Report: Carbon-cutting firms should encourage suppliers to do the same

Companies that want to reduce their carbon footprint should look beyond their own operations, and encourage their suppliers to cut energy use.

That's the message in a report from the University of Minnesota's NorthStar Initiative for Sustainable Enterprise.

Many big companies have already picked the low-hanging fruit of energy savings, said NorthStar program director Tim Smith. Climate change, he added, is such a big problem that single companies -- even big ones -- can't change enough to make much of a difference. If companies can encourage their suppliers to change too, it would have a bigger impact.

Smith cited Wal-Mart Stores as one example of a company that pushes its suppliers to produce products efficiently. Several Minnesota companies are trying the strategy, including 3M, Andersen Windows, and Tennant Company, he said.