One of the most valuable assets an organisation has is its brand. If you are in the business of providing a product or a service, a negative impact on your brand can have immense consequences from a commercial perspective.

In today's fast moving world the news cycle can also catch some organisations by surprise as those not happy with your product or service seek out new mediums through which they deliver their message. Consumers now no longer rely on making complaints to organisations such as Departments of Fair Trading, they turn to the internet, form groups on Facebook and upload videos onto YouTube.

Over the course of the last 12 months their have been a number of examples where consumers and online groups have attacked organisations not solely because they have manufactured and sold the end product, but because they are getting the raw materials through dubious supply channels. The most recent example is the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico where BP began to blame a contractor in its supply chain for the fault in the oil rig that caused billions of dollars worth of damage to the coastal economies of the Gulf and equally as much damage to the marine environment.

As with a supply chain review, you need to ensure that the suppliers you are dealing with, or organisations you are contracting, follow the same high standards your own organisation has, or, at the very least, is aware of your policies and procedures.

At The Sustain Group we conduct a relatively simple assessment of the organisations in your supply chain and identify risks that may impact on your own brand. We assess the suppliers environmental policies and procedures, where they source the raw materials from and also look at labour and human rights.

A brand and supply chain review can be conducted at the same time and can cover multiple country operations and centres.

If you would like more information or arrange an initial consultative session please call us.