Selecting Collaborators and Projects the Resource-Focused Way

To identify appropriate suppliers for resource-focused collaboration, a company first uses publicly available research, sales volume data and other criteria to identify products that are likely to have a large resource impact. It then performs a lifecycle analysis (LCA) on each selected product to identify "hot spots" of resource use and waste across the phases of the product lifecycle. Once the hot spots are identified, a company can determine what activities or product characteristics contribute to the products resource impact, identify actions that could potentially reduce that impact, and determine which suppliers might be in a position to help execute those actions (see figure below). From there, leaders can examine each supplier relationship for collaborative opportunities based on the potential financial and other return on investment.

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