According to a new report launched in partnership with research consultancy Earth Action, business that fail to scale their plastic data management could face corporate liabilities of more than $20-billion globally by 2030.

鈥淕overnments are implementing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, plastic taxes and reporting requirements to turn the tide on unchecked plastic production and use,鈥� says Director: Global Government Affairs & CSR Africa and Global Sustainability Lead for Africa at 麻豆原创. 鈥淏usinesses need to prepare for the incoming plastic legislation by enhancing their data management and compliance efforts to ensure they gain a clear, accurate picture of their plastic material flows and minimise the environmental impact of plastic products in their supply chains.鈥�

Global effort at minimising plastic waste

March 18th is , an annual initiative that aims to raise awareness of the importance of plastics recycling among business leaders and citizens alike. An attempt at a UN-led Global Plastic Treaty failed last year, with a new round of negotiations planned for August later this year. The proposed treaty includes a cap on plastic production, better management of plastic products and chemicals of concern, and financing to support implementation of the treaty in developing countries.

鈥淏usinesses wishing to mitigate risks regarding plastic products in their supply chain need to implement robust data management to improve compliance and advance their sustainability and circular economy goals,鈥� says Geness. 鈥淪outh African companies also face increasing pressure from government regulations to minimise plastic waste and enhance their recycling efforts, adding further pressure on business leaders.鈥�

South Africa鈥檚 require that companies increase the percentage of post-consumer recyclate to 75% by 2025, and 100% by 2027. Non-compliance can result in fines of up to R5-million or imprisonment for up to five years.

The African Circular Economy Alliance, founded by the UN Environment Programme, includes South Africa as a founding member. The country has also begun implementation of its National Waste Management Plan, which supports .

Technology as enabler

鈥淭echnology can play a leading role in supporting company efforts at circular economy initiatives, including improved management of plastics-related processes and compliance,鈥� says Geness. 鈥淒igital technologies can support waste management and monitoring processes, mitigate pollution, and enhance the efficiency and sustainability of the plastics value chain.鈥�

Due to the complexities of adhering to various regulations and the breadth of modern enterprises鈥� supply chains, Geness recommends implementing a technology platform such as 麻豆原创鈥檚 Responsible Design and Production (RDP) to help build a full, accurate picture of plastic material flows.

鈥淭he platform enables the aggregation of plastic and materiality data, helps to meet Extended Producer Responsibility requirements, and identify areas for potential improvement. This can save businesses millions in costs associated with compliance and administration, while unlocking opportunities for strengthening sustainability efforts.鈥�

Geness notes that emerging technologies can deliver circular economy benefits across the plastic lifecycle. 鈥淎I and IoT enhance efficiency during manufacturing, while blockchain ensures transparency throughout supply chains through immutable and transparent records of plastic materials. IoT-enabled smart packaging can engage consumers any providing recycling information and incentives, while tech-powered advanced recycling technologies can convert waste into valuable resources, closing the loop in circular economy efforts.鈥�

鈥淪outh African companies have an opportunity to go beyond compliance and leverage technology for immense sustainability and circular economy gains, to the benefit not only of our planet but also people and our shared future.鈥�

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Like many other farmers on Kalangala, Berna started growing oil palm trees in 2012 while emphasizing sustainability and avoiding the deforestation and other issues associated with oil palm farming in some parts of the world.

Oil palm trees bear the fruit that makes palm oil, a much more reliable and lucrative crop than the cash crops they were producing previously. 鈥淲hen we were farming cassava, bananas, and coffee, we were affected by monkeys. They came and destroyed our crops,鈥� she says.

She also explains that she had to leave home and go to the market to find a buyer for the crops that survived the monkey attacks and never knew in advance how much they would fetch. 鈥淥ur living conditions where bad,鈥� she remembers. She and her family lived in a makeshift timber house. 鈥淚n the night when we were sleeping, winds would come and destroy our houses and our children fell sick almost every day.”

