Unipart Group of Companies: The Unipart Way

Unipart addresses supply chain risk with suppliers firstly through a pre-qualification questionnaire for high risk suppliers in low cost economies and follows up with site audits where necessary. With established key suppliers environmental performance is assessed though the supplier development programme. The business also runs an Environmental Supply Chain seminar, sponsored by Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, to provide thought leadership on issues such as environmental process improvement in the supply chain, carbon reduction, packaging reduction and responsible products and services.

Following a rationalisation exercise by the Group Procurement Manager, Unipart has reduced the number of packaging suppliers to a single expert for each packaging type. This has allowed the business to have greater input into design and specification for packaging and has led to better packaging solutions for reduced carbon emissions in the supply chain.

Unipart also partners with its waste contractors on an approach to recycle all waste with the remaining being composted. The process improvements were achieved over a period of four years via increasing levels of waste segregation, resulting in increased recycling rates to 97% in 2009 with only 3% sent to landfill. In 2010 a mini incinerator was introduced together with a compost site, leading to zero waste to landfill. All food and organic waste is composted and the compost is used in a local vegetable garden.

As a decentralised company Unipart finds it challenging to share standard methods and best practice across the group. It set up an Energy Management group which is successfully engaging site environmental champions with consultants and suppliers on specific methods for energy saving – this group was then utilised to implement and communicate wider environmental impacts.