ABSTRACT
The overall objective of any supply chain programme must be to improve environmental performance. In order that this can be made to happen, there has to be some motivation for the company initiating such a programme and the various players in the supply chain must play a partnership role, and this includes customers. Clearly, the ultimate determinant of the effectiveness of the supply chain is the attitude of customers, for it is, of course, from them that a business derives its revenue. The IBM management system is based on a set of Corporate Instruction Letters which cover all aspects of the company's business. The IBM Engineering Centre for Environmentally Conscious Products in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been established to provide guidance to designers to help them to design products and processes with improved environmental performance. The health, safety and environment department is responsible for providing advice to the purchasing department, who are responsible for the implementation of the policy.
