December 06, 2023 Industry news
The Supply Chain Data Partnership (SCDP) unveiled a new location register at COP28 that can enable the verification of environmental and socially sustainable practices across every stage of the supply chain.
What is the SCDP?
The SCDP was established at last year’s COP27 to develop and provide critical location insights for assurance of global supply chains.
The partnership was founded with the ambition of launching a financially sustainable global Location Register that provides a trusted location platform to conduct due diligence on commodity assets to identify, prevent or mitigate risk. This will assist with reducing emissions, biodiversity loss and the environmental impact of supply chains, reduce unsustainable agricultural practices and land degradation through more effective monitoring and smart procurement contracts.
Founding members included Ordnance Survey, Unilever, Esri UK, Deloitte and Planet Labs PBC with the initial phase focused on the delivery of a proof of concept to demonstrate the feasibility of such a register for the supply chains of products such palm oil, soy, and wood-based packaging applications.
A major milestone
The Partnership has now successfully completed its proof of concept. The new trusted location insights platform will enable the monitoring and verification of environmentally and socially sustainable practices at every stage in a supply chain, protecting both people and the environment.
Research has shown that while many companies have long-term sustainability goals for their supply chains, few of them have the means to measure their progress.
The data transparency enabled by the register will show where organisations are upholding environmental and social standards for their own and their suppliers' operations, enabling stakeholders across the supply chain to make to make better, more informed decisions based on trusted data.
There is also a longer-term aspiration for this information to be made available to consumers, enabling them to make better, more informed choices about the products they buy and consume.
Informed decision making
The ability to access and analyse complex supply-chain data is critical for any organisation that wants to embed sustainability and climate-led decision making across their operations.
Location and asset insights are key components of the register and GS1 UK has supported the application of GS1 standards such as Global Location Numbers (GLNs) to enable the verification of where assets such as farms, sites, and facilities are, with follow-up monitoring over time.
Data and certificates associated with each verified asset will also sit on the new register which will made available to buyers and investors to enable more informed decision making in their procurement.
Powering sustainability
Monitoring these global assets over time will also assist with reducing emissions, identifying biodiversity loss and understanding the environmental impact of supply chains. It will also help combat unsustainable agricultural practices and land degradation through more effective monitoring and smart procurement contracts.
Donna Lyndsay, Strategic Market Lead at OS, said: “At OS we are committed to achieving a sustainable future. Demonstrating the value of this register and getting it to a proof of concept has been a major milestone. We can now demonstrate how location data and technology can help sustainability initiatives succeed by providing accuracy when it comes to monitoring, analysing, and modelling solutions – getting us one step closer to a sustainable and prosperous future.
“Linking with the connected supply chain and entity experts GS1 UK and GLIEF, now provides us with the global reach this initiative needs to grow at pace. We are now keen to hear from any businesses who are interested in how the register can support their environmental and sustainability goals.”