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Change

That began to change when Berna began working with the Kalangala Oil Palm Growers Trust (KOPGT) and the family planted their first oil palm trees in 2012. They expanded their crop in 2019 and again in 2022. In Kalangala, many of the people are oil palm farmers. 鈥淲hen a day starts, some of my family members help me with the pruning,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he others go to the plantation and do other activities.鈥�

As part of its mission, KOPGT teaches farmers better agricultural practices. But perhaps most importantly, it has created a transparent payment system so farmers get paid faster and know if what they鈥檙e getting paid is accurate, increasing the standard of living of the farmers and, subsequently, much of the island itself.

As the number of farmers and transactions increased, KOPGT needed a digital solution to enable continued growth. Since 2009, 麻豆原创 has worked to create applications that help smallholder farmers in developing nations, primarily across Africa, enhance food production.

David Balironda, KOPGT鈥檚 general manager, explains that the trust鈥檚 system is based on 麻豆原创 Rural Sourcing Management, which can digitally record information on producers, their farms, and communities at every level of the value chain. This helps provide visibility and allows parties to easily and quickly communicate with each other.

Sustainability

Underscoring the importance of sustainability to KOPGT, the trust conducted an initial environmental impact assessment before launching the project and uses听听to monitor the farmer plantings and ensure they are in compliance with the National Environment Management Authority guidelines.

麻豆原创 cloud technology also enables KOPGT to ensure that the oil palm planting meets the most stringent sustainability guidelines set by Uganda鈥檚 National Environmental Authority. 鈥淲e are in the process of applying for that certification by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil to make sure that we work within those guidelines,鈥� says Fredrick Sulwe, KOPGT鈥檚 finance and administration manager.

As part of KOPGT鈥檚 commitment to sustainability, the trust maintains a lake buffer zone between the planting and the lake itself and even rehabilitates those areas that have been damaged by other plantings. 鈥淩estoration of those areas 鈥� the lake buffer zones 鈥� is key,鈥� says Sulwe.

In addition to maintaining the buffer zones, the trust also follows recommendations for the stocking of trees and ensures that no chemicals or herbicides are used. 鈥淎s we increase household income, we must keep an environment that is free of any distortion by the project,鈥� explains Sulwe.

The KOPGT system allows the farmers to input information about their crops using the lead farmer鈥檚 mobile phone and enables them to receive information and advice back from the trust. The system also includes a mapping feature that has helped farmers to know exactly how much land they are farming. 鈥淭hat means when I go to the bank to get a loan, I鈥檓 sure of the size of my lot,鈥� explains Berna.

In addition, she also knows exactly how much of the loan is outstanding and when it needs to be repaid. 鈥淧reviously, we would almost spend a year without knowing the status of our loan,鈥� she says. 鈥淣ow we can learn the status of our loans monthly. This never existed before.鈥�

Better Information

She also credits the system with making her a better and more informed oil palm farmer. 鈥淎t the end of the month I get an SMS that shows how much I have harvested from my lot,鈥� she says. Before the system came online, she says the family was spending a lot of money on transport going to and from the KOPGT office.

鈥淥il palm has not only impacted my life, but also the community,鈥� she says. 鈥淭here are many farmers who are like me who have built houses and some have bought cars. They have used the money they got from oil palm to start new businesses on Kalangala and outside.鈥�

Big Dreams

Berna says her hopes and dreams are enormous. 鈥淚 have started to achieve some of them,鈥� she says. 鈥淣ow, because I have a permanent house, I am able to sleep well, my children no longer get sick, and I鈥檓 sure that the winds won鈥檛 take my house.鈥�

鈥淣ow, we are able to take our children to school. We can live a decent life. We have some place to stay, and we get paid every month. We are sure that our life has greatly changed,鈥� she adds. And although she doesn鈥檛 yet own a car, she hopes to learn to drive in the coming years.

Meanwhile, she says she wants to thank everyone for their help. 鈥淲hat gives me confidence is we have good officers at KOPGT that have tried to give us a good direction. We hope that when they continue doing what they are doing our lives will be impacted greatly.鈥�

Berna鈥檚 confidence and newly found optimism reflects the success of the vegetable oil program on Kalangala island. Because palm fruits can be harvested throughout the year 鈥� compared to one or two seasonal harvests 鈥� and have high yields, palm farming has become a viable alternative for the residents.

