Asda, Co-op Collaborate to Streamline Supply Chain Sustainability Data.

British supermarket giants Asda and the Co-op, together with leading sustainable business and supply chain platform 2degrees, are paving the way for the future of supply chain collaboration by enabling mutual suppliers to submit aggregated data on waste, water and energy to both retailers at the same time.

Suppliers serving both retailers submit the data once, indicating that their combined data should be shared with both customers. By eliminating the need for duplicated information, suppliers will be able to focus their time and effort on delivering quality products, while saving on time, money and resources.

“It’s great that two retailers like Co-op and Asda have embraced this approach. With all our manufacturing locations sharing their data between these customers we have cut down duplicated effort, saving time and making the entire process a lot more efficient. I hope other retailers will see the benefits of such a collaborative approach and consider it for their suppliers’ environmental reporting,” said David McDiarmid, Corporate Relations Director at Princes Ltd, a key supplier to both Asda and the Co-op.

“So far, Asda has seen fantastic results from working with 2degrees on the Sustain & Save Exchange (SSE) platform,” said Laura Babbs, Sustainability Manager at Asda. “Allowing our suppliers to remove duplicated effort has engaged our supply chain, giving them the opportunity to drive efficiencies. We have worked with 2degrees and the supplier advisory board to make the request as simple as possible for suppliers. We appreciate that smaller businesses may not have the resources, so providing this reporting function and enabling them to share data will save them time and put their efforts into other critical areas.”

Both Asda and the Co-op have experience using 2degrees platforms and have witnessed the myriad of benefits they deliver to suppliers. Earlier this year, the Co-op helped launch 2degrees’s Manufacture 2030, a global platform designed to help companies cut costs, reduce risk and minimize environmental impact through better supply chain and cross-industry collaboration. The collaboration with Asda is the next logical step in delivering on Manufacture 2030’s objectives.

The tool offers three ways for brands to help their suppliers and operational managers improve performance: supplier engagement channels; energy, waste and water hubs; and a portfolio of peer-enhanced site-specific collaboration tool with resources to help managers cut costs, risks and impacts.

The Co-op has already seen a drinks supplier start addressing its carbon footprint through the platform. “We are looking closely at a case study shared by another drinks supplier on Manufacture 2030 and using it as a model of how this key environmental process could be done, helping us to sell the idea internally,” said Andy Horrocks of Kingsland Drinks.

“Both retailers have heard extensive feedback from suppliers that differing requests burn resources, which could be better used making great products as efficiently as possible,” said Martin Chilcott, CEO of 2degrees. “Simplifying life for suppliers, while getting important data is essential and we invite other retailers to join the revolution to help their supply chain save time, money and resources.” First published on Sustainable Brands.