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  Burton: Riding the Green Supply Chain Wave

  
  Automating supply chain transactions with trading partners can have significant cost benefits, but it also can directly affect the environment. Starting in 2008, Burton (Burton.com | Burton Snowboards), the world’s leading snowboard company, turned to GXS Managed Services to automate its B2B e-commerce transactions with its customers. In doing so, the company made a significant dent in reducing its paper usage for electronic transactions. It also reduced its costs for things like postage, paper and envelopes. All in all, Burton saved approximately 4 tons of wood use, 30 million BTUs, 5882 lbs CO2, 22,219 gallons wastewater, and 1,909 lbs solid waste from July 2008 through June 2009 through its use of EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) with customers.¹

• The table below demonstrates all the ways in which B2B and automated/electronic supply chain initiatives can help companies reduce their environmental impact. Burton, for example, has already implemented many of these processes including electronic invoicing, advanced ship notices, electronic order changes,  carrier status and point of sale data sharing, among others.
  
  

  
  
  But Burton is not done. Burton’s CIO, Kevin Ubert, is spearheading a global effort at Burton to further reduce the company’s environmental impact through greater use of B2B automation and other paper-reducing initiatives. Burton’s goals are to save 40 tons of wood use, 350 million BTUs, 65,000 lbs CO2, 250,000 gallons wastewater, and 20,000 lbs solid waste, not to mention mid to high six figure $s (annually) for postage, paper, and envelope costs.
  
  In short, Burton is demonstrating its leadership among businesses of its size on how green IT can have a direct impact on the bottom line and the environment.
  

  
  

1 Figures based on the Environmental Defense Fund's Paper Calculator