SE Valley Times

The Sustainability Consortium (TSC), a global organization focused on enhancing sustainability in the consumer goods industry, has launched a new cloud-based tool aimed at predicting environmental and social priorities in agricultural supply chains. This initiative comes after TSC relocated its headquarters to Arizona State University’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory earlier this year.

The CommodityMap predictor, available for free and open to the public, enables businesses to make informed decisions regarding sustainability in their sourcing practices. The tool uses geospatial analytics to simplify complex supply chains and helps users understand sustainability issues where their commodities are grown or sourced. By inputting the country of import, users can perform comprehensive analyses, prioritize efforts, and receive science-based recommendations for action.

“We are excited to offer this powerful tool to companies striving to improve the sustainability of their supply chains,” said Christy Slay, CEO of TSC and a senior Global Futures scientist. “CommodityMap allows businesses not only to identify and prioritize sustainability issues but also to provide guidance on actions that improve commodity supply chains.”

Key features of CommodityMap include:

- Insights without complex data collection: The platform leverages a proprietary model linking trade statistics to production regions, eliminating the need for time-consuming data collection.

- Science-based recommendations: Users receive actionable recommendations grounded in scientific research.

- Education and engagement opportunities: CommodityMap provides easy-to-interpret metrics and recommendations that facilitate communication with stakeholders across the supply chain.

- Action and comparative analyses: Companies can prioritize issues, compare analyses, and take demonstrable actions to address environmental and social concerns.

Slay emphasized that as companies continue to prioritize sustainability, tools like CommodityMap will be crucial in guiding their efforts toward meaningful impact. Funded by the Walmart Foundation, TSC has transformed its existing commodity mapping tool into an accessible online resource covering over 100 global commodities.

“We believe that access to information is key to driving positive change in supply chains,” said Greg Bohrer, director at the Walmart Foundation. “By increasing transparency and understanding of environmental and social issues, the CommodityMap platform equips companies with insights and actionable recommendations needed to build more sustainable value chains.”

TSC will host a webinar overview of CommodityMap at 1 p.m., Central Standard Time, on June 25. The event will include a demo of the tool, user testimonials, and a Q&A session. Interested parties are welcome to register and attend.