An innovative research project at the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal (IP Setúbal) has the potential to transform corporate accountability when it comes to measuring the effect of supply chain sustainability. Facilitated by Empowered Startups’ HQA Visa Program, American entrepreneur Jennifer Wade has partnered with IP Setúbal on this “Green Trade” project, which aims devise the standard mechanisms and metrics by which companies will determine the environmental impact of their respective supply chains. Though some companies and governments have increased their efforts to reduce their climate impact in recent years, there are currently no standard mechanisms by which a company can effectively and efficiently come up with such a metric to track its progress over time.
Expert Guidance
Ms. Wade’s deep expertise in international trade compliance, and experience launching and leading Embrava Group, a US-based strategic consulting firm specializing in global trade, will enable this research project to address current and future business challenges, while also providing inputs to international policy making. Ms. Wade will be leveraging Empowered Startup’s excellent network of entrepreneurs, project managers, and government relationships to ensure a broad audience is reached with the findings from this research project.
This meaningful research project will explore existing methods of carbon calculation within the supply chain from an importer’s perspective globally and search for boundary-pushing and innovative ways to empower businesses to identify, track and report more effectively around their climate impact, whether they are suppliers, manufacturers, distributors or sellers. The development of a novel process by which companies can calculate the carbon footprint of their supply chains and measure their impact over time would significantly improve the collective ability for industry to reduce the negative environmental consequences of supply channels.
First of many Projects
This is the first project Empowered Startups has brought to IP Setúbal since the institution partnered with the Canadian multinational on its HQA Visa Program. The only government-endorsed delivery partner of the HQA Visa Program, Empowered Startups has already delivered more than €5 million of direct investment to Portugal, and recently conveyed to Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro that it expects to bring over €50 million of foreign direct investment to the country over the next few years.
More information about the HQA Visa Program can be found on Empowered Startups’ website
