CDP Supply Chain Report 2014
The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) “is an international, not-for-profit organization providing the only global system for companies and cities to measure, disclose, manage and share vital environmental information”. Written by Accenture, the CDP Supply Chain Report 2014 has now been published. Its subtitle, Collaborative Action on Climate Risk, indicates the direction of the report’s journey. Indeed, the report, which is based on data collected from 2,868 companies responding to a supplier information request in 2013, builds on “a wealth of data on how suppliers and their customers are collaborating to drive down carbon emissions, mitigating water risk, seizing opportunities, and building revenue and brand along the way”. It turns out that “[s]uppliers report that both climate risk and opportunity are at high levels” and that “consumers are becoming more receptive to low-carbon products and services”. Moreover, suppliers “realized savings of US$11.5 billion from emissions reduction investments […], down from US$13.7 billion in 2012”.
Climate Extremes Will Challenge Our Supply Chains (Guest Post by Anders Levermann, PIK)
In his recent Nature article, Climate Economics: Make Supply Chains Climate-smart, Anders Levermann argues that supply chains need to adapt to extreme weather. He discusses this topic in the following guest post.
Extreme weather events are likely to intensify the more greenhouse-gases we emit – and these extremes are more than just a local risk. Links in global economic chains and world markets mean that flooding or heat-waves in one place can have repercussions elsewhere. Extreme rainfall and typhoon Yasi paralyzed the world’s fourth largest coal exploration site in Australia in 2010/11. Coking coal prices went up by 25% in 2011. In order to estimate the impact of climate change on our society we need to understand both future weather extremes and our global economic network. In Potsdam we recently set up a website to collect and analyze this data. Everyone can register and contribute expertise. In a similar fashion as Wikipedia we hope to gradually generate a global community that creates a system of checks and balances to obtain an up-to-date database of high quality and detail to induce a global adaptation of our supply chains. For news follow @ZEEANit on Twitter or register at zeean.net.
Anders Levermann is a physics professor for the dynamics of the climate system and co-chair of the research domain Sustainable Solutions at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
Levermann, A. (2014). Climate Economics: Make Supply Chains Climate-smart. Nature, 506, 27-29 DOI: 10.1038/506027a
The Rise of Interconnected Risks
Risks related to business interruption and supply chains are the principal risks faced by global companies, the new Allianz Risk Barometer 2014 finds. According to the report, losses related to business interruption and supply chains “account for around 50-70% of all insured property losses, as much as $26bn a year for the insurance industry based on 2013 data”. Paul Carter, Global Head of Risk Consulting, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS), asks: “There is a need to examine beyond the identification of so-called ‘critical’ suppliers. How do these companies manage their own supply chain exposures?” Other top global business risks are natural catastrophes, fire/explosion, changes in legislation/regulation, and market stagnation or decline, the research finds. The survey “was conducted among risk consultants, underwriters, senior managers and claims experts in the corporate insurance segment of both [AGCS] and local Allianz entities”. Download the full report: Allianz Risk Barometer 2014 (PDF).
