Author

Chris Derham

Published

7 July 2026

Estimated Read time

5Mins

Chris Derham, Business Development Director at Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise talks to us about the buildings of the future and how they can help us reach net zero.

Buildings and their operations sit among the biggest climate challenges of our era, but they also offer one of the most impactful levers for emissions reduction.

When we look at the UK, data shows that direct and indirect emissions from the buildings sector in the UK account for 27.7% and 9.1% of total energy-related CO2 emissions, respectively. Significantly, per capita emissions from the buildings sector in the UK are 1.2 times the G20 average, suggesting that there is an opportunity to reduce this impact.

If net zero is the destination, effective management of the built environment is one of the most important routes to get there.

From gadgets to digital ecosystems

For years, “smart building” meant a collection of clever devices, from automated blinds to motion sensors. Today, that model is outdated.

Modern smart buildings function more like digital organisms. Instead of isolated systems operating independently, a central orchestration layer brings them together, aggregating and coordinating multiple sub-systems through a unified digital framework. Lighting, HVAC, occupancy monitoring, and security systems now communicate through shared data frameworks, adjusting in real time to how a space is actually used.

Artificial intelligence sits at the core of this shift as it can analyse usage patterns, forecast demand, and make autonomous adjustments. For example, a meeting room that typically fills at 10 am can be air-conditioned just in time, or lights on an underused floor of the building can be powered down before energy is wasted.

None of this works without high-performance connectivity. Advanced networking technologies such as Wi-Fi 7 and private 5G are being deployed to ensure low latency, high capacity, and airtight security. These networks form the invisible nervous system of the building, carrying the data streams that enable continuous optimisation.

Across the Channel

In many EU countries, smart buildings are increasingly treated as essential infrastructure, rather than an optional innovation.

Countries such as France and Germany have embedded automation and monitoring requirements into climate legislation, and digital capability is becoming a matter of compliance, not just a competitive differentiator.

At the centre of this transformation is the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. This legislation requires all new buildings to be zero-emission by 2030 and existing stock to follow by 2050. Achieving that at scale without digital systems that continuously measure and optimise performance would be nearly impossible, meaning that as member states translate the directive into national law from 2026 onwards, investment is expected to intensify.

France provides a concrete example through its Decree BACS, mandating building automation and control systems in larger non-residential properties. By 2027, any such building with output above 70kW must comply with the legislation.

Progress in the UK

The UK presents a more fragmented picture. Innovation is not the problem. Manchester’s Triangulum initiative is a standout example of smart, low-carbon urban development. By integrating energy-efficient technologies, IoT sensors, and renewable energy systems, it demonstrates how coordinated digital infrastructure can reduce emissions and create more sustainable, liveable city spaces.

The difference lies in consistency. The UK lacks a comprehensive, national framework that mandates or systematically incentivises smart building adoption at scale. Instead, progress tends to occur on a project-by-project basis.

One lesson from continental Europe is that well-designed regulation does not stifle innovation, it often accelerates it.

A strategic framework in the UK could:

• Define common standards for smart buildings and energy efficiency
• Support interoperability across regions and technologies
• Encourage investment in digital infrastructure upgrades

The next opportunity lies in coordination. A national standard for smart buildings and smart cities could provide clarity for investors and developers, while also allowing for local flexibility.

The UK’s move towards net-zero

The good news is that although the UK still lacks an overarching framework on smart buildings and cities, many existing regulations are being adapted and modernised to help reach the goal of net-zero by 2030.

For example, the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) currently require commercial and private rented domestic properties to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of at least E. The government is currently consulting on proposals to raise this standard, which would potentially require all rented commercial buildings to achieve EPC B by 2030 to remain legally lettable.

In practice, this means significant upgrades for the UK’s commercial building stock. Investment in building fabric materials, LED lighting and controls, HVAC replacement, building management systems, and smart energy monitoring will be instrumental in achieving this standard and reducing environmental impact.

