Written by Nick Wood
UK incumbent BT is taking steps to give business customers a clearer view of its carbon emissions, in particular those of its suppliers.
The telco has partnered with SAP to launch a pilot of the software giant’s Sustainability Data Exchange (SDX). Unveiled in May, it is designed to help companies collect, trace and share data regarding indirect emissions, also known as Scope 3 emissions.
While Scope 1 and Scope 2 – which encompass direct emissions and emissions due to energy usage respectively – are easy enough for a company to keep track of themselves, Scope 3 is more challenging, because it comprises emissions produced by the whole supply chain. This can include upwards of dozens of other companies each with their own way of collecting and publishing data.
SDX aims to solve this issue. It uses carbon data interoperability standards established by the Partnership for Carbon Transparency (PACT) to provide one portal for securely storing and tracking supply chain emissions data. If enough entities adopt the standards, it should make it less of a headache to gather and share accurate Scope 3 data.
This is important because public trust in government, media and even charities is at an all-time low, and public cynicism about corporate ethics is at an all-time high. Advertising giant Havas even declared in 2021 that the world was entering what it calls the ‘Age of Cynicism’, where fewer than half of global brands are considered trustworthy.
