DEG a force for green

We began by hosting a workshop where DEG members studied solutions to enable a smaller carbon footprint for packaging, manufacturing, shipping and merchandising of our products. During the one-day concentrated session, we benchmarked current positions, shared best practices and identified key opportunities for shared exploration.

Building on the workshop results, the DEG next hosted its first Green Media Summit, bringing together over 150 industry leaders to learn from and be inspired by outside experts, industry leaders and key suppliers. GMS was another step forward in meeting the DEG goals of education, best-practice sharing, measurement and options development.

To continue the momentum, the DEG has created five Green Task Forces to jointly review the results to date and solidify opportunities for enhancement.

The first of these Task Forces is Metrics. This group will begin by developing an industry-standard approach to measuring carbon footprint across our entire supply chain. The metric will be based on US. practices but could be adapted for international use. By developing a common metric, we will be able to quantify and compare opportunities across studios and our suppliers.

The second Task Force is Replication. This group’s focus starts with first-tier suppliers to replication partners and extends through delivery of finished product to the distribution center. Scope includes all aspects of replication and assembly as well as transportation within the replication space.

Next up is Packaging. This Task Force agreed to identify packaging that embraces eco-friendly practices and enforces sustainability in the environment. The group hopes to create a set of guidelines for evaluating green packages that can be shared with retailers and suppliers.

Our fourth Task Force is Logistics/Distribution. They are exploring the possibility to reduce the overall number of shipments, either outbound or inbound, through consolidation and/or better order management. They will also review choices of route and mode for increased efficiency.

The fifth Task Force is Retail Execution. This group is discussing ways to design and install permanent or semi-permanent fixtures at retail. They also are exploring the issue of corrugate right-sizing and reduction of materials. These ideas would be developed jointly with our retail partners.

Members of the DEG remain committed to studying and identifying solutions to our common concern for creating more sustainable products. We’ll continue in our quest to work together in this mission. Please look for more updates from the DEG. In the meantime, please feel free to reach out to the DEG with suggestions on this important topic.

Larry Wilk is chair of DEG Metrics Task Force and DEG Packaging Task Force and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment VP of operations, worldwide.