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Resilient Supply Chain — How Leaders Keep Business Moving

Resilient Supply Chain is for supply chain, operations, procurement and technology leaders who need practical ways to manage disruption, reduce risk and keep business moving.

Each Monday, technology and sustainability analyst, keynote speaker and former SAP Global VP Tom Raftery speaks with the executives, operators, founders and innovators redesigning how goods, information and decisions move through global supply chains.

These are candid conversations about what works in practice—not polished PR narratives or vague predictions. Guests explain how they are responding to supplier failures, geopolitical shocks, volatile costs, capacity constraints, changing regulations and rising pressure to improve both performance and sustainability.

The podcast examines:
Faster planning and decision-making under uncertainty
Supplier risk, sourcing strategy and business continuity
AI, automation, visibility and operational intelligence
Warehousing, logistics and fulfilment performance
Scope 3 emissions, circularity and responsible sourcing
The systems, incentives and organisational changes needed to turn data into action

The central question is simple: what helps a supply chain withstand disruption, adapt quickly and continue serving the business?

New episodes are published every Monday at 7am CET. Resilient Supply Chain+ subscribers also receive bonus analysis, highlights and briefings on emerging industry trends.

Follow Resilient Supply Chain for practical lessons from the people solving real operational problems—and building supply chains that perform when conditions do not go to plan.

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Resilient Supply Chain — How Leaders Keep Business Moving

Cutting Scope 3: How AI and Data Are Driving Sustainable Supply Chains

August 11, 2025 • Tom Raftery • Season 2 • Episode 80

0:00 | 40:10

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Supply chains are responsible for the majority of global emissions, yet they remain the hardest to decarbonise. In this episode of the Sustainable Supply Chain podcast, I sit down with Saskia van Gendt, Chief Sustainability Officer at Blue Yonder, to explore how data, AI, and end-to-end visibility are changing that equation.

Saskia brings two decades of sustainability experience across government, retail, and manufacturing. We dig into the urgent challenge of Scope 3 emissions - why they make up 60%+ of global carbon output, why they’re so difficult to measure, and how regulatory pressure is finally starting to unlock action.

We discuss how AI-powered supply chain platforms can optimise sourcing decisions on the fly, set carbon budgets, and reduce waste, from manufacturing to reverse logistics. Saskia shares real-world examples, from cutting a million transport miles in South America to reducing food waste by 15% through demand-supply optimisation.

We also cover the overlap between resilience and sustainability, the impact of tariffs and CBAM, and how leaders can align sustainability targets with operational KPIs. The big takeaway? Sustainability isn’t a compliance box, it’s a strategic advantage for retailers, manufacturers, and logistics providers willing to integrate it into core supply chain decisions.

If you’re a supply chain leader looking to make measurable progress on emissions reduction, waste management, and resilience, this conversation is packed with actionable insights.

If disruption hit tomorrow, would you know where your supply chain was most exposed? In 15 minutes my free scorecard helps you assess 27 resilience statements, calculate your score, and turn the result into three priorities and a 30 day action plan. You can download the scorecard free at tomraftery.com/scorecard.

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I'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's generous Subscribers:

Alicia Farag
Kieran Ognev
Gary Lynch

And remember you too can become a Resilient Supply Chain+ subscriber - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent episodes like this one and give you access to bonus episodes of topical, timely supply chain resilience analysis.

🎤 Looking for a keynote speaker on supply chain resilience, AI, and sustainability?
I help leaders understand the forces reshaping global supply chains, from geopolitical disruption and climate risk to AI and real-time decision-making.

Download my Speaker Pack: https://tinyurl.com/spkrpck

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