Other regulatory changes, such as reform of the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPB) Regime, will also play a key role when it comes to improved data collection, new EPC metrics that better reflect operational performance, and quality assurance for EPC assessments.

Taken together, this legislation is likely to require the installation of smart technologies across UK buildings.

Smart buildings: An important opportunity

Smart buildings are a powerful tool for cutting carbon emissions. By using real-time monitoring, automation, and AI, they reduce energy waste and optimise heating, cooling, and lighting. Beyond efficiency, they provide the data and control needed to achieve large-scale emissions reductions.

Effective regulation is key to driving adoption and creating a low-carbon, sustainable built environment. If the UK is to accelerate toward net zero, smart buildings must move from isolated examples of best practice to the standard for how we design, operate, and upgrade our spaces.

Chris Derham, Business Development Director, Networks Division, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise

  • Data & AI
  • Sustainability Technology

Author

Chris Larsen

Published

13 March 2026

Estimated Read time

4Mins

Chris Larsen, Chief Technical Officer – atNorth, on shaping ecosystems that support both digital progress and the preservation of our natural environment for future generations

The AI industry continues to grow seemingly exponentially. With 92% of companies planning to increase their AI investments in the next three years, demand for the high density digital infrastructure required to support these types of workloads is unsurprisingly at an all time high.

Data centres have always needed a significant amount of electricity to power and cool their computer equipment. Yet the sheer quantity of data to be processed for AI and other high performance computing – such as financial trading calculations and simulation technologies – necessitates a colossal amount of energy. For example, a report from the International Energy Agency states that data centres will use 945 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2030, roughly equivalent to the current annual electricity consumption of Japan.

At the same time, there is growing pressure for all organisations to comply with ESG frameworks. The introduction of regulations such as the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), mandates the publication of carbon footprint disclosures. This leaves many businesses with a difficult conundrum to solve – how to balance digital advancement whilst mitigating environmental impact?

Once a consideration for local IT teams, the choice of a data centre partner is now at the forefront of balancing these two critical trends and is beginning to garner boardroom attention.

Data centres that are designed with environmental responsibility and community integration in mind can act as the central hub of a thriving society, an ‘ecosystem’ that supports long-term sustainability and regional economic development.

Location and Design

Where a data centre is built, and how, is fundamental to its efficiency and sustainability. AI-ready facilities often require rapid scaling in line with customer demand. Access to ample suitable land is essential. Modular designs allow for faster builds and easier adaptation to new innovations in cooling and hardware technologies,

Power and connectivity are also critical. Many regions struggle to offer the necessary renewable energy and high-speed network capacity. In contrast, the Nordics provide an ideal environment. An abundance of renewable energy, a cool natural climate that enables more energy efficient cooling techniques and excellent connectivity.

As a result, the presence of data centres can promote local investment in power, connectivity and electrical infrastructure that benefits the whole community. For example, atNorth’s ICE03 data centre in Akureyri, Iceland, facilitated the development of a new point of presence (PoP) for Farice, which operates submarine cables linking Iceland to mainland Europe. This enhances telecom reliability and strengthens digital infrastructure across the region.

Data centres can also support the stability of local power through grid balancing services. Something that is integral to the future design of atNorth’s data centres.

Decarbonisation and Circular Partnerships

Data centres are incredibly energy-intensive, and so many operators are investing in ways to reduce their carbon footprint. These include utilising the most efficient infrastructure and cooling technologies.

atNorth goes one step further and has committed to sourcing heat reuse partnerships for all of its new data centre campuses. This means that waste heat generated during the infrastructure cooling processes can be captured and redirected to support nearby businesses and homes. In Finland, for example, a partnership has been formed with Kesko Corporation that will utilise waste heat from atNorth’s new FIN02 campus to heat a neighbouring branch of one of its stores.

These types of initiatives essentially enable data centres to act as a decarbonisation platform for their clients’ IT workloads, helping them meet environmental targets and reducing running costs too. Something that is a key differentiator for businesses such as atNorth client and partner, Nokia, that has complex technical requirements and stringent sustainability goals.

