ScopeWise: A Platform for Supply Chain Sustainability and Scope 3 Emissions Tracking

Businesses face increasing pressure from governments, consumers, and shareholders to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, for many companies, the majority of their carbon footprint—often upwards of 90%—is attributed to their supply chain. These supply chain emissions, or Scope 3 emissions in carbon accounting terminology, fall outside of an organization’s direct control, making them difficult to measure and even harder to manage. As such, gathering accurate emissions data and ensuring supplier decarbonization have become some of the biggest challenges in corporate sustainability.

Currently, many sustainability managers estimate supplier emissions based on financial data and industry averages, which often results in inaccurate conclusions and does not support a strategic approach to decarbonization. Alternatively, companies can attempt to directly engage with key suppliers. However, this approach is time-consuming and difficult to scale across hundreds or even thousands of suppliers.

This was the inspiration for ScopeWise, a centralized platform that aggregates supplier emissions data, assesses individual performance, and facilitates collaboration to drive decarbonization. By collecting and analyzing publicly available environmental data, ScopeWise identifies which suppliers are key contributors to a company’s carbon footprint and recommends actionable engagement strategies for both sustainability and procurement teams. This results in increased efficiencies in currently time-consuming processes, improved accuracy and accountability in emissions accounting, and greater control over decarbonization levers. By bridging the data gap between companies and their suppliers, ScopeWise empowers businesses to build sustainable supply chains with confidence.

Acknowledgements

UC Santa Barbara Bren School: Emilly Cotter, Environmental Innovation Program Manager and Lecturer; Kyle Meng, Associate Professor; Charles (Charlie) Kolstad, Distinguished Professor Emeritus

Industry Advisor: Mike Schwartz, Director of Sustainability, ChargePoint