The Invisible Impact: What Supply Chain Choices Say About Your Business
Sustainability is no longer just a boardroom talking point. It is being embedded into tenders, regulatory frameworks, procurement policies, and investor strategies. One of the most overlooked components in that equation is your supply chain.
🏗️ Your Supply Chain Is Your Reputation
From product traceability and emissions reporting to modern slavery and ESG audits, how you source matters. Businesses across the UK and Ireland are being asked to prove that every link in their chain is accountable, sustainable, and aligned with environmental targets.
In fact, Scope 3 emissions - those not generated directly by a company but by its upstream and downstream activities - can account for more than 70% of a business’s carbon footprint.¹
The message is clear: who you buy from is as important as what you buy.
📉 Delays, Emissions, and Downtime Have a Cost
Sourcing from the wrong supplier does not just put your schedule at risk. It can damage your ESG profile.
- Long-distance imports increase transport emissions
- Stock shortages result in emergency air freight, packaging waste, and site delays
- Unvetted manufacturers can create exposure to compliance breaches or poor labour practices
- Slow response times undermine your ability to meet project deadlines
Choosing a supplier who aligns with your goals is not a luxury. It is a form of risk mitigation.
🤝 The IPS Difference: A Trusted Partner in Every Sense
At IPS Flow Systems, we have spent over 30 years building a reputation as a reliable, knowledgeable, and ethically driven supplier of high-performance plastic piping systems.
Here is how we help you reduce risk and support your ESG commitments:
✅ Local Stock, Lower Emissions
We hold extensive stock in the UK and Ireland, which means shorter transport routes, reduced carbon impact, and faster response times.
✅ Full Transparency
We work with established, audited manufacturing partners across Europe and beyond. You will always know where your products come from, how they are made, and how they are certified.
✅ Regulatory Assurance
Our products meet key UK and EU standards including WRAS, LPCB, and EN 1555. That means fewer issues during design approval and fewer surprises during installation.
✅ Waste-Reducing Design
From fusion-welded joints to long-life containment systems, IPS helps specifiers and engineers reduce leaks, material waste, and maintenance callouts. All of these contribute to your project footprint.
📋 Procurement Is Now a Sustainability Function
According to the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS), 62% of procurement professionals now have sustainability KPIs embedded into their role.² With new rules on carbon reporting and environmental procurement across construction, water, energy, and pharmaceutical sectors, that trend is only growing.
Working with suppliers who understand those pressures and actively help you respond to them gives you an operational advantage.
IPS is not just a vendor. We are a strategic partner who understands your compliance obligations and contributes to your performance targets.
🌍 Small Decisions. Big Impact.
In 2025, the most forward-thinking businesses will not just talk about sustainability. They will prove it - through traceable procurement, accountable partnerships, and smarter design choices.
Your supply chain is a mirror of your business. Let it reflect your values.
IPS Flow Systems is here to help you build a supply chain that is efficient, ethical, and built to last.
📧 sales@ipsflowsystems.com 📞 UK: 0191 521 3111 📞 IRE: +353 1 2573741
Sources:
- CDP Global Supply Chain Report, 2023 – CDP
- CIPS Sustainability in Procurement Survey, 2024 – CIPS.org