Responsible Operations

Beyond environmental responsibility, data centres can be a positive force in the communities in which they operate. They create skilled jobs, drive improvements in local infrastructure, and often spark growth in hospitality, retail, and leisure services. At atNorth, we prioritise hiring locally and actively support education, charitable, and community initiatives in the regions we operate.

Similarly, a care for the natural surroundings is pivotal to promoting a successful, data centre ecosystem integration. For example, atNorth has set aside part of its DEN02 site in Denmark for biodiversity efforts, installing insect monitors to track changes in insect abundance and diversity throughout the site’s development.

As digital demand continues to grow, so does the need for responsible and sustainable development. High-performance computing can, and should, advance without compromising environmental integrity. By partnering with data centres that prioritise environmental stewardship and social responsibility, we can help shape ecosystems that support both digital progress and the preservation of our natural environment for future generations.

Learn more at atnorth.com

  • Data & AI
  • Digital Strategy
  • Infrastructure & Cloud
  • Sustainability Technology

Author

Lasse Fredslund

Published

28 January 2026

Estimated Read time

8Mins

Lasse Fredslund, CMS Product Owner at Umbraco, examines the carbon footprint of our digital lives and offers advice on how to shrink it

Our digital lives have a carbon footprint. The energy consumed to power and cool the data centres at the heart of ecommerce, online banking, social and streamed media, already emits as much greenhouse gas as the aviation industry. This is expected to increase to 8% of GHG emissions in 2025.

While hyperscale data centre operators, including Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon, have made big strides towards adopting renewable energy sources, they still need fossil fuel-powered backup systems to meet the 24×7 demand for power and cooling.

Ballooning Demand

Since the Paris Agreement, internet traffic has quadrupled and the average web page weight has increased by 85% on desktop and 165% on mobile. Adding to this, the rapid adoption of generative AI is massively increasing data centres’ computational load.

To meet the predicted 606 Terawatt hours of electricity needed to power datacentres by 2030, three mothballed nuclear plants have been recommissioned in the US, and major investment is going into building new nuclear plants. However, building will take years and until then, fossil fuel combustion will continue.

How Can we Shrink our Digital Carbon Footprint?

The good news is that we can all do our bit to lighten the load. Even turning off autoplay on our smartphones and turning down the screen brightness can contribute to an overall reduction in energy consumption on our digital devices. Web designers and developers can do even more: making multiple optimisations that reduce web page weight and lower energy consumption and associated GHG emissions.

How We’re Reducing Digital Carbon Footprints

As the provider of the world’s most widely-used open-source content management system (CMS) built on Microsoft .NET, we have both a responsibility and a great opportunity to drive positive change on a larger scale.

For our own part, we’re focusing on ways to make our operations more sustainable and our software more energy-efficient. Running our CMS platform on Microsoft .NET9 has introduced features such as HybridCache that aid carbon-conscious web developers in building sites that load content more efficiently.

We’re also working closely with our global open-source community and digital agency partners to show how to reduce the CO2 emitted by business websites built on the Umbraco CMS platform. The Umbraco community Sustainability Team, formed in March 2023, has published documentation that provides practical steps for reducing web page weight and optimising data transmission.

Sharing Responsibility and Best Practices

By sharing sustainable best practices, and the measurable ROI that our partners’ clients have achieved as a result of carbon-conscious web design, we hope to amplify these changes across the industry. Together we can make a much bigger difference to our collective carbon footprint.

Prominent members of our open-source community Sustainability Team worked with us and implemented the Green Web Foundation’s CO2.js tool. We now have a Sustainability Dashboard, which helps businesses monitor and reduce the environmental impact of their websites running on Umbraco Cloud.

Ten tips to reduce Cloud Carbon Footprint

Members of the Umbraco Sustainability Team have published the following practical steps that organisations can take, and free tools that they can use, to measurably reduce the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of websites and digital experiences.