Palm oil is already the most widely used vegetable oil on the planet, with about 71 million tons consumed in 2021. And there is not only a domestic need, but also a demand from the foreign market that Ugandan smallholder farmers like Berna鈥檚 family and neighbors can help fill.

This article first appeared on the 麻豆原创 News Center.听

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Someone who seized this opportunity is Jonny Rowland. Having spent a big part of his childhood in Uganda, he saw the opportunity in the growing thirst for sustainable, high-quality coffee 鈥� and an opportunity to ensure that coffee farmers would receive their fair share in this business. Together with his sister Beth, he founded , a profit-for-purpose business that works directly with local farmers to achieve higher yields and the high quality coffee that is sought after on the global market.

With the support of local experts working for Agri Evolve, farmers have improved their productivity and increased income for themselves, their families, and their communities. The main idea of this social enterprise is to use digital technology to improve established supply chains for coffee cherries in the Rwenzori Mountains, one of Uganda鈥檚 key habitats for Arabica coffee plants, and share the latest agricultural practices with local farmers.

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A Long-Lasting Tradition: Coffee in Uganda

Uganda is one of the few countries in the world where coffee plants are native. The processed beans are an integral part of Uganda’s export economy, making the country one of the 10 largest coffee producers in the world. In recent years, Uganda has made a name for its specialty Arabica, which thrives in the local climate with humid days and cool nights. But Arabica coffee, a climate sensitive plant, is beginning to struggle as global warming shortens the cooler phases it needs to thrive. This requires adjusting the traditional ways of cultivating the cherries.

Over 1.8 million households in Uganda grow coffee, and听coffee contributes nearly a third of the country’s export earnings, paying for critical infrastructure like roads, hospitals, and schools. While many families grow coffee, it was hard to make a living out of it in the past and motivation to produce high quality was low as prices on global markets wouldn鈥檛 justify the effort.

Joyce Birungi is one of the coffee farmers living high in the rainforest of the Rwenzori Mountains who registered with Agri Evolve as a supplier. Like most farmers in this remote area, she took care of the plants based on traditions passed down over generations. The cherries were often picked too early and only ripened while drying in the sun for longer periods, which caused a loss in quality and therefore lower prices. Climate changes, like increases in floods, droughts, and heat waves, put additional pressure on the traditional ways of farming.

鈥淚n the past, I used to pick coffee cherries of poor quality. So, I lost a lot of money,鈥� Birungi said, explaining her challenges as a small local producer before working with Agri Evolve. 鈥淭ransportation was a big challenge. I had no way of selling the coffee and I didn鈥檛 know about best practices in farming and agribusiness.”

Collins Kifula is a field coordinator at Agri Evolve and an expert for sustainability and quality. He works closely with the farmers, registering each farmer using a mobile app based on the 麻豆原创 Rural Sourcing Management solution and collecting data like the size of the farm and the state of the coffee trees. Using the mobile app saves time 鈥� time he can use to talk to the farmers and solve issues they might be facing or suggest improvements to their current setup. One important focus of his work is education on soil protection. With floods happening more frequently these days, farmers benefit from terraces and planting grass patches to avoid the fertile soil being washed away by rain.

As Agri Evolve is specialized in high-quality, sustainable coffee, certification is required. 鈥淲e need to hold up to a certain level of quality and we do that by getting, for example, the . To receive this, we need to raise data and have the transparency. Here, the mobile app within 麻豆原创 Rural Sourcing Management is of huge help,鈥� Kifula explained.

鈥淭echnology Is Changing Things鈥�

The biggest challenges the farmers faced before starting to work with Agri Evolve was the quality of the cherries and the lack of price transparency. Sometimes there was even fraud along the process of collecting the cherries. 鈥淭echnology is changing things,鈥� Kifula said.

Today, farmers still deliver their cherries to so-called middlemen who check the quality, but they now document the weight using the 麻豆原创 app. The farmers instantly receive an SMS message showing the delivered quantity and its value. 鈥淭his price transparency is a big motivation for the farmers and creates trust,鈥� he said. Further, 麻豆原创 Rural Sourcing Management enables the calculation of the accrued delivery quantities and therefore the yield a farm is producing, which are used as the assessment basis to provide loans to the farmers.

