In November 2019, amfori published an article about the Finnwatch report, ‘Supply chains black as coal.’ The study examined amfori BEPI as a tool to facilitate the reduction of fossil energy use at production facilities in risk countries and described the significance of greenhouse gas emissions from imported products as well as the purchaser companies’ capacity to manage their products’ carbon footprint. It also laid out a recommendation directed at companies that they can take part in amfori BEPI to participate in climate action and demonstrate leadership.
Last week, the Finnish NGO released an updated version of the report which found that companies’ interest in the emissions from imported products has increased over the past year.
The study
Like the previous version, the findings of this report are based on a survey that was sent to Finnish amfori members with the aim of demonstrating the measures companies have in place for controlling the GHG emissions of value chains in risk countries.
The study concludes that:
- Companies are increasingly putting effort into acquiring information on their scope 3 emissions
- Similarly, there has been some progress in gathering information on the energy source used by direct suppliers
- The number of amfori BEPI members has increased compared to last year and it will probably continue to do so in the foreseeable future
- Companies are interested in showing customers product-specific carbon footprints but this has been not possible because of the inadequacy of calculation models and the difficulties in finding relevant information
amfori’s Actions
In light of the climate crisis, political and consumer pressure on companies is increasing. In line with a commitment to continuous improvement, these recommendations will be carefully reviewed and assessed in terms of feasibility and amfori will readjust our system accordingly.
amfori welcomes such contributions and seeks to further engage with NGOs and other civil society organisations. In line with our commitment to climate change as a long-term priority, amfori has been exploring how to better leverage amfori BEPI for climate action.
In 2020, we increased the number of countries where we carry out amfori BEPI Energy Management Workshops. We have also upgraded our amfori BEPI Climate Calculator and are in discussion with partner organisations to further enhance this tool in 2021.
To learn more about how members work to mitigate climate change, check out our page on amfori BEPI. If you want to know more about amfori’s activities aimed at climate protection, please contact guggi.laryea@amfori.org or mitsuru.suzuki@amfori.org
Related Readings
Event Roundup: High-Level Meeting of Caring for Climate
EU Climate Pact Launch to Build Greener Europe