Month: May 2023

In April 2023, the Tapestry Foundation visited Mato Grasso do Sul in Brazil to visit sites that are part of a pilot program sponsored by a four-year, $3 million grant from the Tapestry Foundation. Launched in 2021, Tapestry and WWF are partnering to accelerate the development of deforestation- and conversion-free leather supply chains. 

In Central Brazil’s vast Cerrado savanna, a grand experiment is taking place. Baru trees by the hundreds are being planted – some in the form of seeds, some as seedlings, and some well on their way to maturity in agroforests alongside other native vegetation. In some tracts, cattle graze among the more mature baru trees, in other areas, no cows are allowed.

The point of all this testing is to uncover the premium growing conditions under which the baru (Dipteryx alata) can thrive. The species, native to the Brazilian Cerrado, is a key part of reforestation efforts in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. And overseeing a reforestation project on the Boa Vida farm near town of Bonito is a woman who is a “traditional seed guardian,” Elida Cristina Martins.

“I found that if we planted baru with bananas nearby it grows much faster than when planted alone, and the bananas help break the wind and keep the ground wet to keep the baru healthy,” she said as she gave a recent tour of her farm to a group of visitors from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Tapestry Foundation.

The Tapestry Foundation is entering the second year of a four-year, $3 million grant to WWF to establish a deforestation-free leather supply chain and to work on reforestation efforts on the Cerrado, a vast tropical biome that includes the Pantanal headwaters, and which provides much of the water, produce and beef within Brazil and for export. One of the planet’s richest savannas and one of 34 biodiversity hotspots in the world, the Cerrado is being steadily deforested as individual landowners and companies clear natural habitat to graze cattle and grow soy.

Some of the Tapestry Foundation funding goes to WWF-Brazil to fund unique reforestation programs like the one on Boa Vida. Although national legislation requires that landowners must preserve 20 percent to 35 percent of their land and all riparian vegetation as well, the rest of the land can be legally cleared due to the lack of a zero-deforestation law for the Cerrado. Because half of the Cerrado has already been converted to pasture and farmland, it’s been under heavy use, and two-thirds of the pastures in the Pantanal headwaters are under moderate to severe degradation. Landscape restoration and pasture rehabilitation are key parts of solving the environmental crisis in Brazil and are therefore among the highest priorities of WWF and the Tapestry Foundation.

“The purpose of our work in Brazil is to try to be part of the solution towards a more sustainable leather supply chain- one that works for the environment and local communities. During our time in Brazil, it was important that we met with local people and communities to better understand the impact climate change is having on the most vulnerable populations,” said Julia Furnari, Director of the Tapestry Foundation. “For vulnerable communities like this one, where so many depend on nature to survive, protecting the community and the environment helps to turn sustainable practices into long-term solutions while creating opportunity for so many.”

Roughly 36 families live on the Santa Lucia settlement, of which Boa Vida is a part, and Elida Cristina Martins has been farming and raising cattle for more than 25 years on 12 hectares, or nearly 30 acres. Nearly one-third of the land in the settlement is owned by women, she said, creating a unique economic opportunity for a group that often gets overlooked in discussions about the wealth of the land and environment in South America.

“We have an integrated system, where baru is planted with Crotalaria and sorghum to determine which grows better together,” she said. The sorghum can be used for cattle feed, and therefore can be revenue-producing.

In the last year alone, she has planted 2,200 trees. “We’re always testing what will work better. We experiment with multiple people planting and with a single person – me – planting, to see which grows better,” she said. “And we plant mango, cashew, coconut, guava, lime, pineapples — all alongside the baru to protect it and help it thrive. Every species has a time to fruit and so you also have fruit all year long.”

We’re proud to celebrate Susanna Zhu, Bath & Body Works’ SVP of Supply Chain Operations and Commercialization, for her recent recognition on Supply Chain Digital magazine’s list of the Top 100 Women in the industry. The list celebrates female executives having a profound impact on global supply chain development.

“It’s such an honor to be in the company of these amazing supply chain leaders from all around the globe,” she continues. “I greatly appreciate Supply Chain Digital for celebrating strong female leaders in the field of supply chain and highlighting the increasing diversity of leaders in the profession.”

