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.
Chart illustrates resource impact profiles and mapping to potential collaborators and projects
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