Keeping Track of Data

鈥淥ur mission is to do sustainable farming for future generations. As a social enterprise, Agri Evolve works with a growing number of farmers, which can quickly add complexity to our supply chain. Today, we deal with around 22,000 smallholders. We collect a lot of data that needs to be analyzed,鈥� Roset Biira, field supervisor at Agri Evolve, said. “We needed a system that collects and analyzes our data in an efficient way 鈥� to be able to be transparent to all our farmers and even our clients.鈥� Using 麻豆原创 Analytics Cloud, Biira showed how Agri Evolve can identify if coffee trees are getting old or are weakened by pests early on. Based on these predictions, they consult with the farmers on planting new trees or suggest trainings on pest control.

Realizing Change

Agri Evolve is building a network of trust with the farmers and middlemen, making sure to give the best price possible to the farmers so that the local societies participate in the higher prices sustainable coffee can generate on the global markets.

鈥淚鈥檓 now able to increase my coffee production and send my kids to school, and I hope that they will graduate from university and have better lives. We used to live in semi-permanent houses, but now we are moving to permanent housing,鈥� Birungi said when asked what impact this new way of collaboration has had on her and her family.

Talking about the future of the growing profit-for-purpose business and its network of local coffee producers, Beth Rowland, co-founder of Agri Evolve, said: 鈥淲e will continue to push the boundaries of supply chain transparency through digitalization to allow us to provide the best service to smallholder farmers in the Rwenzoris.鈥� For the family business, it is important to ensure connected farmers have access to a fair and transparent market for their coffee cherries.

While sharing sustainable practices to counteract the impact of environmental changes is a requirement for the production of certified sustainable coffee, it will also make sure that the tradition of coffee production will live on in the Rwenzori mountains of Uganda.

This article first appeared on the 麻豆原创 News Center.

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Innovation听drives technology, and technology drives听innovation. This positive feedback loop has encouraged growth in both areas, but it has also continued to encourage听sustainability. This was a key theme at last week鈥檚听Saphila听2023 conference听at Sun City.

Saphila听is a biennial conference for the 麻豆原创 user group community, hosted by the African 麻豆原创 User Group (AFSUG) in partnership with 麻豆原创.

Sven Denecken, a 麻豆原创 SVP and chief marketing & solutions officer, showed how using an electric vehicle to earn retail rewards, such as store discounts, was an example of how听innovation听could encourage听sustainability听in future. Data from one鈥檚 driving routes can be integrated with an AI assistant to create the basis for a store loyalty system. One鈥檚 vehicle can then suggest the best charging location for its user, so that shopping and charging may be done simultaneously, while also promoting specific outlets.

Although electricity supply in South Africa is a frustrating hindrance, the continuous evolution of technology may eventually support industry convergences that are currently impractical.

In a later presentation, Timo Elliott, 麻豆原创鈥檚 global听innovation听evangelist, showcased 麻豆原创听innovation听award winners to elaborate on this theme:

IWB, a Swiss solar power company that provides for energy to be returned to the grid using a predictive AI model, is embracing 鈥渘ext practice鈥� thinking. This model is used to calculate the load, and how much solar energy will return to the grid. Most solar panels听are not connected or internet of things (IoT) devices, but IWB efficiently optimises electrical supply, while embracing听sustainability.

Another winner, Gates Corporation, previously required a large manual to operate听their hose-crimping product. Nowadays, an iPad-run device is bolted onto the side of the older model,听so that one does not need the many-page document to operate it. With the digital transformation of this setup, little training is required, and they can throw out that heavy manual.听With the implementation of these IOT devices, a step to new business models has formed. Information is saved and collected on each device.

FreshAirManager is actoVent鈥檚 air-purifying service that also takes advantage of collecting data, but in this case to determine air quality levels. After an understanding of the air quality is gathered, the systems adjust the machines by filtering the air so that energy saving is maximised, and CO2 emissions are minimised.

