BECTON DICKINSON
“ Instead of moving away from that supplier , we ’ ve tried to see how we can work with them to identify how they can improve ”
KEVIN NELSON SENIOR VP & CPO , BD
“ The Supplier Sustainability pillar includes working alongside our R & D team and business units to identify products , materials and components that are ‘ greener ’ in nature while also making products that are more effective , efficient and economical ,” Nelson explains . “ This might be a packaging component that uses less energy to make or is recyclable .”
In 2022 , BD launched the Sustainable Medical Technology Institute , a model of practice within the organisation that brings together BD researchers and engineers , as well as quality , regulatory , policy , sourcing and operational expertise , to focus on reducing the environmental impact of the company ’ s product portfolio in three areas : adopting sustainable product design strategies , developing and deploying sustainable sterilisation technologies , and addressing materials of concern ( MOC ).
The third area of focus of the Responsible Sourcing Program is supplier diversity , which has gained a lot of momentum in the US .
“ We pivoted our supplier diversity focus from one that historically assessed our spend with small businesses and diverse suppliers , which was more of a reactive approach . Today , we are looking at economic impact in terms of how we ’ re helping different regions and local economies by using diverse and small businesses that are truly making an impact . We ’ re looking at how we can help a community where our customers are living ,” explains Nelson .
Finally , there ’ s end-to-end transparency , which is connecting back to the customer and providing enhanced visibility to them . “ The key is providing this information proactively and transparently to the customers , to the patients , before it ’ s a problem , so they have the ability to do something in advance .”
Medical manufacturing partnerships & resilient supply chains As with any medical manufacturer , BD ’ s partner ecosystem is vast .
“ Partnering with our customers upfront is a key priority for BD . We aim to identify the customer requirements and expectations and build those into our long term strategies and initiatives ,” he explains .
From day one , BD ’ s style has been to collaborate and work with its partners , which was essential during the pandemic .
“ We came in working together , wanting to figure out a solution with our supplier partners , as opposed to demanding , ‘ Shift this or I ’ m going to move away from you ’.
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