  1. Lose weight

Just as the aviation industry has been introducing lighter aircraft to help reduce fuel consumption and emissions, carbon-conscious web designers can also help organisations to reduce web page weight.

The Sustainability Team recommends using tools such as www.Ecograder.com and www.Websitecarbon.com which show grams of CO2 emitted per web page. This is the simplest way to check a web page’s energy-efficiency, so that improvements can be made.

Neil Clark, Service Design Lead, at TPX Impact, observes, “Every piece of website software and code must minimise the data transfer it causes. We must start to consider data transfer as a constraint in all of our digital projects.”

Thomas Morris, Tech Lead at TPX Impact advises, “A useful first step is to set page weight budgets and stick to them. This helps to create a culture of optimisation with realistic targets. The HTTP Archive suggests a maximum of 1 Megabyte.”

  1. Reduce Images

To reduce web page weight, Rick Butterfield, Lead Software Engineer at Wattle, emphasises, “Be ruthless about images.  Make sure they’re sized well and avoid using stock images, which can sometimes be massive files.”

Thomas Morris agrees, “One of the biggest impacts you can have, with fairly minimal effort, is to use appropriately-sized images on your website, or consider whether images are needed at all. Using modern image compression formats, such as WebP, or AVIF helps reduce file sizes by up to 70% compared to JPEGs, without your users noticing any difference. Optimise images before upload, to reduce the extra compute effort of resizing images. Where appropriate, consider using SVG icons, logos or illustrations, since these often result in smaller image file sizes and also scale easily without compromising image quality.”

  1. Compress fonts

Thomas Morris advises, “We suggest using system fonts to reduce extra server requests. If you do have to use custom fonts then compression tools, such as WOFF2, will help to minimise the data weight of those assets. WOFF2 is supported across all modern browsers.”

Minimising text assets, including HTML documents, JavaScript files and CSS files is a really good practice. Google’s Brotli is a lossless compression tool supported by 96% of browsers that makes this a lot easier and reduces text-based files by around two thirds.

  1. Choose colours wisely

Rick Butterfield advises that web designers can even reduce carbon footprint by changing the colours selected for a website: “Blue shades use up more energy than reds and greens when they’re displayed on screens.”

  1. Default to Dark Mode

“Dark mode is very simple to set up and can be built on incrementally,” enthuses Rick Butterfield. As with a lot of the best practices outlined by the Sustainability Team, these changes benefit end users too. “A university study found that switching from light mode to dark mode at 100% screen brightness can save an average of 40% battery power, so users don’t have to charge devices as often,” adds Rick.

  1. Keep software updated

James Hobbs, Head of Technology at aer Studios, says, “Simply by keeping libraries, frameworks and the rest, up to date, your organisation is likely to benefit from enhanced efficiency, which means doing more work with the same or fewer resources, which is better for the planet. When Umbraco moved to .NET Core it made a massive difference to the efficiency of the CMS. Staying on top of this can deliver sustainability and efficiency benefits and an improved security posture.”

  1. Load web content efficiently

To make data transfers of images, videos and iframes more efficient, the Sustainability Team recommends implementing lazy loading on clients’ sites. “Lazy loading limits what is loaded within the viewport and is supported in modern browsers,” explains Thomas Morris.

However, web designers should avoid applying lazy loading to hero images which are always visible at the top of a page, as this will cause the website to load slowly and impact user experience.

  1. Make your Site Carbon-Aware

Rick Butterfield is a strong advocate for building carbon-aware websites. “The Green Software Foundation’s Carbon Aware software development kit allows developers to create software that does more when the electricity is from renewable sources and less when the electricity is from fossil fuels. Open APIs allow us to create this type of service for clients. Functionality of the site can be altered based on current grid usage, where your servers are located, or where your users are. As an example, images can be disabled if the server load is too high, or they could be stripped back to display illustrations instead.”