According to Supply Chain Digital, in 2022 women held fewer than 25% of senior leadership roles in supply chain organizations. Women represented on the publication’s list are not only recognized for their incredible careers, but also for their support of other underrepresented groups in the industry. They’re acknowledged for paving the way for other women and creating space at the table for new faces, new ideas and new growth, often leading to pioneering new developments.

“In the past few years, the pandemic further highlighted the global supply chain connectivity, complexity, and criticality to business success,” says Susanna Zhu. “Women are excellent collaborators, planners and problem solvers. We need more women in the field of supply chain, you’ll make real impact to the business, and we will support each other to drive business value and career success.”

See Supply Chain Digital’s full list at supplychaindigital.com.

It seems like every day we hear about emergencies on the news. Have you been thinking about how an emergency might impact your operations and wondering if you’re prepared?  Let us help you evaluate that concern and put steps in place to mitigate potential weak points.

Emergency incidents are not uncommon but can quickly become a focus in the public eye.

Let’s take a closer look at how organizations can prepare to meet incidents head-on by creating, practicing, and properly implementing emergency response plans.

Tips For Creating a Comprehensive Emergency Response Plan 

An actual emergency is where the contents of your plan and your organization’s people are put to the test. We have written extensively about emergency incident response planning best practices, and have compiled that knowledge here to help you get started preparing or updating your own emergency response plan.

Forecasting Emergencies 

Emergency preparedness requires understanding the potential fallout from incidents ranging from individual injuries to worst-case scenario events and ensuring that your organization is ready to respond.

Areas of risk to consider and evaluate when developing your plan include:

Workforce safety in routine settingsMore typical emergencies such as fires or regional natural disastersUnusual natural disasters that may have recently become more common with climate changeIncidents that could expand beyond site boundariesOff-property incidents, such as failures along transportation routesIndustry-specific risks

This is by no means an exhaustive list of possible issues to consider but rather offers a starting point for identifying potential areas of risk.

Learn more about how to create targeted emergency preparedness plans: In Case of Emergency: Plans to Prepare Your Business for the Unknown 

Understanding What’s at Stake

As you develop or evaluate your emergency preparedness plan, it is essential to understand the potential impact incidents could have on your workforce, the environment, the surrounding community, and your bottom line.

Are you taking the correct steps to prevent incidents at the workplace, and providing your workforce with proper safety training?What proactive measures can you take to mitigate environmental risk from potentially hazardous materials your organization manufactures or uses?Does your organization have a good working relationship with surrounding emergency response agencies?Do your processes and policies align with any applicable regulations that govern your industry or jurisdiction?

When you have an idea of who or what may potentially be affected by an emergency incident, it helps you target your planning with greater precision.

Learn more about how you can ensure your organization is executing your response plan properly to minimize impact: Take Control of Your Incident Response 

Working with the Right Partners 

Your emergency preparedness plan must reflect compliance with any applicable laws and regulations. Having a good working relationship with governing authorities will help ensure that you have accounted for all possibilities and, should an emergency arise, are prepared to follow outlined best practices and any required reporting.

The right partners can also help you manage the complex transition between the emergency response and investigation/remediation stages. Bringing on experts in emergency response and incident management can expedite the process, saving you time and money, and potentially reducing the overall impact and liability of the incident.

Learn more about the stages of emergency response and how incident management professionals can help: Moving from Reactive to Proactive: Lessons from Three Decades of Incident Management 

Emergency Response Plans: Not If, But When 

Ignoring emergencies does not make them go away, so it’s best to be prepared well ahead of time so you can meet problems in the moment and reduce the total negative impact of whatever may occur.

Having and practicing a comprehensive set of emergency preparedness plans ensures you will be able to respond, mitigate, and remediate with attention to the well-being of your workforce, your community, the environment – and your brand.

How can Antea Group’s Incident Management (AIM) help you prepare for and respond to emergencies?

Learn More Here

About Antea Group

Antea®Group is an environment, health, safety, and sustainability consulting firm. By combining strategic thinking with technical expertise, we do more than effectively solve client challenges; we deliver sustainable results for a better future. We work in partnership with and advise many of the world’s most sustainable companies to address ESG-business challenges in a way that fits their pace and unique objectives. Our consultants equip organizations to better understand threats, capture opportunities and find their position of strength. Lastly, we maintain a global perspective on ESG issues through not only our work with multinational clients, but also through our sister organizations in Europe, Asia, and Latin America and as a founding member of the Inogen Alliance. Learn more at us.anteagroup.com. 

