Sustainable Supply Chains: Monitoring, Traceability, and Impact

About This Course

The supply chain is one of the key areas where businesses can make a significant impact on sustainability. With rising consumer demand for ethical sourcing, environmental accountability, and supply chain transparency, businesses must integrate sustainable practices across their operations. This course is designed to equip participants with the essential data-driven tools and digital technologies to build and monitor sustainable supply chains that align with ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) goals.

Through real-life case studies and hands-on projects, you will learn to implement AI, IoT, and real-time dashboards to improve traceability, reduce waste, and measure the environmental impact of supply chain activities.

---

Aim

To provide participants with comprehensive tools, frameworks, and digital technologies to design, monitor, and optimize sustainable supply chains that support ESG goals, while ensuring transparency and regulatory compliance.

---

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will:

• Understand the principles of sustainable supply chains and the importance of circular economy and lifecycle thinking

• Gain practical knowledge in traceability, monitoring, and impact assessment using AI and IoT

• Learn how to align supply chain operations with environmental, social, and economic impacts (triple bottom line)

• Develop skills in ESG reporting, carbon footprint calculation, and supplier audits

• Be able to build and use real-time dashboards to track supply chain sustainability performance

---

Course Structure

Module 1: Foundations of Sustainable Supply Chains

• Understanding Sustainable Supply Chains:

  • What makes a supply chain sustainable?

  • The importance of circular economy principles and lifecycle thinking

  • Evaluating environmental, social, and economic impacts (triple bottom line)

• Key Standards and Frameworks:

  • GRI, ISO 20400, GHG Protocol Scope 3

• Demo/Discussion:

  • Analyze a real product supply chain (e.g., coffee or smartphone)

  • Map upstream and downstream impacts

  • Identify the key areas for improvement in sustainability

---

Module 2: Traceability and Digital Monitoring

• Importance of Traceability:

  • From raw material to end product: Why it matters

  • Technologies for traceability: RFID, Blockchain, IoT sensors

• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

  • Emissions per unit, energy/water use, ethical sourcing

  • How to track these metrics and integrate them into existing systems (e.g., ERP, LCA)

• Hands-On Demo:

  • Simulate traceability logs using Python and Pandas

  • Create a simple dashboard or map to show supplier nodes and track alerts

---

Module 3: Impact Assessment and Reporting

• Impact Categories:

  • Carbon footprint, water footprint, labor welfare

  • How to assess and measure these impacts within your supply chain

• Scope 3 Emissions:

  • Understanding and addressing Scope 3 emissions and the need for supplier audits

• Reporting Formats:

  • How to prepare ESG reports, SDG mapping, and CDP submissions

  • Policy implications and strategies for green procurement

• Demo:

  • Build a simple impact scorecard using a provided dataset

  • Generate supplier-wise ranking and identify gap areas for improvement

---

Who Should Enrol?

• Supply chain and procurement professionals

• Sustainability and ESG officers

• Corporate responsibility managers

• Operations and logistics experts

• Students and researchers in supply chain management (SCM) or environmental policy