  1. Choose carbon-efficient infrastructure

Andy Eva-Dale, CTO at Tangent, advises that running digital services from the cloud has both environmental and financial benefits for organisations, “All the major cloud providers have carbon commitments. Take advantage of PAAS features like auto-scaling, to ensure you’re only using and paying for the computing memory you need, and this is optimised for ‘business as usual’ traffic, from a carbon perspective. Then, when you have spikes in traffic, we can auto-scale those applications. Furthermore, when we start looking at microservice architecture, we can scale independently and set resource plans on individual services rather than whole applications, giving us more control.”

Andy Eva-Dale continues, “The next thing to consider is serving content geographically close to your audience. Hosting static files or caching your API responses on the edge can significantly reduce the amount of carbon your systems produce.”

Thomas Morris agrees, saying, “Serving static assets via a content delivery network (CDN) will ensure that requests are treated efficiently.”

  1. Switch off after use

Andy Eva-Dale also advises turning off cloud-based resources after use, “When you’ve moved to a relatively stable business as usual cycle, turn off your non-production environment and turn them on only when you need to make a patch, or update a particular feature. If you’re in a continuous programme of work, look at switching off environments at weekends. Applications like Kubernetes give you increased control over that. An auto event-driven autoscaler was announced by The Cloud Native Computing Foundation that allows infrastructure to be adjusted, based on carbon metrics.”

Taking our own advice:

The Sustainability Team is committed to working with peers, clients and even competitors to share these best practices and collectively reduce the environmental impact of digital experiences. This includes Umbraco listening to our digital partners and making the necessary changes to our core CMS platform and website.

Neil Clark comments, “By having us as a Sustainability Team, we can really push change at all levels of Umbraco which means that the impact of those changes is going to be amplified and not restricted to a few developers or agencies changing the way that they work.”

This is not just a nice-to-have. Our digital agency partners tell us they are seeing more client briefs and RFPs that stipulate sustainable web design. In the face of new legislation such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, there is an increasingly strong business case for carbon-conscious web design.”

Learn more at umbraco.com

  • Sustainability Technology

Author

Nell Walker

Published

6 October 2025

Estimated Read time

2Mins

Strategic partnership enables 3PLs to access all-electric delivery capacity through integrated end-to-end platform

TEG, the leading fintech-enabled platform serving transport and logistics, today announces a new partnership with HIVED, the UK’s first fully electric parcel delivery company operating a fleet of electric HGVs, enabling logistics providers to seamlessly access tailpipe emission-free delivery solutions as demand for sustainable transport accelerates.

Through TEG’s end-to-end platform, logistics providers can now seamlessly access HIVED’s 100% electric fleet, including 44 tonne electric HGVs operating seven days a week, which deliver up to 76% emission reductions per parcel and maintain a 99% on-time delivery rate across same-day, next-day and two-day services.

Key partnership benefits include:

  • Instant access to sustainable capacity: TEG platform members can immediately source electric vehicle capacity from HIVED without lengthy onboarding processes
  • Compliance assurance: TEG’s integrated compliance framework ensures HIVED meets stringent enterprise standards
  • Seamless settlement: TEG’s SmartPay system enables automated payments and invoicing for HIVED services
  • Data-driven insights: Real-time carbon tracking and analytics help 3PLs demonstrate sustainability impact to customers

Meeting growing sustainability demands

The new partnership addresses growing market demand for sustainable logistics solutions. Research from TEG’s recent 3PL whitepaper reveals that 67% of 3PLs identify sustainability as a pressing procurement challenge as new emissions regulations reshape carrier requirements.

Luke Austin, Operations Project Manager at HIVED, said: “Through our partnership with TEG, we can now offer our fully electric delivery network to their entire platform of logistics providers. TEG’s integrated compliance and payment systems make it seamless for 3PLs to access our all-electric services, enabling them to significantly reduce supply chain emissions while moving closer to their sustainability goals. With electric vans saving up to 260g of CO₂eq per kilometre, this partnership unlocks substantial carbon savings across TEG’s network.”

