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Interview and removing duplication. Something as simple as two or three large buyers getting aligned on what they’ re asking their shared suppliers can make a real difference, response rates go up, data quality improves, and suppliers aren’ t drowning in conflicting requests. These aren’ t challenges any one company can solve alone, industry groups and peer networks play a real role in building that common ground.
On the technology side, our partnership with HowGood is a practical example of what this looks like. Food and beverage supply chains are complex enough that trying to solve them in isolation is inefficient. HowGood brings Carbon Trustcertified, farm-level footprinting for food ingredients; we bring supplier engagement and measurement across the rest of the value chain: packaging, logistics, operations, services. Together, organizations get complete visibility rather than fragmented pieces, and suppliers only see what’ s relevant and actionable for them.
How can smaller suppliers, who may lack resources or expertise, be supported in reducing their emissions without being excluded from supply chains? You can’ t demand more from suppliers without giving them the means to deliver. That just pushes sourcing toward the biggest players and leaves everyone else behind.
Tools need to be free, easy to use, and built to meet suppliers where they are, not where their customers wish they were. Suppliers shouldn’ t need a sustainability team to get started.
Beyond the tools, buyers need to hold up their end of the bargain too. Set clear expectations, make it easy to respond, and recognize suppliers who make progress. Because when climate action is good for business, suppliers engage. When it feels like just another box to tick, they struggle to own and feel excited about the work
What role does technology, particularly data platforms like Green Project play in turning emissions insights into measurable action? Understanding your footprint was a necessary foundation, but knowing your emissions doesn’ t reduce them. The shift we’ re seeing now is from measurement to decision-making, and that’ s where the real work begins.
The practical breakthrough isn’ t perfect data, it’ s getting emissions into the room when procurement decisions are being made. AI can surface hotspots, model the impact of different sourcing choices, and help teams focus on the interventions that actually move the needle. That’ s when carbon accounting starts to look a lot more like procurement strategy.
And there’ s a broader point: reducing emissions and reducing supply chain risk are increasingly the same exercise. Companies
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