By Sebastian Steinhaeuser

Sustainability has risen quickly to the top of executive priorities, with climate action being the most pressing concern. The central question is no longer why, but how? A big part of the answer may come from the unlikely world of accounting. Companies need to start treating carbon like money – they need a carbon accounting system that mirrors their financial accounting system.

However, carbon accounting is still done mainly using spreadsheets and semi-automated tools that use estimates and averages for carbon footprints. Only 9% of companies have a comprehensive view of their greenhouse gas emissions and their impact across the entire value chain.

This is no longer enough. We need to account for carbon with much more precision and control by using actual data values across our business operations and supply chains in sync with financial flows. We need to redefine “resource” in enterprise resource planning (ERP) and extend our understanding of resources beyond financials. SAP now brings a precision-approach to do just that by enabling transactional accounting for carbon.

Introducing Future-Proof Solutions for Transactional Carbon Accounting

SAP’s approach to transactional carbon accounting comprises three future-proof capabilities.

First is SAP Sustainability Footprint Management, a single solution to calculate and manage carbon flows with high granularity on company, process, and product levels across Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. The solution integrates capabilities from previously released SAP solutions and adds new functionalities, such as the ability to manage a greater scope of emissions sources and support for a broader range of industry-specific requirements. Using SAP Sustainability Footprint Management helps provide a seamless integration with SAP S/4HANA, allowing for a strong data foundation to calculate footprints directly from individual transactions at each step of production. Companies can reduce their climate risk and make progress towards their climate commitments by better adhering to and reporting on rapidly changing standards. They can also achieve operational excellence by dramatically improving the speed, accuracy, and efficiency of emissions calculations and management. SAP Sustainability Footprint Management will be available from June 2023.

Second, SAP offers SAP Sustainability Data Exchange, a new application designed to securely exchange standardized sustainability data, including product footprints, along the value chain. The application allows precision accuracy by gathering actual carbon data directly from suppliers. SAP Sustainability Data Exchange, part of SAP Business Network, uses the carbon data interoperability standards established by the Partnership for Carbon Transparency (PACT), hosted by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). The beta version is available and will be generally available in Q3 2023.

Third, SAP also introduces the green ledger concept, which combines financial and environmental data to enable deep insights and effective decision-making at different points across the business process. Green ledger will be embedded into RISE with SAP and GROW with SAP for SAP S/4HANA Cloud and will deliver new capabilities with each release. The next major update, for example, offers a new way to embed carbon data, starting with most impactful scope categories, into product-level costing.

Using these three powerful capabilities that reinvent carbon accounting, executives can have a future-proof tool kit to help manage and reduce their carbon footprints. The SAP solutions record data based on actuals instead of averages to increase data transparency, accuracy, and reliability. The high-quality carbon data, like the financial data, is auditable, transparent, and reliable. To take climate action, companies sync the emissions data with financial data to make granular, accurate, and right-time decisions that are both financially and environmentally sound.

Acting on Carbon Emissions Data

SAP’s carbon accounting solutions allow business decision-makers to not only see emissions on an operations level, but also at the product level by including carbon footprints alongside financial data to make trade-offs between cost efficiency and carbon intensity. To make these assessments, carbon footprints need to be available at a granular level and at the point where the business decision is made.

In the automotive industry, for example, the sources of steel, rubber, batteries, and electrical components are key elements of the carbon footprint of an electric car manufacturer’s product. SAP solutions provide the foundational data for these purchased materials and components, as well as consumed energy and other inputs, and combine it with additional data sources such as life cycle assessment databases.

Using the input data, the footprint is calculated by matching source data with emission factors. Like in financial accounting, the inflows and outflows of materials, components, and products are traced and accounted for with a high level of transparency and auditability.

This isn’t accounting for accounting’s sake. This level of data transparency helps teams across the business, from the C-suite to supply chain management to marketing, take sustainability action. They can make decisions together on both cost and carbon emissions that are rarely made in parallel today. Based on both cost and carbon values, the car manufacturer can scenario plan and make fully informed decisions about how to drive optimal financial and sustainability performance.

