Elevate sustainability with BCG X: Partnering with WWF to unveil OpenSC for eco-friendly food production verification.

1. BCG Introduces BCG X to Support WWF
in Unveiling OpenSC for Sustainable
Food Production Verification
Global food supply chains are responsible for an incredible one-third
of all greenhouse gas emissions, with a staggering 80% of these
emissions originating directly from the source, such as farms or
fisheries. The complexity and fragmentation of these supply chains
pose formidable challenges for major food and beverage companies
that annually source the majority of food commodities, disrupting
their ability to drive meaningful change toward sustainability.
To address this issue and help these companies achieve their
sustainability and net-zero goals, the World Wide Fund for Nature
(WWF) collaborated with BCG, a prominent consulting firm.
Together, they formed a dedicated team called BCG X, supported by
BCG's functional practice areas. Their objective was to create
innovative tools capable of verifying, incentivizing, and rewarding
producers at the source to promote positive change for both the Earth
and the people.
Their collaborative effort gave rise to an advanced technology
platform, OpenSC, which stands for open supply chains. OpenSC was
designed to automatically, continuously, and reliably check claims
related to low-carbon and responsible production, leveraging precise
and immutable data. This has already led to the successful
development of multiple Automated Claim Verification (ACV)
instances.
OpenSC has brought two notable examples to fruition, allowing for
the verification and tracing of products all the way to end consumers:
 Sustainable Fishing: The OpenSC platform now verifies the
sustainable catch locations of over 15% of the global annual
Patagonian toothfish (Chilean sea bass) catch and traces it
throughout the supply chain.

2.  Fair Payments to Coffee Farmers: Partnering with Nespresso,
OpenSC tracks every coffee bag from 1,185 smallholder farmers
of the AMKA Cooperative in South Kivu, Democratic Republic
of the Congo. It also ensures that each farmer receives the
appropriate Nespresso premium payment. This successful
program is being expanded worldwide to many of Nespresso's
sourcing regions.
Furthermore, the ability to verify specific claims about sustainable
and ethical production and trace products through the supply chain
enables companies to transparently share their data and narrative with
consumers, business partners in the supply chain, investors, and
regulatory authorities. OpenSC's technology products are already in
commercial use, gaining traction across multiple seafood and coffee
commodities, with additional products in the pipeline for high-impact
things like rice and palm oil. OpenSC is staffed by a world-class team
of over 30 professionals with global expertise.
In terms of their role, BCG played a pivotal role in developing
OpenSC through a close partnership with WWF. From its inception,
BCG harnessed a broad spectrum of capabilities encompassing
business strategy, advanced technology, and climate change and
sustainability expertise. They provided invaluable guidance
throughout the process, from the platform's design and construction to
its successful launch and ongoing scalability. As a result, OpenSC
secured funding from prominent impact investors and established
collaborations with major customers such as Nestle, the world's
Clargest food and beverage company, and Austral Fisheries, a
subsidiary of Maruha Nichiro, one of the world's largest seafood
conglomerates.