Question: For those unfamiliar, why is supply chain decarbonization important?
Answer: I can’t really long-story-short this one, readers. Still, this information is worth the read.
Supply chain decarbonization tackles one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions – i.e. the transportation and production processes involved in the making of and delivery of necessary goods. Talk of decarbonizing supply chains points to finding ways we can reduce these emissions (primarily carbon dioxide) as we contribute towards the script-flip against climate change.
In even simpler terms, think of Earth as a giant greenhouse. Gases in the atmosphere like carbon dioxide trap heat from the sun, much like the glass of a physical greenhouse. This process is natural and essential for life on this planet, but too much of these gases brings too much warmth; they disrupt weather patterns, raise sea levels, and cause a whole host of other problematic environmental woes.
Now, where do supply chains fit into this? Well, almost everything we use daily – the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the key technologies we rely on – goes through complex journeys. This often involves factories producing goods. It involves trucks, ships, or planes transporting them. It involves warehouses storing them. Each of these steps usually involves the burning of fossil fuels (e.g. coal, oil or gas), which releases carbon dioxide into the air.
Thus, by working diligently to decarbonize supply chains, we’re denoting the changing of this very journey to reduce the emissions and our collective carbon footprints. This can involve using renewable energy sources (e.g. solar or wind power) in production, as well as opting for EVs on the road and much more to ensure that less energy is wasted and less harm is brought to our global processes and, by extension, the vital health of our planet.
And in this vein of crucial and measurable supply chain decarbonization actions, we come full circle with the following tech-centric news:
Last week, Schneider Electric announced that Google, ASM, and HP have come together to join Schneider Electric’s Catalyze program.
The Catalyze program, in short, addresses specific emissions issues that challenge efforts made for decarbonization. Simply put, as global demand for semiconductors and many, many other technologies increases, carbon footprints continue to grow seemingly exponentially. This makes it a bona-fide imperative for industries to collaborate on achieving a more sustainable future.
So, Catalyze pushes the accelerator, so to speak, so access to renewable energy across the global semiconductor value chain and IT supply landscape is made more, well, accessible. (I’d say “Catalyze hits the gas” but that pun seems far too on the nose here.)
From the official announcement: “Catalyze encourages suppliers from throughout the semiconductor industry ecosystem to collaborate to transition their value chain to renewable sources of energy. Participants are encouraged to make commitments to decarbonization and take collective action through the procurement of renewable energy, leveraging the purchasing power of buyer cohorts.”
By transitioning suppliers onto lower-carbon sources of energy and supporting in additional decarbonization efforts (e.g. electrification), significant industry impacts can make a very real difference for our futures. (And you are reading this, after all, on the Future of Work.)
Per Jean-Pascal Tricoire from Schneider Electric:
"We are delighted to welcome Google, ASM, and HP to the Catalyze program. Their decision to join supports the ambition to accelerate the decarbonization of supply chains. Challenging emissions have proven stubborn to track and manage, but the Catalyze program enables companies and their suppliers to engage and collaborate in their energy transition and decarbonization."
Overall, transitioning to carbon-free semiconductor manufacturing – critical to reducing global emissions – cannot be done alone. These founding sponsors of Catalyze seek to expand the use of clean energy across supply chains, and that’s the kind of decisive action needed to sustain while simultaneously companies are continuing to deliver innovative and enterprise-defining technologies.
Learn more about Catalyze here.
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Edited by
Greg Tavarez
