TfS’ Game-Changer for Chemical Supply Chain Transparency

Collaboration is an absolute must when it comes to making meaningful sustainability progress. 

Together for Sustainability (TfS), a global sustainability initiative driven by the chemical industry, is a shining example of major players coming together for the good of the planet. Members are dedicated to building sustainable chemical supply chains and regulatory requirements, as well as responding to the needs and expectations of society.

BASF, Bayer, Evonik and Henkel are among more than 50 chemical organisations signed up to TfS. Overall, these account for a global annual turnover of €800bn (US$864bn) and a global spend of more than €500 billion (US$540bn). 

Chief Procurement Officers from each member from part of the TfS General Assembly, which determines the group’s direction and ensures it continues to deliver groundbreaking, practical solutions to build sustainability within the chemical industry.

TfS’ latest solution is the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) Exchange, designed to transform how chemical companies calculate, track and exchange emissions across their supply chains. 

Revolutionising emissions tracking

Global industries face increasing pressure to meet decarbonisation targets in alignment with the Paris Agreement.

Powered by Siemens’ advanced SiGREEN technology, TfS’ PCF Exchange offers the chemical sector an unparalleled opportunity to revolutionise its emissions tracking and reporting processes. 

The cutting-edge platform addresses one of the chemical industry’s most pressing challenges: managing Scope 3 emissions, which account for the majority of a company’s carbon footprint. 

By leveraging SiGREEN, it provides a secure and efficient method for tracking and exchanging product-level emissions data, allowing companies to request detailed carbon information from suppliers – streamlining the process of calculating PCFs for multiple materials across complex global supply chains.

TfS has expressed confidence that the PCF Exchange solution will accelerate industry-wide transparency and enable companies to achieve their GHG reduction goals, supporting the broader global effort to combat climate change. 

“The PCF Exchange solution is a key component of our Scope 3 GHG emissions programme,” enthuses Jennifer Jewson, President of TfS and CPO at LyondellBasell.

“With this addition, TfS offers a truly end-to-end solution for calculating PCFs across the chemical supply chain.

“Together with our established PCF Guideline and White Paper, PCF Exchange equips TfS members and suppliers with the necessary tools to generate accurate, consistent data and seamlessly exchange it. This marks a significant step forward in helping the industry reduce Scope 3 GHG emissions with greater transparency and precision.”

Solving industry challenges

TfS says its PCF Exchange solution is a response to three critical challenges:

• Scale: The solution allows companies to request and exchange emissions data on a large scale, enabling simultaneous data requests from multiple suppliers, reducing processing time and error.
• Comparability: By using a standardised PCF Guideline, the solution ensures consistent and comparable carbon footprint calculations across the sector, helping businesses identify where improvements can be made.
• Connection: The platform offers a secure, collaborative environment where supply chain data is exchanged with confidence. Siemens’ SiGREEN technology ensures emissions data remains accurate and unaltered throughout the process. The collaboration with Siemens also offers users the unique opportunity to feed back and influence the development of SiGREEN.

Maria Valentina Giraldo Martinez, Co-Chair of the TfS Workstream ‘GHG Scope 3 Emissions – Data Collection and Sharing’ and LCA Manager at IFF, calls the solution a “pivotal moment” for the chemical industry.

She adds: “For the first time, companies will have a reliable, standardised platform to manage carbon data from across their supply chains.

“By facilitating the secure exchange of carbon data, this solution is not just improving how the industry manages emissions; it’s enabling proactive steps towards transparency. As we roll out this technology, we are witnessing the chemical sector take bold strides in addressing its climate responsibilities.”

By exhibiting this level of innovation, TfS members are well positioned to address the current maturity gaps in carbon data exchange across the chemical industry, particularly in global regions with varying levels of sustainability adoption.

Catalysing decarbonisation across industries

Though initially designed for the chemical sector, the PCF Exchange solution has plenty of potential to benefit other industries, from adhesives and automotive to medical and manufacturing, further amplifying its environmental impact.

TfS is providing training and onboarding sessions through the TfS Academy to help members and their suppliers adopt the new platform, building global capacity for sustainability.

Dr. Gunter Beitinger, SVP Manufacturing, Head of Factory Digitalization and Head of Product Carbon Footprint at Siemens, comments: “We’re proud to partner with TfS on the launch of the PCF Exchange solution, which leverages Siemens’ SiGREEN technology to enable efficient data handling, reduce manual effort and errors and ensure secure, trusted data exchange.

“Its robust security and compliance with global privacy regulations make it a reliable platform for companies to confidently exchange emissions data and integrate it into their greenhouse gas accounting systems.”

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