The Home Depot was honored with a SmartWay Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the second year in a row. The company is proud to serve as industry leaders in freight supply chain environmental performance and energy efficiency.
The Home Depot was one of 11 companies to receive this distinction, representing the best environmental performers of SmartWay’s nearly 3,000 partners. The shipper and logistics Excellence Awardees were honored at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals annual conference in San Antonio, Texas on Sept. 23, 2014.
We grabbed some time with Michelle Livingstone, vice president of transportation at The Home Depot, to get her thoughts on the honor.
This was the second year in a row The Home Depot was honored and the third time in the last five years. What does that mean to your team?
It’s great fuel for my team to keep improving our efforts, constantly hold ourselves to a higher standard and push our carriers to do the same.
Home Depot’s supply chain has experienced one of the most expansive and dramatic expansions in retail history. How does environmental performance play into that?
We’re all about leading by example – starting with when we were the first retailer to establish environmental principles in 1991. Our strategy must include two parallel paths: acting responsibly in our business operations and providing sustainable choices for our customers. Environmental impact is always a topic on the table when making any major decision at The Home Depot – including everything that’s gone into our supply chain transformation.
What’s next for Home Depot’s supply chain? How does your team ensure they’ll make SmartWay’s list next year?
I have a terrific team that is keeping our environmental footprint top of mind every day. We’re having conversations with our carriers on a regular basis and keeping ourselves honest about what we can do better in the future.
