I think it is a positive development that a growing number of companies are taking carbon emissions seriously and are seeking ways of addressing this in their supply chain.

 

However, I believe it would be wise to focus on material issues when doing this. In the sustainability area there is always a serious risk that people focus on silly details and that good initiatives turn bad. Over-ambitious intentions thus undermine a sensible practice.

 

If we focus on too many details, we are only creating an accountant’s paradise. The accuracy of all the details will be long debated while verification by accountants will only provide virtual certainty (except for the certainty of exponentially higher verification bills).

 

The FT article provides a good example of what I consider to be non-sense in supply chain greening. A marketing director of Marshalls, a UK stone and paving manufacturer, is quoted as saying: “One result was that in India, where camels are used to move raw materials in Marshalls’ products, the company had to figure out the carbon footprint of a camel. “It’s about a tonne of carbon,” he said, “thanks to the 46kg of methane one animal will emit in a year.”

 

Are you serious, marketing manager? Do you want to know this for real or for marketing purposes only? If you ask my opinion: camel emissions in your supply chain seem bull****.  Restrict yourself to what really counts. If a company is serious about measuring the emissions of camels, it should also include every accountant’s fart.

So my free advice is to focus on material issues and avoiding crap.