Boots and its No7 beauty brand are aiming for supply chain decarbonisation after becoming the latest retailer to join forces with software provider, Manufacture 2030 (M2030).
Manufacture 2030’s cloud-based platform and ‘Climate Action Program’ helps companies manage, measure, and reduce their emissions – and it has already added several UK retailers to its list of partners that are looking to drive supply chain decarbonisation.
Boots is the first health and beauty retailer to join the platform, which helps users gain access to a comprehensive suite of best practice tools, expert knowledge, and funding opportunities that can support their environmental strategy.
Last year, ten major UK grocery retailers partnered with Manufacture 2030 as they looked for ways to equip their supplier base with the tools, knowledge, and resources they needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the sourcing, manufacture, and transportation of products. Through use of the platform, suppliers can understand some of the ways they change how they operate in order to leave less of an impact on the environment.
Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Ocado Retail, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose are all using the technology.
Speaking on why Boots has joined them, Steve Ager, chief customer & commercial officer for the retailer’s UK and Ireland arm, said: “At Boots we believe that healthy communities need a healthy planet.
“We were founded 175 years ago to make healthcare available to all and today we are the leading health and beauty retailer in the UK. Operating in a way that cares for the environment has never been more important for Boots and the No7 Beauty Company, but we cannot do this without our valued suppliers.”
He added: “As part of our commitment to the British Retail Consortium Action Roadmap, we are working to collectively achieve net zero [carbon emissions] by 2040 and we can only do this by working together with all parts of our supply chain.”
Martin Chilcott, CEO of Manufacture 2030, remarked: “Through the M2030 platform, suppliers of Boots and No7 Beauty Company will gain access to a global network of carbon experts, best practice guidelines, and green finance whilst receiving actionable insights to identify cost-saving measures.
“This enables their supply chain to join a collaborative platform with thousands of manufacturers committed to accelerating decarbonisation worldwide. These essential tools and resources will assist them in pinpointing areas for improvement and implementing effective measures to reduce emissions, ensuring their efforts align with Boots’ sustainability targets.”
The platform can also be an efficiency aid, for example equipping users with information about how to reduce energy consumption.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) gave Manufacture 2030 ‘Tech Pioneer’ status in 2022, and in the years since it has contributed to discussions at WEF’s annual gathering in Davos. Last year, the company raised £5 million in Series A investment round, with Maven VCTs and Amati AIM VCT investing £3 million and £2 million respectively.
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