According to a 17-nation survey conducted by the National Geographic Society, Indian consumers feel the most guilt about their environmental impact, despite having a smaller footprint than consumers in wealthier countries, the Associated Press reports. The study finds people in India to have the most sustainable behavior overall, followed by China and Brazil. The French rank last in Europe, and Americans rank last overall. In terms of guilt over environmental impact, India was followed closely by Mexico and China, with the United States, Australia, Germany, and Japan ranking toward the bottom.
“Consumers in these large emerging economies are the most likely to report that environmental problems are having a negative impact on their health today,” the authors of the study write.
Consumption patterns in food, transportation, and housing are among the factors examined by the survey. Part of India’s rating for the most sustainable behavior is due to its cultural taboo against eating beef. Housing also plays a role in India’s low environmental impact. Meanwhile, Brazilians say they are the most likely to purchase green energy, and Chinese consumers have the least environmental impact from transportation.
Consumers Valuing 'Made in America' Again
A recent trend among manufacturers is to bring operations back to the United States, a phenomenon known as nearshoring, and consumers are becoming increasingly attuned to where their goods are produced, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. The movement also is evident from commercials urging customers to buy goods made in America. “People now get that there is a direct connection between buying American ... and supporting the US economy,” says Steven Capozzola, a representative from the Alliance for American Manufacturing, an advocacy group for domestic production.
Since 2002, about 3.5 million manufacturing jobs were lost nationwide to other countries including China. Since then, wages in China have grown from 10 to 25 percent a year, according to several manufacturing trade groups. Shipping and fuel costs also are contributing factors to more expensive offshore production. Erin Walters, an account manager at Minnesota-based Element Electronics, says cost factors as well as the desire to bring jobs back were contributing factors to the company moving back to the United States.
Hurt by the recent recession, many customers wish to become more patriotic shoppers. Some pushes toward domestic purchasing include Chrysler’s 2011 Super Bowl with the tagline “imported from Detroit” and Google stamping its new wireless media player as “made in America.” Menards, a large hardware retailer, devotes a weekly sales circular to US-made goods several times a year.
According to Chad Moutray, chief economist at the National Association of Manufacturers, the main reason for the push toward domestic production is economics. “Yes, it’s important for us to be buying more products that are made in the US,” he says. However, he adds it’s also important to recognize the existence of a global economy and the need to explore different markets.
China to Become Importer of Rare Earths by 2014
China currently is the world’s largest producer of rare-earth metals, components necessary for producing the latest electronics. It now is likely to become an importer of the industrial ingredients by 2014 as it boosts consumption rather than just exporting raw materials, Reuters
reports. In addition, Chinese officials say they will curb exports to mitigate the environmental damage caused by decades of mining.
As part of its effort to build a more complete industrial supply chain, China now consumes 65 percent of the rare earths it produces compared to just 25 percent a decade ago. “By 2014 or 2015, China will probably be in a net import situation for certain rare earths,” says Mark Smith, chief executive officer of Molycorp, a US-based rare-earth mining company. “When the demand is there, that’s where the supply has to go.”
According to the United States Geological Survey, China owns about half of the world’s reserves of rare earths. However, Chinese officials say the figure is closer to 25 percent and providing 90 percent of the world’s supplies is unsustainable. “Simply put, we don’t think China can keep up with the demand for rare earths,” Smith says. “They are going to have to go to the outside.”ques.
2012 APICS International Conference & Expo
October 14–16, 2012
Denver, Colorado, USA
Colorado Convention Center
Registration for the 2012 APICS International Conference & Expo is now open. The conference will be held October 14-16, 2012 in Denver, Colorado, USA. The theme of APICS 2012 is Elevate supply chain performance: Value creation through market alignment and integration.
Visit the APICS 2012 website and register today!
Members-only: APICS Extra Live: Creating Strong Relationships Between Manufacturers and Distributors
Presented by: George F. Brown Jr., Founder, Blue Canyon Partners
Date: August 9, 2012
Time: 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. CT
Webinars On Demand Available
APICS Extra Live: Solving Supply Chain Disruptions--Beyond the tactical
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APICS Extra Live: Strategic Imperatives for Improving Supply Networks
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Watch more APICS webinars on demand.
