Tag: traceability

photo-realistic image representing the concept of an electric vehicle with a transparent view. It shows key minerals like cobalt, lithium, and nickel, illustrating their pathways and connections within the car
Digital Supply Chain

Ethics in Every Element: Transforming Mineral Supply Chains for Good

In a rapidly evolving world, the need for sustainable and ethical sourcing of key minerals has never been more urgent. This was the focal point of my recent discussion with Ellen Carey, Chief External Affairs Officer for Circulor on the Digital Supply Chain podcast. Ellen’s insights provided a fascinating perspective on how traceability and transparency in supply chains are not just necessary but revolutionary, especially in the context of sourcing key minerals for a sustainable future.

The journey of a mineral from extraction to product is complex and often shrouded in opacity. This lack of transparency can lead to significant ethical and environmental issues, including forced labor and unsustainable mining practices. Circulor is tackling these challenges head-on by leveraging technology to bring visibility to these complex supply chains. This approach is transformative, particularly in the electric vehicle (EV) industry, where the demand for minerals like cobalt, lithium, and nickel is skyrocketing.

One of the standout points from our conversation was the critical role of digital technology in ensuring the ethical sourcing of these minerals. Circulor’s method involves creating a digital twin of the material, providing end-to-end traceability from the mine to the final product. This not only ensures ethical sourcing but also allows consumers and businesses to make informed decisions based on the sustainability credentials of the products they buy or sell.

Ellen highlighted the emerging regulatory landscape, such as the EU’s digital battery passport requirement, which mandates comprehensive traceability of the materials used in EV batteries. This regulation is a step towards a more sustainable and ethical global supply chain, ensuring that the clean energy transition is as responsible as it is revolutionary.

The significance of mineral supply chain traceability cannot be overstated. According to the World Economic Forum’s 2023 Critical Minerals report, responsible sourcing of minerals is crucial for the transition to a low-carbon economy. The report emphasizes that the traceability of minerals could help reduce CO2 emissions, mitigate the risk of conflict, and improve the lives of mining communities.

Traceability and transparency in supply chains are more than just buzzwords; they are essential strategies for a more sustainable and ethical world. By embracing these strategies, businesses can contribute to a greener future, ensuring that the materials they use are sourced responsibly and sustainably.

To dive deeper into this crucial topic and explore how technology is enabling a more transparent and sustainable future in supply chains, I encourage you to listen to the full episode with Ellen Carey on the Digital Supply Chain podcast. Join us as we explore the transformative power of traceability in supply chains and the impact it has on our journey towards a more sustainable future.

Wind turbines near San Diego
Digital Supply Chain

The Importance of Compliance and Sustainability in Supply Chain Management with Topo Solutions

As the host of the Digital Supply Chain podcast, I’m always on the lookout for guests who can offer unique insights and expertise on the subject of supply chain management. Recently, I had the pleasure of welcoming Tobias Grabler, the COO of Topo Solutions, to the show. In this episode, Tobias introduces Topo Solutions as a SaaS company that provides a digital platform for end-to-end supply chain management.

Topo Solutions is a cloud-based solution that covers the entire journey of a product from sourcing to quality management, compliance, and sustainability. With offices in Hong Kong and the US, Topo Solutions primarily serves clients in Europe, but is expanding into the US market. The company celebrated its 10-year anniversary last year and has been growing rapidly, with a move to a larger office space in Hong Kong in 2022.

One of the things that sets Topo Solutions apart is its flexible approach to implementation. They can either implement everything for the customer, hand it over to the customer to build everything themselves, or start and then have the customer take over. They also offer templates for certain areas and allow for an empty canvas to build tools for the customer’s specific supply chain needs. The platform is also low-code, empowering business users, as IT and developer resources are often scarce.

Topo Solutions is designed for the consumer goods industry, and can be applied across various product groups, allowing users to go into nitty-gritty details. The platform starts with product ideas and helps buyers and product managers communicate with suppliers, getting feedback on minimum order quantities, prices, and logistics information. It can serve as an order management system for organizations without existing systems and is a collaboration platform that connects suppliers, third-party service providers, and team members for production follow-ups, project management, and quality control.

Another key focus of Topo Solutions is compliance and sustainability, including supplier onboarding, self-assessments, certificate management, and the ability to run audits. The platform is framework agnostic and can connect to various platforms such as BSCI and Sedex for audit data. It also allows for collaboration with suppliers to trigger corrective actions and improve sustainability. Topo covers topics such as packaging, circular economy, traceability, and chemical management, helping customers get more transparency and prevent issues.

Tobias mentions the importance of carbon emissions and how Topo Solutions is helping customers collect CO2 emissions from the supply chain. He also highlights Topo’s success stories, including their work with Puma for quality management, the implementation for the biggest European shoe retailer Deichmann for the German Due Diligence Supply Chain Act, and the sourcing arm of the Rewe group. Tobias explains Topo’s vision to become the most efficient and powerful supply chain platform in the market, with a focus on sustainability and compliance. He believes that a holistic approach to sustainability is important, as it encompasses social and environmental components, and notes that tackling a broad area is essential to avoid the appearance of greenwashing.

It was great to have Tobias on the show, and I’m excited to share this episode with you. If you’re interested in learning more about digital supply chain management and the role of technology in this field, I encourage you to give this episode a listen.

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Thank you!

Photo credit Jason Rosenberg on Flickr