There has been a noticeable jump in corporate buyers gathering data on supply chain environmental performance in the last year, with some launching their own initiatives to help suppliers.
Environmental disclosure initiative CDP said it has been a 24 per cent increase in large-scale purchasers asking their suppliers to report data in 2020 compared to 2019.
The companies are asking their key suppliers to report on their impacts, risks, opportunities and strategies related to climate change, deforestation and/or water security issues. This data is then used to inform procurement decisions and supplier engagement strategies.
‘Incentivising a behaviour shift’
Over 150 of the world’s biggest companies are now disclosing supply chain data through CDP’s platform.
Dexter Galvin, global director of corporations and supply chains at CDP, said: “The current COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout has shown that building resiliency into our global supply chains has never been more vital. Global corporations have supply chains that wrap around the globe, touching millions of people, and by holding the purse strings they have the power to drive impact at scale – incentivising a behaviour shift in the companies that supply them.”
AB InBev
Among the companies using the CDP platform is AB InBev, one of the world’s largest beer brewers and producer of brands such as Budweiser, Stella Artois and Beck’s. The company has recently launched its own supplier collaboration platform to advance climate action, packaging innovation, water stewardship and smart agriculture in its supply chain.
Called ‘Eclipse’, the platform offers suppliers educational webinars, workshops with experts and opportunities to share best practice.
Unilever
Another member of the CDP platform making significant strides is consumer products giant Unilever, which has recently announced a goal to achieve net zero emissions from all its products by 2039.
The company is planning to set up a new system for suppliers to declare the carbon footprint of the goods and services they provide on each invoice, and said it would “prioritise building partnerships” with those who set and commit to their own carbon targets.
