Is Mother Earth your Supplier or Customer?

Is Mother Earth your Supplier or Customer? - Qimpro

A Qualitist Perspective

Natural System

Our industrial systems are enveloped by the larger systems of nature.

Natural resources are a gift from Mother Earth. These include regenerative resources such as forests, croplands, and fisheries; as well as non-regenerative resources such as oil and minerals.

Regenerative resources can be harvested. Mother Earth is generous. But only upto a point. We must not harvest these resources more rapidly than they replenesh themselves.

The non-regenerative resources can only be depleated. Since they cannot be replenished, sooner or later many start to run out.

In order to produce goods we need inputs from regenenerative and non-regegenerative resources. In producing goods, using goods, and eventally discarding goods we generate waste. This waste damages the ability of Mother Earth to replenish resources.

Social System

The industrial system also sits within a larger social system. The social system consists of communities, families, schools, temples and more.

Just as overproduction and waste damage the natural system, they also cause anxiety and stress in our society. This takes the form of poor health, fear, mistrust, conflicts, and more.

Qualitists

One of the key responsibilities of a Certified Qualitist is to reduce chronic waste in the managerial processes of an organization. This chronic waste is composed of:

  • Material waste (regenerative and non-regenerative)
  • Effort waste.

The material waste impacts the natural system, as well as the social system.

Mother Earth can be gentle and caring when she is treated with dignity. Mother Earth can express her hurt when she is abused by the greedy.

Question to Qualitists: Is Mother Earth your Supplier or Customer?

Random Thoughts

  1. The disciplines of Quality and Environment are converging.
  2. The disciplines of Quality and Safety are also converging.
  3. The by-product of reducing chronic waste has traditionally been Cost Of Poor Quality (COPQ) reduction.
  4. The by-product of reducing chronic waste should also be Clean Air, Drinkable Water, Fertile Soil, Stable Climate.





20 thoughts on “Is Mother Earth your Supplier or Customer?”

  • When we have synonymed earth to mother then I think there is no point in comparing it as supplier or customer. Supplier expects money in exchange of his services or supplies whereas customer demands services or products against his money. On the contrary, mother’s nature is to give things selflessly , with love, without any expectations.

  • Mother Earth is both a supplier and a customer.

    Unlike a demanding customer or supplier, Mother Earth is generious and being exploited to earn more profits !

    Mother Earth does not raise raw material cost nor does it fail to deliver on time. It does not complaint upon receiving poor products or services nor does it move to other providers.

    We can take it for granted !

  • Thank you Mr Lulla! This is the only “Quality” area to focus on for the next few years! It will automatically improve the inherent quality of products and services!

  • Mother Earth is neither customer nor supplier. She is just my “Mother”. She is the reason I exist and survive. Time to give up our greed for the “high” life and get back to the “simple” life. It will make us stress free and our need for other distractions of the “high” life will automatically diminish. That is when we will love Mother Earth! Till then, start dropping the need for “high” life distractions one by one!

  • I would say Mother Earth is both. We we take what she supplies she is supplier. When give back she is customer. Unfortunately we are not customer focused at all

  • When we look for a resource She is our supplier, when we look for a solution to ‘Waste’ , She is our customer, hence the ‘Rs’ come into play in all our endeavors!!!

  • I believe that quality without environmental and safety considerations is infact NO quality. Can a person with heart endorse and buy a product without guilt when it is made known that manufacturing of that product had posed adverse environmental impact and serious health and safety hazards to workforce producing it ? Mother Earth should be treated more like a “mother” whom we love and respect the most. Customer or supplier is secondary.

  • Mother earth is my s supplier or customer but its sustainability is the very purpose of business .people and Insitutions

    • Mother Earth was primarily our generous supplier. She satisfied our needs.
      Our greed has made Mother Earth unwell. Consequently she is now also a customer. She has needs of clean air, drinkable water, etc

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