1 minute read
Ivalua Overview
might surprise them in terms of actual carbon impact and Ivalua can help them to change and innovate to reduce their carbon footprint.
“If, for example, you measure the United Kingdom's carbon output, we're fairly low down on the global stage, representing about 1% of the global total. But if you look at it in terms of what we consume and what impact we have across the chain, it’s far more consequential than many would assume. Companies are no different.
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“The big question is: ‘Do you believe that sourcing decisions will get affected heavily by the carbon impact, or is it still
1% always going to be a financial decision?’. My answer to that is that sustainability is increasingly becoming an unavoidable subject, simply because your investors, your customers, and your employees all care about the impact of carbon emissions.”
The future of S2P
When asked about his thoughts on the future of S2P, Thompson replies that structurally, he believes it's going to be the same. He emphasises that many companies can get lost in notions of technology suddenly quantum-leaping, and this becoming a sci-fi world, which he says is “really just not true”.
“But there are developmental aspects to S2P that will have a great impact,” he says.
“S2P can produce a lot of data, and with machine learning and AI, we'll be able to better understand that data.
“On the payments side of things, there'll be more effective and efficient ways that organisations can provide financing to suppliers, such as helping to receive them in a much faster, more secure manner.”
I ask him what the one message is that he’d like his audience to know. Quoting Voltaire, Thompson replies: “Don’t let the perfect become the enemy of the good. Just because it's difficult to map supply chain emissions, it doesn't mean you shouldn't try. Just because your supplier master data is in a huge mess, it doesn't mean you shouldn't launch a program to try to address that.
“We deal with a lot of people who want to make changes, but they can be overwhelmed and suffer from decision paralysis, so I’d say this: although it sounds simple, the important thing is to just begin.”