Technology-enabled collaboration

TEG’s platform eliminates traditional barriers to carrier collaboration by providing instant compliance verification, automated onboarding, and integrated payment solutions. The partnership with HIVED exemplifies how technology can accelerate adoption of sustainable transport solutions.

Lyall Cresswell, founder & CEO of TEG, said: “As the logistics industry faces mounting pressure to decarbonise, partnerships like this demonstrate how technology platforms can accelerate the transition to sustainable transport. By making it effortless for 3PLs to access HIVED’s fully electric network, we’re removing the friction that traditionally slows adoption of innovative, sustainable solutions.”

The new partnership comes as both companies experience rapid growth. HIVED’s rapid expansion has seen it become recognised as one of the fastest-growing startups in Europe, whilst TEG supports over 9,000 businesses and manages 2.5 million loads annually.

  • Sustainability Technology

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

24 July 2025

Estimated Read time

2Mins

Read in brochure format

Accenture is helping SSEN Transmission manage hundreds of infrastructure projects vital to achieving the UK’s Net Zero ambition. Effective delivery…

Accenture is helping SSEN Transmission manage hundreds of infrastructure projects vital to achieving the UK’s Net Zero ambition. Effective delivery required addressing fragmented data and disconnected tools that can slow the flow of information between systems. SSEN Transmission sought a partner to help reshape its approach for data-driven execution on capital projects.

Meeting the Digital Challenge with Accenture

SSEN Transmission partnered with Accenture to embrace automation and digitisation in response to increasing project demands, a challenge reflected across the wider Capital Projects sector. Through the adoption of BIM (Building Information Modelling) and the implementation of Integrated Project Management (IPM), which was developed with Oracle and Microsoft, this collaboration laid the groundwork for more connected ways of working and continues to promote transformation across the organisation.

Key Benefits Delivered

Accenture supported with IPM (Integrated Project Management) and Building Information Modelling (BIM) customised to meet specific needs and achieve key goals: 

  • Digitise processes for a single unified environment
  • Unify data for a standardised and trusted source of truth
  • Create a scalable platform for delivering capital projects

“With a unified real-time view of project data, SSEN Transmission has improved efficiency and strengthened collaboration across internal teams and with external partners. This allows for more time focused on higher value insight-led work, supporting better outcomes, faster decisions and much more agile delivery”

Huda As’ad, Managing Director, Capital Projects & Infrastructure, UKI

Building for the Future

More than a solutions provider, Accenture helps with strategy and issupporting SSEN Transmission’s continued focus on refining best practice for smooth project delivery. The partnership is helping to evolve ways of working and strengthening the digital foundation for future readiness.

“Our collaboration is built on a strong digital foundation that can scale with SSEN Transmission’s growing needs. By unifying systems, data, and process, we are enabling the faster adoption of new capabilities and supporting the shift towards a fully data-driven capital project delivery”

Nithin Vijay, Managing Director, Industry X – Capital Projects & Infrastructure

Accenture: A Partner for the Journey

Transformation is a journey that begins with the right foundation across people, data and process. It also requires a digital partner that brings together the best of industry experience, process excellence and technology to:

  • Develop a clear, actionable strategy for digital and data transformation
  • Embed industry best practices to optimise processes and drive continuous improvement
  • Enable smarter, more consistent delivery aligned to a long-term vision, from strategy through to execution

And that’s where Accenture makes its mark, helping clients navigate the journey with confidence.

Learn more about how Accenture is supporting SSEN Transmission on its digitisation journey with Huda As’ad, Managing Director, Capital Projects & Infrastructure, UKI and Nithin Vijay, Managing Director, Industry X – Capital Projects & Infrastructure

  • Digital Strategy
  • Infrastructure & Cloud
  • Sustainability Technology

Author

Andrew Woods

Published

23 July 2024

Estimated Read time

3Mins

Shelley Salomon, VP of Global Business, Amazon Business, discusses her company’s commitment to fostering gender diversity in procurement.

