At this year’s Sustainable Supply Chain Conference, taking place on 25 June 2024 in London, a panel discussion will take place in which experts from Datasparq and GXO will outline how AI can be used to improve sustainability within supply chains.
AI is taking on a greater role within supply chains and can deliver significant results, especially when it comes to sustainability. In September 2023, Logistics Manager reported that GXO’s use of an AI-powered route optimisation solution from Datasparq had supported the decarbonisation of Iceland’s road transport operation and spoke to Martin Atkinson, managing director of grocery at GXO, about the present and future role of AI within the supply chain.
Optimising delivery routes in this way allowed GXO to cut its annual diesel consumption in Iceland’s supply chain by 25,000 litres, leading to a reduction of over 720 tonnes of carbon emissions.
Session title: How can AI make supply chains more sustainable?
• How AI is transforming sustainability within supply chains
• The cost savings and environmental benefits AI can deliver
• How GXO and Iceland partnered with Datasparq to make AI in the supply chain a reality
Moderating this session is Tom Nicholls, COO at Datasparq. He has nearly two decades of experience in the supply chain. For the past ten years, he has been helping organisations leverage digital transformation to optimise their operations, working with industry leaders like Vodafone and GSK alongside regional organisations such as Warburtons and Muller-Wiseman Dairies.
He is passionate about driving sustainable, tangible improvements to supply chains by empowering business leaders to transform their organisations using AI.
Joining Nicholls on the panel for this discussion is Richard Cowley, head of transport solutions at GXO Logistics. He is responsible for designing and optimising customer transport solutions. He has worked for GXO for eight years, previously having worked for 20 years at CEVA/TNT.
He has a strong interest in transport planning and ESG, supporting his work redesigning transport networks for zero-emission vehicles. Over the last three years he has led GXO’s work with Datasparq to use AI in route optimisation, which has achieved a significant reduction in CO2 emissions in customer operations.
The final panellist is Ishbel Hughes-d’Aeth, principal product lead at Datasparq. She has 15 years of experience designing and delivering high-impact, user-focused AI and data products. She’s worked at companies such as EDF, where she led the data and analytics team, innovation team and AI team in the EV unit.
Her work has delivered efficiencies that have led to multi-million pound benefits and a significant reduction in waste, energy, water and CO2. Her passion lies in creating sustainable, ethical and innovative solutions that drive positive change for people, the planet and profit alike.
The conference, which will be held at 30 Euston Square, is a one-day face-to-face event where delegates can hear directly from industry-leading speakers about how business sustainability can influence their bottom line. It is totally free to attend for buyers of logistics services.
Innovation will continue to drive supply chain sustainability in the years to come. At the Sustainable Supply Chain Conference, delegates will learn how to ‘go green’ throughout their end-to-end operations, discussing topics such as procurement, operations, retirement, data and communication. Overall, the conference will consider the environmental and human impact of products, from cradle to grave.
From raw materials sourcing, production, storage and delivery to every transportation link in-between, the journey is not easy – the complexity of many supplier relationships and border crossings makes supply chain sustainability extremely challenging. But the payback for getting it right is priceless, delivering on the three Ps of the bottom line – people, profits and the planet.
Among the list of speakers already announced for the conference are those from the likes of Nestlé, Sipsmith, Abel & Cole, Quorn Foods, The Cotswold Company and Cross River Partnership at the event. Keep an eye out on Twitter and LinkedIn for more speaker announcements as the event draws closer.
Click here to find out more and register for this unmissable event!
