ChangeNOW, the world's largest gathering of solutions for a sustainable future, was convened in Paris last week. We had the opportunity to spend three days there in the company of committed impact leaders for a 2023 edition that was synonymous with innovation, inspiration, and the collective will to effect genuine, meaningful change.
Alongside the many themes exhibited at the show —circular economy, energy, biodiversity, agriculture, fashion, etc.— the supply chain made its debut this year. Currently considered the "blind spot" of ESG, the supply chain is the key to effective change.
We met with many manufacturers in search of concrete ways to use traceability as a catalyst for genuine, effective change.
Here are 4 main takeaways from our discussions:
Textiles, food, cosmetics, the industrial sector, and minerals... The issue of supply chain opacity hinders the implementation of effective sustainable actions and must be resolved for companies to ensure that ESG is founded on a measurement of what truly occurs along the supply chain.
Faced with the tightening of regulatory and sustainability obligations (Digital Product Passport, CSRD, deforestation, Duty of vigilance, AGEC, etc.), there is an urgent need for companies to conduct full due diligence, boost confidence in ESG, and link non-financial reporting to real-time operational data.
The role that innovative technologies can play in impact measurement is crucial, for instance by ensuring the auditability of the data (blockchain) used to calculate impact and by allowing this data to be explored at different granularity levels - as is the case with the Tilkal platform at the product, batch, and unit level.
Access to Scope 3 is imperative. The ability of Tilkal to engage a chain of participants in a constructive approach to sharing information about their production methods, harvesting locations, ESG impacts, etc. is a critical success factor.
With the help of our platform, end-to-end, real-time traceability becomes much more than just a requirement to meet regulatory and transparency pressures. It is primarily an opportunity to ensure long-term market access ("license to operate"), establish confidence in a company's commitments, and enhance its overall performance (compliance, procurement, and transparency).