Bringing a Holistic View to Sustainable Business

To truly run sustainably and decarbonize business at the speed and scale needed, companies must record, report, and act on reliable and accessible sustainability data. By embedding sustainability data into their core business processes through their ERP, executives can achieve a holistic, enterprise-wide performance capability.

Based on the ERP backbone, sustainable business data is the foundation for setting regulatory-compliant KPIs and disclosing sustainability progress to a broad range of reporting frameworks using SAP Sustainability Control Tower. This holistic view is vital to understanding where emissions are occurring, setting accurate net-zero targets, and identifying specific areas to take action for maximum decarbonization impact. The SAP Sustainability solutions are cloud-based, modular, and integrate with SAP S/4HANA Cloud.

Peter Bakker, CEO of WBCSD, said accountants will save the world. He very well may be right. With over 50 years of experience in financial accounting, future-proof technology, and wide access to customer and partner ecosystems, SAP is well-positioned deliver high-quality emissions accounting to rapidly scale business decarbonization.

Sebastian Steinhaeuser is chief strategy officer at SAP.

SÃO PAULO, May 18, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Qualcomm Incorporated, through its Qualcomm® Wireless Reach™ initiative, along with Instituto Crescer announced the launch of the ASCON program – Student Always Connected, to fourth school in Goiania, Brazil. The program aims to close the digital gap by reimagining the way students learn, and educators teach, by bringing the modern classroom to life and enabling a world where all students are intelligently connected from home, from the classroom or from anywhere.

During Phase I, 120s ACER 511 Chromebooks equipped with the Snapdragon® 7C processor were provided to three school communities in Goiania. Today, more than 100 students and teachers have been provided with these Always On, Always Connected laptops (ACPCs) equipped with Embratel’s mobile LTE connectivity capabilities

The program aims to create an environment of digital inclusion where students have the tools needed to reach their full potential, increasing their digital literacy skills by leveraging the extended learning that ACPCs provide. “We have already seen how students can benefit from extended learning and the possibilities leveraged by using the devices outside of the school. Through the expansion to a fourth school, we ratify our role in facilitating innovative quality education, which permeates the actions of the program: devices with mobile connectivity anytime and anywhere, training of educators and students, and monitoring.”, says Francisco Soares, VP, Government Affairs, Qualcomm Serviços de Telecomunicações Ltda.

Through the ASCON program, teachers learn about cutting-edge technology and other topics including cybersecurity, cyberbullying, and emotional security, metaverse, Artificial Intelligence, emerging technologies, research, and basic programming concepts. In addition, security is embedded in the program structure through Calriz, an ASCON partner in charge of implementing advanced equipment safety policies. “We are proud to facilitate a secure platform that provides safe adoption of the apps used by students and offer real usage metrics and data analytics, including real-time geolocation of the Chromebook to monitor the effectiveness of the program” – says Cleber Calegari, Founder and Commercial Director of Calriz Sistemas.

During Phase II, the program will integrate virtual reality (VR) headsets to accelerate student learning. BEENOCULUS, a company that promotes innovation in education through VR experiences, will donate VR headsets powered by the Qualcomm® Snapdragon XR1 and Snapdragon™ Spaces™ platforms. and provide educational content and training. Through the use of VR headsets, students will have access to interactive and immersive learning content on various educational topics. “When educators experience new ways of teaching, they provide students with unique and innovative opportunities. VR headsets, as an immersive resource in the classrooms, can be applied in many ways, bringing several benefits in the development of both students and educators – contributing to the digital transformation in schools.”, guarantees the director of the Instituto Crescer, Dr. Luciana Allan.

ASCON is a collaboration between Wireless Reach, ACER, Claro, Embratel, Calriz, Instituto Crescer, Beenoculus and the Municipal Department of Education of Goiânia (SME de Goiânia).

ABOUT QUALCOMM
Qualcomm is enabling a world where everyone and everything can be intelligently connected. Our one technology roadmap allows us to efficiently scale the technologies that launched the mobile revolution – including advanced connectivity, high-performance, low-power compute, on-device intelligence and more – to the next generation of connected smart devices across industries. Innovations from Qualcomm and our family of Snapdragon platforms will help enable cloud-edge convergence, transform industries, accelerate the digital economy, and revolutionize how we experience the world, for the greater good.

Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, together with its subsidiaries, covering all of our engineering, research and development functions, and all of our products and services businesses, as well as including our QCT semiconductor business. Snapdragon and Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Qualcomm patented technologies are licensed by Qualcomm Incorporated.

About Wireless Reach 
Wireless Reach invests in sustainable programs that demonstrate innovative uses of wireless technology to strengthen economic and social development globally. Our programs foster entrepreneurship, aid in public safety, enhance the delivery of health care, enrich teaching and learning, and improve environmental sustainability. Since 2006, Wireless Reach has benefitted more than 24 million people.

Qualcomm, Snapdragon and Wireless Reach are trademarks or registered trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated.

ABOUT INSTITUTO CRESCER
Instituto Crescer is an institution founded in 2000 that performs in Education area in projects that aim to formation of teachers in different knowledge areas, digital inclusion projects, and professional qualification of youngsters.

ABOUT CALRIZ Calriz is a provider of digital technologies, specialized in helping its customers in the Journey for Cloud, Collaboration and Infrastructure. Our focus is to support our customers in the processes of innovation, secure connectivity and advanced internet use.

ABOUT ACER
Founded in 1976, Acer is one of the world’s top ICT companies with a presence in more than 160 countries. As Acer evolves with the industry and changing lifestyles, it is focused on enabling a world where hardware, software and services will fuse with one another, creating ecosystems and opening up new possibilities for consumers and businesses alike. Acer’s 7,500 employees are dedicated to the research, design, marketing, sale, and support of products and solutions that break barriers between people and technology. Please visit www.acer.com for more information.

ABOUT CLARO 
Claro is a leader in Telecommunications in Latin America and one of the largest multi-service operators in Brazil, present in all regions of the country. It is in more than 4,200 Brazilian municipalities and its networks provide services to more than 96% of the population. Claro offers integrated connectivity, entertainment, productivity and digital services solutions in a truly convergent way, across multiple fixed and mobile platforms. In 2019, the company created beOn Claro, its innovation hub, to facilitate, enhance and connect innovation inside and outside the company. Claro is a leader in pay TV, broadband and the fastest growing mobile operator. Through Embratel, it also leads the corporate services segment, which includes cloud, telecom, IT and network and application security offerings. It was a pioneer in the implementation of all generations of mobile internet in Brazil, including 4.5G, which allows browsing 10x faster than the traditional 4G network, and also in the implementation of 5G DSS which, through a frequency sharing feature that allows the use of the current spectrum already allocated, offers connections up to 12 times faster than conventional 4G. It is a leader in connection speed, both in mobile and residential broadband, with ultraspeeds. Claro is part of América Móvil, with presence in 25 countries, in Latin America and also in Europe and the United States. www.claro.com.br

ABOUT EMBRATEL
Embratel is one of the leading PROVIDERS of IT and Telecom services in Brazil and an enabler of digital transformation of companies of all segments and a leader in telecommunications with its high-level infrastructure. Embratel provides solutions such as Cloud Computing, Data Center, Security, Internet of Things, Professional Services, Connectivity and Collaboration, Omnichannel, Robotic Process Automation, data transmission, video, Internet, corporate mobile and fixed telephony, national and international long distance, as well as a number of other solutions to support the business market in its journey of growth in the new digital economy. Acting in the development, implementation and management of convergent solutions, Embratel is widely recognized for delivering excellent services with a focus on customer experience. Embratel is part of Claro and more information is available on the www.embratel.com.br.

ABOUT BEENOCULUS
Beenoculus is an innovative and pioneering company in the extended reality (XR) market, based in Brazil. Founded in 2015, the company stands out for creating immersive solutions and unique experiences, combining cutting-edge technology with innovative design. Beenoculus operates in various areas such as education, entertainment, health, and industry, developing customized projects to meet the specific needs of its clients. Furthermore, the company has spawned two innovative spinoffs: Beetools, an edtech focused on teaching languages through XR, and Junglebee, an award-winning XR storyliving production company, providing immersive and engaging experiences for users. With a highly qualified and multidisciplinary team, Beenoculus constantly seeks to evolve and improve its solutions, establishing itself as a reference in the national and international extended reality market. The company also demonstrates its commitment to sustainability and social responsibility, investing in initiatives that promote digital inclusion and democratization of access to technology.