Checklist for supply chain traceability

Environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues are increasingly stringent, redefining the paradigms of supply chain models: from the relationship with suppliers, to the engagement of the end customers. Manufacturing, wholesale and Retail companies are in need of traceability along the entire supply chain, from sourcing and supplier selection to after-sales.

Regulators and monitoring authorities, investors, and consumers – these are the three actors that are pressing companies hardest to define and implement ESG strategies. Existing and upcoming regulations make corporations increasingly responsible for their business partners’ illegal or unethical conduct. As reported by Resilinc, currently 70% of companies do not know their n-tier supply chain.

Digital product passport

Sustainability implies traceability and transparency. To be more transparent, companies should be able to collect all data on the different supply chain processes. They must be ready to disclose verifiable and unalterable product traceability information to meet the expectations of corporate investors and consumers who wish to buy more sustainable and ethical products.

In 2023, Gartner predicted that – by 2027 – 50% of the ten largest consumer goods manufacturers (by revenue) will have implemented digital product passports for at least one of their product categories. This digital product passport (DPP) is one of the key actions under the European Commission’s Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP). It provides a method for digitally recording and sharing information about a product across the entire value chain. In particular, this includes traceability of the finished product, its components and usage, and end of life.

Download the ‘Checklist for supply chain traceability’

Software vendor Tesisquare and Supply Chain Movement have created a practical checklist to assess the maturity of supply chain traceability. By answering the 10 questions in this checklist, you can find your improvement potential.

Find more checklists of Supply Chain Movement here >>