Jumbo Supermarket, a Dutch retail company, wanted to figure out how many听croissants听and other perishable foods they need to make during the day to minimise wastage and maximise items sold. An app built in collaboration with 麻豆原创鈥檚 system analysis program development technology, gives rise to a predictive analysis model that has achieved the supermarket鈥檚 goal, with an expected 10% reduction in waste.

Saphila听showed that companies that emphasised the importance of听sustainability听have thrived, but they have also solidified their position in their respective industries through their innovations.

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Click here to see their award submission and find out more:

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On April 20, we will kick off our 麻豆原创 Discovery Days for . Learn from sustainability experts and leaders how to integrate sustainability into your business processes to achieve your strategic sustainability goals.

Register now for our 4-day virtual event series:

April 20 – Opening & Keynote and Session Topics about Sustainable Supply Chains April 27 – Decarbonization
May 03 – Circular Economy & New Business Models
May 04 – Holistic Steering & Reporting

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Over 1.3 million Nigerians have been displaced by the floods, which have killed at least 600 people, destroyed more than 200,000 homes, and hit 32 out of the country鈥檚 36 states. The floods are the worst for more than a decade and have wiped out crops, disrupted drinking water supplies, and turned capital city Lagos into an island surrounded by floodwaters.

Speaking last month during the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington, DC, Mai Farid of the fund’s African department warned about the impact of the floods, which have also hit Cameroon and Chad, on transport, food production, and prices.

Farid noted that Nigeria is part of the most food-insecure region, the region most vulnerable to climate change and yet the least prepared. She urged the government to invest in infrastructure and technology to help prevent and mitigate the impact of floods and other climate-related natural disasters in the future: “Rebuilding better is something that countries need to take into account since climate change is not going anywhere and is inevitable.鈥�

Nigeria is Africa鈥檚 most populous country and largest economy. Even before the latest flood, it听 faced rising food insecurity as a combination of a mostly informal agriculture sector and growing population puts pressure on the country鈥檚 food resources. According to the , food insecurity increased from six percent of the Nigerian population in 2007 to 13.4% in 2017.

The agriculture sector is the largest contributor to the Nigerian economy and听. However, according to the United Nation (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization, food production in Nigeria is undermined by a number of factors, among them poor planting material and insufficient use of fertilizer, which leads to a growing reliance on food imports.

To help address these issues and support smallholder, the Convention on Business Integrity鈥檚 for-profit arm Innovations Limited, or CBiIL, chose the solution to support 850,000 small maize producers and integrate them into the agricultural value chains.

While West Africa, like Africa as a whole, is still heavily dependent on agriculture, it is home to some of the world鈥檚 fastest growing mega cities like Lagos, so urbanization and the associated environmental issues are top of mind, particularly among young adults.

The region also has a reputation for leap-frogging old technology — first mobile technology and now with cloud computing. In Nigeria itself, the number of mobile phone subscribers is forecast to grow to more than 140 million by 2025 from about 40 million currently.

As Africa鈥檚 largest oil and liquified natural gas (LNG)听 producer, Nigeria is on the front line of the debate over sustainable development in the West Africa. It is also a key market for 麻豆原创, which counts among its customers Nigeria LNG, which operates six LNG liquefaction units, and Dangote Group, the conglomerate founded and run by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote.

The group鈥檚 Dangote Cement unit already publishes an annual sustainability report, part of Aliko Dangote鈥檚听 personal commitment to build 鈥渁 socially responsible and impactful business that serves all stakeholders.鈥� Dangote is also close to completing the Dangote Refinery, the world鈥檚 largest petroleum refinery capable of processing 650,000 barrels of oil per day. When it comes online, the $20 billion refinery will enable Nigeria to process most of its oil instead of exporting crude to be refined overseas.

鈥淲e are having conversations with Dangote about some of our sustainability solutions and how they measure their impact on the environment,鈥� says Titilayo Adewumi, regional sales director for West Africa at 麻豆原创.

