UNIVAR SOLUTIONS

“ We’ re focusing on what is important to our business in a holistic way. We’ ll continue to evaluate our impacts and our exposure and with this our focus remains relevant.”

AI in the supply chain According to Liam, managing the complex data requirements in today’ s supply chain demands rapid technological advancement, particularly through responsible use of AI. Within Univar Solutions, AI is supporting supply chain collaboration, internal operational efficiency and carbon accounting automation – while the company is also supplying specialised chemistries, such as advanced heat transfer fluids, to meet the cooling demands of rapidly expanding data centres and minimise water and power consumption.

“ AI is coming at an exact time of which we’ re going to need more of these dots to be connected,” says Liam.“ We’ ve recently introduced AI-powered product carbon footprinting software which is producing PCFs at pace, while protecting supply chain data integrity. Our commercial team is now bringing to life to speed up how we communicate PCFs to our customers.

“ We’ re now using AI for challenges that, five years ago, weren’ t that significant – but are now a core expectation of the consumer.” Liam says.

Embedding sustainability into culture As Univar Solutions enters the initial tracking phase of its public 2030 goals, establishing baseline data and demonstrating measurable progress is one of the main areas of focus of Liam and his team.

of Univar Solutions’ total emissions come from its fleet

To ensure he and his team stay connected to the purpose of their goals, Liam says that he regularly opens meetings with a dedicated“ Why we Care” segment.

“ Every week, I meet with my team, and we start our meetings with a‘ Why We Care’ share, where we talk about a topic that still drives us and inspires us,” Liam says.“ Because sometimes, when you’ re trawling through 50 spreadsheets to try to get to the bottom of electricity data, you think, is this inspiring? But ultimately, we all want to drive work that actually has an impact beyond ourselves.”

This attitude can be seen throughout the organisation. For Liam, one of the biggest measures of success is the way sustainability has been embedded in the culture at Univar Solutions.

“ I take great pride in our reports, in achieving our goals and even my recent Doctorate in commercialising sustainability,” he says.“ But what I’ m most proud of is how sustainability is now a part of our culture. This is something that remains beyond individuals and while we can always do more, embedding sustainability into who we are is a real win.”

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