety of factors including quality management, logistics, manufacturing, and environment. 

The company believes in creating a sustainable value chain and has been engaging with its suppliers to ensure a green supply ecosystem throughout its manufacturing locations. Godrej & Boyce has also collaborated with various industry forums as well as mentorship from the company’s senior management. At the vendor’s end, the company has established a sustainability framework and begun training sessions that cover all aspects of the CII’s GreenCo certification. So far, about 50 suppliers have already received the GreenCo certification, a testament to G&B’s successful commitment towards the environment and a step forward in greening their supply chain.

Speaking about this initiative, Zurvan Marolia, Senior Vice President, Head of Manufacturing Council and lead of the initiative, Godrej & Boyce, said “Sustainability finds relevance in operations only when we incorporate green tenets in our entire organizational framework. At G&B, we have been striving to reduce our carbon footprint on all fronts. An important aspect of sustainability is the supply chain and The Beyond Source initiative which has been active since 2007 has seen immense success. It has brought us like-minded partners who share our core values. MSMEs are the backbone of the Indian economy and are crucial to making India the next big global manufacturing hub. Hence, it is only by helping them green their processes that large organizations can green their supply chain and be truly sustainable. This initiative is a great step forward, and we will continue looking at initiatives that help flourish our ecosystem of partners and keep us sustainable. By 2030, we hope to induct 50% more MSME partners in the initiative.”

Some of the key initiatives under the Beyond Sourcing initiative include Competitive solutions – Project Saksham, Suppliers’ involvement in New Product Development, CII-Godrej Vendor Cluster and CII-Godrej SME Business Excellence Cluster.