Nigeria LNG is also committed to sustainability and is Africa鈥檚 largest LNG exporter, but has recently been operating well below capacity because of a number of factors, including under-investment in recent years and endemic crude oil theft. 鈥淚f we don鈥檛 address this, we will not get out of this quagmire that we are in,鈥� Nigeria LNG Managing Director recently warned Philip Mshelbila. Speaking last month at a conference in Lagos, Mshelbila also acknowledged that the flooding has reduced the gas supplies from the company鈥檚 upstream suppliers, though he said Nigeria LNG鈥檚 facilities remain unaffected and its capacity to produce LPG is intact.

Companies in Nigeria also have to grapple with unreliable electricity supplies and frequent power outages, a problem that business leaders say has led some manufactures to relocate to neighboring Ghana, which has a much more reliable electricity system.

Ghana is the regional leader in addressing plastics pollution and circular economy issues. A groundbreaking between the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), and 麻豆原创 in Ghana is increasing visibility within the plastics supply chain with the hope of benefiting people, companies, and the environment.

The project involves more than 2,000 Ghanaian waste pickers and makes use of an adapted version of 麻豆原创 Rural Sourcing Management to measure the quantities and types of plastic they collect. Data is then analyzed and matched to market-related prices paid throughout the value chain both locally and internationally.

Ghana generates an estimated 1.1 million tons of plastic waste every year, with only five percent collected for recycling. This new pilot project is currently running in several cities across Ghana, with hopes of expanding to the rest of the region and ultimately the continent through the GPAP-Africa Regional Coordination Working Group, which includes 麻豆原创.

Across the region, the bulk of 麻豆原创 customers are choosing cloud solutions rather than on-premise technology and 麻豆原创 seeks to help customers deliver on their climate goals by creating greater efficiency, transparency, and accountability of carbon and emissions across the entire supply chain and innovating new processes and business models.

But 麻豆原创 Africa Managing Director Cathy Smith and other experts caution that while sustainability and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues are an increasingly important part of the conversation among governments and corporate leaders, it is important to recognize that customers in Africa often have other — perhaps higher — priorities.

In particular, they say business leaders need to be persuaded that sustainability makes good business sense and will ultimately benefit the company, economy, and people.

鈥淲e lead by asking about their business priorities, and then we fold in sustainability,鈥� Smith explains. “It’s just a different approach.”

This article first appeared on the 麻豆原创 News Center.

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Paying a High Price

Everyone suffers from climate change, but some regions suffer disproportionately from its negative consequences. Africa contributes only three percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the least of all regions. Yet increasing temperatures, extreme droughts, and floods threaten human health and safety, food and water security, and socioeconomic development in Africa.

African leaders meeting recently at the called on their counterparts from wealthier nations to increase funding for projects to help them adapt to climate change. This topic was already addressed at the COP26 meeting last year, where world powers for developing countries to around $40 billion a year by 2025, but .

“If we want our continent to thrive, we have to adapt to climate change — and to achieve this, financing needs to start flowing at scale,” said Ghana President Nana Afuko-Addo at the summit. The African Development Bank has already committed half the amount needed for the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program, but African leaders are looking for the world’s big CO2 emitters to step in.

These discussions will be the focal topic at the 27th Convention on Climate Change this month in Egypt. With a volatile geopolitical backdrop dominating world dynamics since early 2022, leaders at COP27 have their work cut out to around climate.

In the meantime, businesses can play a key role in improving people’s lives.

Harnessing the Power of People

By 2050, Africa will be home to some of the world’s largest cities, including Lagos and Kinshasa, and a $29 trillion economy. The continent boasts the largest youth labor market in the world and is at the forefront of digitalization and cloud technologies. Tech-savvy young people equipped with the right skills and vision can dramatically impact productivity and sustainability, making education and vocational training vital to success.

While connectivity has improved over the last decade, its reach varies. About 600 million Africans still lack access to electricity, and frequent power outages keep the existing supply unstable. Political, economic, and social instability exist in many countries, but the most significant problem remains the high unemployment rate across the entire continent.

“In a world where one employee may be supporting ten family members, sustainability and compliance to environmental, societal, and governance factors may seem a luxury,” says Cathy Smith, managing director of 麻豆原创 Africa. “African enterprises don’t want their growth to be hampered by restrictions from outside their region. At the same time, they realize the need for greater efficiency, lower costs, and less waste in running their business. It’s common sense.”

