SASKIA VAN GENDT
SUSTAINABILITY
mandating and standardising corporate disclosures ,” explains Saskia van Gendt , CSO at Blue Yonder , a world leader in digital supply chain transformation .
“ Not only does CSRD require transparency for the 50,000 European companies it applies to , it also creates a ripple effect of disclosure for environmental and social impacts along the value chain .”
Lack of tech holding organisations back Heeding widespread demand for enhanced transparency and traceability in supply chains is one thing ; achieving it is another matter altogether .
Before diving into the challenges organisations are facing , it is important to differentiate between what are fast becoming two business imperatives .
Transparency primarily concerns the communication of information about a supply chain to downstream stakeholders , such as the customers paying for goods or services .
Traceability is more about generating data relating to the lifecycle of a product , from its origin through to consumption .
Certainly , many companies are finding the process of abiding by transparency and traceability regulations far from straightforward .
Saskia says this often boils down to the technological tools at their disposal .
“ Most organisations lack the systems to track their full value chain ,” she continues . “ Retailers and manufacturers often only have visibility for and influence on tier 1 suppliers , whereas traceability requires n-tier accountability .
SASKIA VAN GENDT
TITLE : CSO COMPANY : BLUE YONDER
INDUSTRY : SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
LOCATION : MONTANA , US
Saskia van Gendt is responsible for developing and executing Blue Yonder ’ s sustainability strategy and driving sustainability initiatives in product roadmaps and across the company .
“ Lacking the right tracking systems , organisations are responding to the pressure for transparency by surveying suppliers down their value chain , which has led to survey fatigue and is challenging to maintain given supply chains are constantly changing .”
Demand stems from consumers One sector which has experienced a dramatic surge in demand for transparency and traceability over recent years is food production .
This is largely being dictated by consumers , who want to know more about where the food that ends up on their plates has come from .
Well placed to shed further light on this is Andrew Dalziel , VP Industry & Solution Strategy at Infor , which provides cloud business application software solutions . In particular , its ERP solutions for the food and beverage sector are developed
218 October 2024