Chemical Companies Working to Track Supply Chain Emissions

Collaboration is essential for significant progress in sustainability, particularly in the chemical sector, where the scale of impact is vast.

Together for Sustainability (TfS) is a global initiative that brings together key industry players to build sustainable chemical supply chains. These organisations are committed to regulatory compliance and addressing societal needs while driving sustainability.

TfS, supported by more than 50 leading chemical companies, including BASF, Bayer, Evonik and Henkel, plays a pivotal role in the sector's efforts. Overall, these account for a global annual turnover of €800bn (US$864bn) and a global spend of more than €500 billion (US$540bn). 

The TfS General Assembly, comprised of Chief Procurement Officers (CPOs) from member companies, guides the initiative, ensuring that it delivers effective solutions that embed sustainability across the chemical industry.

TfS’s new solution for tracking emissions

TfS’s latest breakthrough is the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) Exchange, a platform designed to transform how chemical companies track and report emissions within their supply chains. Powered by Siemens’ advanced SiGREEN technology, the PCF Exchange offers the industry a powerful tool to tackle one of its most complex challenges: Scope 3 emissions.

Scope 3 emissions, which include indirect emissions from the supply chain, constitute the largest share of a company’s carbon footprint.

By providing a secure and efficient way to track and exchange product-level emissions data, the PCF Exchange enables companies to request precise carbon information from their suppliers, simplifying the calculation of carbon footprints for various materials across vast and intricate global supply chains.

TfS believes this platform will drive transparency across the industry, helping companies meet their greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals and support broader global efforts to address climate change.

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

“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.”

Addressing major challenges in emissions tracking

TfS has designed the PCF Exchange to tackle three primary challenges the chemical industry faces in emissions tracking: scale, comparability, and connection.

First, the platform enables companies to handle emissions data on a large scale. Businesses can request information from multiple suppliers at once, reducing time and human error in the process.

Second, the solution ensures consistent carbon footprint calculations across the industry through its standardised PCF Guideline, making it easier for businesses to identify where improvements can be made.

Finally, it offers a secure environment for exchanging supply chain data. Siemens’ SiGREEN technology ensures that the emissions data remains reliable throughout the process, giving companies confidence that their data is accurate and unaltered.

The collaboration with Siemens also allows companies to provide feedback on the platform, helping shape the development of SiGREEN. Maria Valentina Giraldo Martinez, Co-Chair of the TfS Workstream on GHG Scope 3 Emissions and LCA Manager at IFF, sees this as a “pivotal moment” for the chemical industry.

“For the first time, companies will have a reliable, standardised platform to manage carbon data from across their supply chains,” she says.

“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.”

Expanding decarbonisation beyond chemicals

Though designed specifically for the chemical sector, the PCF Exchange holds potential for broader application. Industries like adhesives, automotive, medical and manufacturing could also benefit from this solution, further amplifying its environmental impact across sectors.

To help businesses integrate the platform, TfS offers training and onboarding through the TfS Academy, ensuring members and their suppliers can adopt the technology and enhance their sustainability efforts.

Dr. Gunter Beitinger, Senior Vice President of Manufacturing and Head of Product Carbon Footprint at Siemens, highlights the collaboration’s importance, saying: “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.”

By embracing this innovative tool, TfS members are better equipped to address gaps in carbon data management, particularly in regions with varying levels of sustainability adoption.

With the PCF Exchange, the chemical industry is taking a significant step toward meeting global decarbonisation goals, leading by example across other sectors.

As Jennifer emphasises: “This marks a significant step forward in helping the industry reduce Scope 3 GHG emissions with greater transparency and precision.”

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