Africa is vast and diverse. Whereas some countries like Kenya, Ruanda, and Nigeria have digitally savvy populations striving towards digital transformation, others depend on traditional industries such as mining and oil and gas, where change happens at a slower pace. Small and midsize businesses remain the backbone of most economies on the continent.

Businesses have never been a more critical player in responding to significant global volatility, disruption, and conflict. Still, regional enterprises must develop at their own pace based on their strategic objectives and customer needs.

Understanding Human Needs

Like elsewhere, consumer behavior shifts have impacted the African continent since COVID-19. As opposed to many Western countries, where consumers focus more on sustainability, African shoppers are more concerned with household spending. According to a on South African Consumer Outlook, brand loyalty has weakened as consumers more frequently select the lowest-priced product to meet their needs and budgets.

“It’s very critical for consumer goods companies to ensure their portfolio accommodates the changing circumstances of shoppers,” Smith says. “Our job is not to mandate how those companies manage their green lines. Our job is to help them move beyond disconnected, piecemeal approaches and use technology’s power to build inclusive, sustainable, and resilient value chains.”

That said, shifts in consumer behavior toward sustainability are not impacting Africa. According to by De Beers Group, sustainability considerations are now on par with price and design for consumers when purchasing diamonds. While there is undoubtedly a dark side to how people have acquired their sparkling stones, the upside is that the industry creates high employment levels and contributes significantly to the GDPs of the countries producing them.

As quoted in the report, De Beers Group CEO Bruce Cleaver says the research provides important insights on how sustainability factors influence consumer attitudes toward diamonds. A tipping point is happening: sustainability is no longer a trend; it’s already one of the critical considerations in diamond purchases.

Finding the Right Balance

For business leaders, it is a matter of weighing the pros and cons and finding the right balance to benefit people, profit, and the planet. In addition, government policies need to align all relevant parties. Consistent collaboration among governments, businesses, and partners can help maintain the sense of urgency required to ensure the well doesn’t dry.

This approach will help African enterprises of all sizes in all industries chart a sustainable path for the future.

For more information on how 麻豆原创 helps companies record, report, and act on their sustainability goals, visit .

This article first appeared on the 麻豆原创 News Center.

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Beyond the financial implications, companies鈥� brand value and reputations depend on their commitment to social responsibility. For example, a Deloitte study found that . In a world where organizations鈥� missteps are broadcast on social media platforms, it is critical that companies do the right thing — or they may be called to account.

Companies鈥� pledges to become more sustainable are commonplace, but business leaders have begun to put their money where their mouths are. For example, Procter and Gamble has committed to spend and switch to by 2030.

Moreover, ever-increasing environmental regulations are being enacted globally. For example, the UK authorized the Plastics Packaging Tax, which taxes 鈥�.鈥� Inaccurate reporting for this and other regulations can result in significant costs.

To succeed, companies need accurate, holistic insight across their organization and supply chain. A modern technology platform such as (麻豆原创 BTP) can provide that level of integrated information, which enables employees to track, measure, report, and take corrective action where required.

麻豆原创 BTP provides three main benefits. First, it helps companies ingest and combine business data by providing one data model and a holistic view of sustainability information from disparate business process and applications. Second, it helps companies harness that data with its capabilities for advanced analytics, data visualization, data cleansing and predictive modelling. Third, it allows business users to build and customize applications for their specific needs and make them accessible to all relevant stakeholders.

麻豆原创 also offers out-of-the-box reporting and key performance management tracking, based on 麻豆原创 BTP technology.

Below are examples of how a technology platform can help companies successfully meet their sustainability goals.

Sustainable Production

Companies are under increased pressure to certify sustainable production of consumer goods and show that natural resources have been responsibly harvested.

For example, with growing concern about oceans being over-fished, consumers want to know that seafood is responsibly sourced. A platform like 麻豆原创 BTP makes it easy to extend applications to fishermen via mobile devices so they can easily enter information on the day鈥檚 catch.

