Working together to reduce emissions is easy when others show you how 

Scope 3 emissions typically make up the largest share of an organisation’s carbon footprint, yet they remain the most complex to measure and reduce.

Scope 3 emissions are the indirect greenhouse gas emissions from a company’s ‘value chains’. They aren’t directly produced by the company but are a result of their activities.

Sustainability Advantages’ Value Chain Engagement Leadership Accelerator acts like a spotlight, bringing all the relevant parties together, highlighting each component and show them what's possible.

More than 30 participants from 17 organisations across a broad range of industry sectors have already engaged with the initiative to build capability and confidence within their organisation to understand their Scope 3 emissions and engage their value chain stakeholders.

Through interactive learning modules, tailored expert guidance and sector-focused collaboration, the accelerator equips participants to monitor Scope 3 emissions across procurement; transport and distribution; staff commuting and consumer use of products. It breaks this down into manageable segments that aren’t so overwhelming for organisations.

Ombeline Even, the Sustainability Program Manager at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, says the accelerator was a great forum to share common challenges across different industries and build relationships.

“We explored how to involve the whole supply chain and support our suppliers in the reduction of their carbon emissions. The feedback from the suppliers has been very positive: in addition to knowledge sharing and providing them with practical ways to reduce their carbon footprint, we also strengthened our engagement and relationship with them.”

The accelerator encourages organisations to identify quick wins as well as explore harder-to-abate areas. An easy one is stationery, where a firm can easily switch to a carbon-neutral product. Cutting emissions in transport is harder and might involve using electric vehicles for high-frequency urban distribution routes and continuing with conventional heavy vehicles for long hauls in the short term.

“The exchange across the different participants and learning about their journey was extremely valuable and reinforced the benefits of the Sustainability Advantage network,” said Ombeline.

The accelerator also fosters a collaborative spirit, even among business competitors, to push down emissions across shared suppliers. It’s not uncommon for an industry leader to take the lead in an accelerator and inspire an entire sector to commit to ambitious targets.