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To the uninitiated, the term Scope 3 might sound like an obscure technical label. However, for those managing corporate carbon emissions, the term can inspire a range of emotions, from dread to dismay. Scope 3 emissions are generated by indirect upstream and downstream operations, and typically account for the largest share of a companys carbon footprint. They also lie outside the organizations direct control. Although one of the sustainability agenda’s most daunting items, technology can provide solutions to the Scope 3 challenge. There’s mounting pressure to tackle these emissions, as institutional investors such as pension funds pay close attention to the climate footprint of their portfolio’s companies. Better-informed consumers seek out more sustainable choices and reward those choices with shifted brand loyalty. And around the world, governments are tightening regulations on emissions levels and climate disclosure requirements. The elusive, indirect nature of Scope 3 emissions Because they are indirect, Scope 3 emissions are extremely difficult to capture, analyze, and report on. These emissions are generated by everything from the extraction of raw materials to manufacturing, logistics, and distribution. They’re emitted during customers use of products and the processes needed to reuse, recycle, or dispose of items. Without the right software and systems, measuring and managing these emissions means engaging with hundreds of supply chain partners, each with different data formats and methods of carbon footprint accounting. It’s time-consuming and can lead to inaccuracies. Many supply chain operators struggle to integrate emissions and waste data into their own systems, much less those of suppliers and customers. While supplier surveys are one way to collect supply chain data, survey fatigue is a significant concern. Supplier data is often unreliable or backward-looking and cannot be used to inform real-time sustainability decisions, minimize future emissions, or design strategies that accelerate progress toward sustainability goals. The turn to tech Fortunately, there are solutionsand technology plays a critical role. A network-based software platform can track and monitor all activities and events across the supply chain, including those from multiple suppliers and customers, in real-time. Here are three ways in which technology can help. 1. AI-driven data management for performance data Using artificial intelligence, procurement and transportation activity data from disparate sources can be consolidated and translated into emissions performance data. This provides the reliable, timely, and accurate information needed to manage and reduce Scope 3 emissions, fulfill sustainability reporting requirements, and optimize supply chain efficiency. Visualizing emissions levels across the supply chain, companies can evaluate trade-offs between sustainability and traditional supply chain performance indicators. In short, carbon efficiency becomes a key factor in decision-making. Supply chain partners also gain a better understanding of their carbon footprint, enabling them to meet their own emissions goals. 2. Network-powered platforms for end-to-end visibility When managing something as complex as Scope 3 emissions, end-to-end supply chain visibility is critical. A network-based software platform achieves this by bringing together data from multiple organizations, enabling carbon emissions modeling and supply chain optimization. This approach enables smarter decisions on everything from raw material sourcing to supplier and distribution partner selection, reducing value-chain energy and waste. Companies work with distribution partners to reduce partially filled or empty trucks and to design more fuel-efficient routes for lower Scope 3 emissions. Companies can select supply-chain partners with the most carbon-efficient operations, equipped to measure and share their emissions data. Identifying carbon hotspotswhether by product type, raw material, or geographic locationenables supply chain element design or reconfiguration to account for emissions levels. 3. Forecasting and returns management technology to reduce waste Scope 3 emissions are embedded in the things companies sell and dont sell. Overproduction and the creation of excess inventory lead to products unsold or in landfills, increasing waste and generating unnecessary energy consumption for manufacturing and transport. Demand forecasting technology enables companies to produce more informed forecasts, allowing them to more accurately predict demand, anticipate fluctuations, and optimize production and inventory management. They’re therefore more likely to meet waste and sustainability goals regulations. Meanwhile, data-driven reverse logistics simplifies the process of retrieving and remerchandising returned goods. These solutions accelerate returning products to the shelf to be sold at full price rather than being discounted or worse, discarded as landfill. Returns processing can also reroute damaged or obsolete returned products into recommerce channels. Seize the decarbonization advantage Operational efficiency in supply chains is all about working with partners, and carbon efficiency is no different. Technology is the connective tissue that, by consolidating data from a wide range of organizationssuppliers, shippers, warehouse operators, retailers, and othersenables smart planning, global coordination at scale, and enhanced supply chain optimization. The task may look daunting, but technology makes it eminently possible to manage Scope 3 emissions. And with supply chain emissions responsible for over 50% of the global total, companies using streamlined data and digital tools to tackle emissions can gain a decarbonization advantage. Not only will the companies meet their sustainability goals, but they’re strategically positioned as a leader in a low-carbon economy. Saskia van Gendt is the chief sustainability officer at Blue Yonder.