Procurement’s gender imbalance isn’t new.

Traditionally, the function was regarded as a male-dominated profession. But change is afoot, in more ways than one. While a digital transformation amidst technological innovation is well-publicised, another evolution is underway within the workforce.

Gender diversity has become an important component of many company strategies globally. While progress to encourage more women into procurement has already started. There still remains an imbalance, particularly among those holding leadership positions. With current statistics suggesting around one in four leadership positions are held by women, there is still room for improvement.

So, is progress happening quickly enough? Shelley Salomon, VP of Global Business at Amazon Business, discusses her organisation’s commitment to fostering gender diversity and how women can reach parity in procurement. 

In your opinion, where is procurement today in terms of women’s representation in 2024?

Shelley Salomon: “Women’s representation in procurement has seen progress these past few years, but there remains room for further improvement. Gartner’s data shows that women comprise 41% of the supply chain workforce. It’s encouraging to see greater gender diversity within the industry.

“While these statistics are encouraging, they also highlight ongoing challenges. Particularly at the leadership level. Only 25% of leadership roles are held by women. This disparity underscores the need for sustained efforts to promote gender diversity and support women’s ascension to senior positions within procurement.

“My perspective on this trend is one of cautious optimism. The progress we see is promising, reflecting a growing recognition of women’s unique contributions to procurement roles. Diverse perspectives and gender equity are vital for effective decision-making and problem-solving. Additionally, multiple credible studies show that companies with the greatest gender balance in the C-suite are likelier to achieve above average financial results. However, much work must be done to ensure these advancements translate into lasting change.”

While progress to encourage more women into the workforce seems to be underway, there is still a major disparity in the number of women leaders in procurement. What is the best way to go about rectifying this? 

Shelley Salomon: “I believe there’s a significant opportunity to welcome more women into procurement leadership roles. By establishing robust mentorship and sponsorship programmes, organisations can provide invaluable guidance, support, and networking opportunities. Thus empowering women to thrive in their careers and gain visibility within the organisation. Investing in inclusive leadership development programmes is essential. These initiatives focus on building inclusive skills and readiness for leadership roles, continuing to foster a more inclusive and dynamic workforce.

“In my opinion, implementing inclusive hiring practices that actively promote gender diversity, such as using diverse hiring panels and conducting blind recruitment processes, is essential to minimising biases. 

“Lastly, setting clear, measurable goals for increasing the number of women procurement leaders and regularly reporting on progress to hold leadership teams accountable can drive meaningful change. By taking these proactive steps, organisations can create a more equitable environment that supports the advancement of women into leadership roles within procurement.”

Read the full story here!


Author

Andrew Woods

Published

16 July 2024

Estimated Read time

4Mins

Businesses have been forced to navigate and adapt to these challenges to ensure continuity, limit interruption and reduce risk

From Brexit to the pandemic and the current geopolitical conflict, the supply chain industry has faced a flood of challenges in recent years. This has caused disruption to supply chains. Businesses have been forced to navigate and adapt to these challenges to ensure continuity, limit interruption and reduce risk. 

Alice Strevens, Director Human Rights and Social Impact, Mazars 

As part of this, it’s increasingly important for businesses to ensure they have robust human rights due diligence processes in place. These processes support companies in their decision-making during crises, and help them identify risks in their supply chains. This ultimately protects them in both stable and unstable times. 

Human rights and environmental due diligence provides a basis on which to address environmental, social and governance issues that impact supply chain resilience. Companies that respond to crises with an approach based on due diligence are more likely to protect their relationships with suppliers. Plus, they get to mitigate the impact on workers in their value chain. An example of this is during the Covid-19 pandemic. Many companies saw buyers abruptly cancel orders, request refunds in full and pause orders for months. With many suppliers facing reduced sales at the time, it led to questions as to whether businesses were working alongside suppliers. Or taking advantage of the circumstances to get reduced costs. 

