Carbon Trust Launches Supply Chain Certification

The Carbon Trust has launched a supply chain certification and awarded the new Carbon Trust Standard for Supply Chain to seven companies: ABP Food Group, Aviva, Central England Co-operative, Deloitte UK, Nationwide, PwC UK and Willmott Dixon.

These businesses have put in place a framework to measure, manage and reduce carbon emissions across their supply chain, the organization says.

To achieve the Carbon Trust Standard for Supply Chain, organizations need to complete a detailed hotspot analysis to identify the most significant areas of carbon emissions within their supply chain. This is then used to determine a quantitative baseline for emissions reduction and prioritize suppliers for future engagement.

To retain the standard on an ongoing basis, organizations must demonstrate evidence of supplier engagement, demonstrate reductions in specified parts of their supply chain, and then expand their approach to engage different areas or suppliers.

Looking beyond just environmental impacts, going through a process of measuring the carbon footprint of a supply chain and engaging with suppliers can have hard financial or operational benefits, the Carbon Trust says. This can pinpoint areas of inefficiency and risk, helping to drive cost savings or increase resilience to threats such as the supply chain disruption, resource scarcity and regulatory change.

In 2013 the Carbon Trust launched what it said was the world’s first international standard for companies to certify that they are managing and reducing waste.