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E-Commerce
Major League Baseball said its authorized gaming operators will cap bets on individual pitches at $200 and exclude them from parlays, a day after two Cleveland Guardians were indicted and accused of rigging pitches at the behest of gamblers.MLB said Monday the limits were agreed to by sportsbook operators representing more than 98% of the U.S. betting market. The league said in a statement that pitch-level bets on outcomes of pitch velocity and of balls and strikes “present heightened integrity risks because they focus on one-off events that can be determined by a single player and can be inconsequential to the outcome of the game.”“The risk on these pitch-level markets will be significantly mitigated by this new action targeted at the incentive to engage in misconduct,” the league said. “The creation of a strict bet limit on this type of bet, and the ban on parlaying them, reduces the payout for these markets and the ability to circumvent the new limit.”MLB said the agreement included Bally’s, Bet365, BetMGM, Bet99, Betr, Caesars, Circa, DraftKings, 888, FanDuel, Gamewise, Hard Rock, Intralot, Jack Entertainment, Mojo, Northstar Gaming, Oaklawn, Penn, Pointsbet, Potawatomi, Rush Steet and Underdog.Cleveland pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted Sunday in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn on charges they took bribes from sports bettors to throw certain types of pitches. They were charged with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery and money laundering conspiracy. The indictment says they helped two unnamed gamblers in the Dominican Republic win at least $460,000 on bets placed on the speed and outcome of certain pitches, including some that landed in the dirt.Ortiz’s lawyer, Chris Georgalis, said in a statement that his client was innocent and “has never, and would never, improperly influence a game not for anyone and not for anything.” A lawyer for Clase, Michael J. Ferrara, said his client “has devoted his life to baseball and doing everything in his power to help his team win. Emmanuel is innocent of all charges and looks forward to clearing his name in court.”The U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 ruled the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 was unconstitutional, allowing states to legalize sports betting.Ortiz appeared Monday in federal court in Boston. U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald L. Cabell granted Ortiz his release on the condition he surrender his passport, restrict his travel to the Northeast U.S. and post a $500,000 bond, $50,000 of it secured. Ortiz was ordered to avoid contact with anyone who could be viewed as a victim, witness or co-defendant.Last month, more than 30 people, including Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, were arrested in a takedown of two sprawling gambling operations that authorities said rigged poker games backed by Mafia families and leaked inside information about NBA athletes.Billups’ attorney, Chris Heywood, issued a statement denying the allegations. Rozier’s lawyer, Jim Trusty, said in a statement his client is “not a gambler” and “looks forward to winning this fight.” AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB Ronald Blum, AP Baseball Writer
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Japanese technology giant SoftBank said Tuesday it has sold its stake in Nvidia, raising $5.8 billion to pour into other investments. It also reported its profit nearly tripled in the first half of this fiscal year from a year earlier.Tokyo-based SoftBank Group Corp. said it sold the stake in Silicon Vally-based Nvidia in October, a move that reflects its shift in focus to OpenAI, owner of the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT.SoftBank reported its profit in April-September soared to about 2.5 trillion yen (about $13 billion). Its sales for the six month period rose 7.7% year-on-year to 3.7 trillion yen ($24 billion), it said.The company’s fortunes tend to fluctuate because it invests in a range of ventures, including through its tech-focused Vision Funds. Those recently have paid off.In February, SoftBank’s chairman Masayoshi Son joined Trump, Sam Altman of OpenAI and Larry Ellison of Oracle in announcing a major investment of up to $500 billion in a project to develop artificial intelligence called Stargate.SoftBank has invested tens of billions of dollars in OpenAI. The two companies also plan to provide AI services in Japan.Selling SoftBank’s stake in Nvidia reflects Son’s shift in strategy and also nets his company a healthy profit thanks to the recent runup in Nvidia’s market value.Nvidia recently become the first $5 trillion company, just three months after it broke through the $4 trillion barrier. It plans a $100 billion investment in OpenAI as part of a partnership that will add at least 10 gigawatts of Nvidia AI data centers to ramp up OpenAI’s computing power.The chip maker and other winners in the frenzy around artificial-intelligence technology have been driving much of this year’s rally in share prices. Critics say stock prices of the tech giants have soared too high and too fast in the mania around AI, drawing comparisons to the 2000 dot-com bubble that ultimately burst.SoftBank and Nvidia still have strong relations since various ventures that SoftBank invests in use Nvidia technology.SoftBank also has investments in Arm Holdings and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., computer chip makers that like Nvidia are benefitting greatly from the growth of AI.SoftBank stocks have nearly doubled in value in the past year. They gained nearly 2% Tuesday.Nvidia’s shares fell 1.3% in premarket trading early Tuesday. They jumped 5.8% on Monday. Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama Yuri Kageyama, AP Business Writer
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