It’s important to learn from these lessons to build strong sustainable supply chain strategies. This will help businesses remain resilient both in stable times. And in the face of significant events. There isn’t a perfect formula. However, the concept of double materiality (i.e. considering sustainability matters from both the perspective of the impact on people and the environment, and the perspective of the financial risks and opportunities to the business) is helping businesses to assess sustainability-related risk strategically.  

Supplier engagement will ensure long-term success 

Building a sustainable supply chain for the long-term requires engagement and collaboration with supply chain partners. Long-term relationships can provide a basis to share challenging risks and impacts transparently. Human rights and environmental due diligence foregrounds the importance of engagement and collaboration to mitigate identified risks and build resilience. 

The responsible supply chain strategy should be integrated into the overarching sourcing strategy and supplier engagement approach. Delivery against the strategy should be built into performance targets and incentives. Regular reviews of impacts, targets and KPIs should be conducted at board level. Making use of the latest technological developments, including assessing their risk for social/environmental concerns and measuring and tracking performance. This will help companies stay ahead and be prepared in their processes. 

An evolving regulatory landscape calls for preparedness 

Another important point to keep in mind is the legislative landscape. This is especially pertinent in the EU, as the rules will make previous voluntary standards now mandatory and will impact large companies. This includes those in their supply chain, including in the UK. 

Companies should therefore look to base their strategies on the authoritative voluntary frameworks on conducting human rights and environmental due diligence. Primarily the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct. This will set them up for meeting legislative requirements down the line. For example, Mazars and Shift co-wrote the UNGP Reporting Framework, which provides a framework for companies to adopt responsible practices, and manage human rights risks. 

The future of supply chain is now 

Ultimately, companies and suppliers should work together to ensure collaboration and a robust strategy which takes all parties into consideration. Listening to feedback and promoting good communication between stakeholders will ensure smooth sailing during the business-as-usual times. And the more tumultuous periods. 

Implementing long-lasting strategies and creating resilience to risks will increase business’ market access and promote their financial value. Thus ensuring that they deliver quality goods and gain loyalty among suppliers. 

Read the full issue of SCS here!

Author

Dan Brightmore

Published

12 October 2023

Estimated Read time

2Mins

Read in brochure format

Nigel Greatorex, Global Industry Manager at ABB, on how digital technologies can support decarbonisation and net zero goals

Nigel Greatorex is the Global Industry Manager for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) at ABB Energy Industries. He explains how digital technologies can play a critical role in the transition to a low carbon world by enabling global emissions reductions. Furthermore, he highlights the role of CCS and how challenges can be overcome through digitalisation.

Meeting our global decarbonisation goals is arguably the most pressing challenge facing humanity. Moreover, solving this requires concerted global action. However, there is no silver bullet to the global warming crisis. The solution requires a mix of investment, legislation and, importantly, innovative digital technologies.

Decarbonisation digital technologies

It’s widely recognised decarbonisation is essential to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Decarbonisation technology is becoming an increasingly important, rapidly growing market. It is especially relevant for heavy industries – such as chemicals, cement and steel. These account for 70 percent of industrial CO2 emissions; equal to approximately six billion tons annually.

CCS digital technologies are increasingly seen as key to helping industries decarbonise their operations. Reaching our net zero targets requires industry uptake of CCS to grow 120-fold by 2050, according to analysis from McKinsey & Company. Indeed, if successful, it could be responsible for reducing CO2 emissions from the industrial sector by 45 percent.

A Digital Twin solution

ABB and Pace CCS joined forces to deliver a digital twin solution. It reduces the cost of integrating CCS into new and existing industrial operations. Simulating the design stage and test scenarios to deliver proof of concept gives customers peace of mind. Indeed, system designs need to be fit for purpose. Also, it demonstrates the smooth transition into CCS operations. Additionally, the digital twin models the full value chain of a CCS system.

Read the full story here

  • Sustainability Technology