Using a platform that has integration and comprehensive data and analytics capabilities, companies like Royal Greenland can capture information — for example, which fish species were caught, how much, and where — and feed it back into their enterprise resource planning (ERP) and supply chain systems. This allows organizations to analyze the data and provide full transparency into fishing practices, while helping ensure that fishermen are paid accurately.

Reporting and Compliance

Organizations want to show progress against their sustainability goals and must comply with ever-changing regulations. But according to , 57% of senior executives indicated that data availability and data quality remain their greatest challenge in ESG reporting.

A platform with data integration, data quality, and analytic capabilities helps customers break down data silos. With accurate and complete data, companies can more easily conduct automated, timely and auditable ESG reporting against a variety of regulations, standards and ratings; and visualize key performance indicators (KPIs) in a dashboard that shows progress and areas of risk. These capabilities are critical when calculating an organization鈥檚 carbon footprint, waste management, or women in management.

For example, the EU approved the in 2020, designed to make the EU carbon neutral by 2050. To support it, the EU Taxonomy was enacted, requiring companies to demonstrate which of its economic activities are 鈥渆nvironmentally suitable.鈥� As the regulatory environment grows in scope and complexity, organizations must be able to aggregate and report on disparate data.

麻豆原创 BTP allows companies to comply with new regulations quickly and simply in the EU and globally.

Energy and Resource Management

According to the , 鈥渙ne-fifth of the world’s carbon emissions come from the manufacturing and production sectors.鈥� To lessen their carbon footprints, manufacturers must reduce energy consumption.

麻豆原创 BTP enables plant managers to harness and analyze sensor data from machinery to better monitor and understand energy consumption patterns. They can set up data models that visualize operational efficiency, pinpointing where most energy is consumed and opportunities to reduce energy use and emissions.

Similarly, utility companies are using analytics to handle the huge amount of data generated by smart meters. For example, Belgian water utility company, Farys, uses 麻豆原创 BTP to generate meter indexes and use water-usage data to build new services for its customers. Moving forward, Farys wants to use the platform to address water scarcity, an ever-increasing problem due to climate change. Using smart meter data, Farys can improve its understanding of water inflows and outflows, and identify where and why water losses occur.

A platform that provides fully accurate insight can advance companies鈥� sustainability goals in many more ways, such as driving the circular economy, eliminating food waste, or improving agricultural efficiency.

As the (UNGA) meets this week to discuss pressing global issues, it鈥檚 a good reminder that technology can help solve the world鈥檚 most critical problems.

Ragunath Ramanathan听 is chief revenue officer for 麻豆原创 Business Technology Platform.

This article first appeared on the 麻豆原创 News Center.

The post A Platform for Sustainable Success appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.

Banks has worked at 麻豆原创 for over 10 years and is passionate about helping 麻豆原创 customers drive innovation through the use of the latest technologies.

Mabotja is focused on cementing 麻豆原创鈥檚 commitment as an enabler and exemplar of purpose-growing awareness and scaling the impact of 麻豆原创鈥檚 purpose and sustainability offerings and initiatives.

In this episode of What鈥檚 Next, Banks and Mabotja discuss the importance of sustainability in the South African business space.

Banks begins the conversation by unpacking why South African businesses in particular should be concerned about climate change.

He then discusses the lack of appropriate legislation for how businesses handle climate change on the continent 鈥� noting that businesses that do not take climate change seriously face big challenges when trying to export their goods.

Mabotja explains how African businesses can begin their sustainability journeys so that they become responsible players in local and global markets.

She also unpacks the role that business leaders must play in leading efforts to build more sustainable organizations, and shares statistics in terms of how expectations are changing for these key stakeholders.

Banks then explains how 麻豆原创 is a leading enabler of sustainability through its technology solutions, before Mabotja discusses what 麻豆原创 is doing to reduce its own carbon footprint 鈥� both locally and internationally.

Both Banks and Mabotja close by outlining their three key takeaways that businesses should consider to accelerate their sustainability journeys.

The full interview with Colin Banks and Kwena Mabotja can be watched below.

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The post What鈥檚 Next 鈥� 麻豆原创 Experts on How South African Businesses can Accelerate Their Sustainability Journeys appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.