View the conference website.
Introducing the APICS Risk Management certificate
APICS now offers a comprehensive, forward-looking program that will prepare you to lead risk management activities or participate in the development of global risk mitigation strategy. The APICS Risk Management certificate validates that you have received 12 educational contact hours in core and elective risk management topics.
Obtain the hours necessary to earn the certificate by attending the Risk Management learning path at the 2012 APICS International Conference & Expo (5 hours) and participating in one of the following to complete the remaining 7 hours
- a combination of risk sessions at future educational events including the APICS International Conference & Expo, APICS Supply Chain Asia Conference, or Best of the Best S&OP Conference
- APICS Risk Management Seminar (7 hours)
- pre-approved risk management education sessions at partner events.
Explore APICS folios
Assess supply chain risk, develop your organization’s supply chain strategy and sustainability, and understand how you can successfully implement or grow your organization’s sales and operational planning process with APICS folios.
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APICS Supply Chain Sustainability Folio: Uncovering the Triple Bottom Line
Supply chain and operations management professionals are increasingly called on to carry the torch of innovation to reduce costs, demands on resources, and waste; while increasing the reuse of existing assets, and enabling lean operations. Employing sustainable practices is critical to meeting these business needs.
APICS Supply Chain Strategy Folio: Make the Most of Supply Chain Strategy
Understand challenges and identify areas where senior management and operations management can work together to maximize the effectiveness of your supply chain strategy. Access this APICS folio to delve into critical supply chain functions and tasks that may not be effectively supporting your supply chain strategy.
APICS Supply Chain Risk Folio: Protect your Business with Risk Management
Mitigate and anticipate supply chain risks at your organization—from rising and falling demand to natural disasters, market uncertainty, and varying levels of trust among supply chain partners. Purchase this APICS folio to identify tools to deal with risk at your organization.
APICS S&OP Folio: How to Be an S&OP Champion
Predicting the future generally is thought impossible; yet, S&OP users seek to do just that by strategically directing businesses to achieve competitive advantage. Purchase this APICS folio to understand how you can enable your organization’s bottom-line effectiveness with S&OP.
Access APICS career development resources
Use APICS career packs to understand your career path and next steps, evaluate candidate qualifications, or establish consistency across your organization's hiring.
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- Individuals seeking to advance in one of the career pack job title areas can evaluate their knowledge and skills, plan their next steps, and identify areas for improvement and growth.
- Hiring managers seeking qualified candidates can identify specific knowledge, skills, and experience required when evaluating prospective employees and building job descriptions.
- Organizations interested in developing their workforce can create consistency and establish required competencies for individuals in each of the career pack job title areas.
APICS career packs:
For each job title, APICS career packs compile essential information to help you understand the job role, including
- career path information
- core competencies required of qualified candidates
- job descriptions and keywords
- how to use job titles and descriptions.
Download the APICS members-only report 2011 S&OP Practices and Challenges and purchase the APICS Folio: How to Be an S&OP Champion
Predicting the future generally is thought impossible; yet, S&OP users seek to do just that by strategically directing businesses to achieve competitive advantage, and—more and more—are expected to do so to enable their employers' bottom line profitability.
Supply chain professionals: Take the APICS CSCP Learning System Free Demo today
By earning the APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) designation, you will demonstrate significant commitment to your profession and your career, distinguish yourself as an industry expert, and excel with your newly acquired specialized knowledge.
APICS CPIM exam study options
APICS offers a variety of study options to help candidates prepare for the APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) exams and enables them to choose the option that matches their preferred learning method.
For students who learn best in a classroom-based environment, there are instructor-led courses.
Online certification review courses
Online courses are ideal for professionals who enjoy taking a structured class, but need more flexibility.
Other APICS self-study options
APICS offers a wide variety of tools for candidates interested in studying on their own, including the
- APICS CPIM Exam Content Manual
- APICS CPIM practice questions
- APICS CPIM study notes.