TSC Launches New Measurement Platform Unlocking Unprecedented Business Value Through Communication Between Buyers and Suppliers

Scottsdale, AZ, July 23, 2019: The Sustainability Consortium (TSC) announced today that it has selected SupplyShift as its new partner and reporting platform for The Sustainability Insight System (THESIS) Index, formerly and most widely known as The Sustainability Index. TSC translates the best sustainability science into business tools that are used all over the world to create more sustainable consumer products. With over 100 members and partners, TSC brings together a wide range of companies, NGOs and sustainability experts to drive environmental and social sustainability impact at scale.

The SupplyShift technology will be used by leading retailers and suppliers to optimize supply chain transparency.  On the SupplyShift platform, through TSC key performance indicators, retailers and suppliers can engage customers, gain insights into the sustainability performance of the products they put on shelves and receive new tools to help them drive performance.

Suppliers will have greater control over not just the data they share, but also how they share it with retailers. Additionally, suppliers will have improved ability to re-use data and results, helping to reduce survey-fatigue. Overall, the new platform will seek to improve suppliers’ ability to pull together data from their own supply chains all into one place as well as create deeper insights into their own performance alongside the performance of their peers.

“As a longtime member of TSC, Mars is excited to gain more insights into the products we supply retailers with less effort by using the new TSC platform, powered by SupplyShift. Transparency into our supply chains is an essential part of Mars’ sustainability goals, and having a reporting tool that can link to supply chain data unlocks opportunities,” said Rachel Goldstein, Global Sustainability Reporting Senior Manager, Mars.

“Since we launched The Sustainability Index, now known as THESIS Index, in 2014, TSC has been on the forefront of helping retailers drive the sustainability performance of the products they put on shelf,” said TSC Chief Executive, Euan Murray. “Our new partnership with SupplyShift takes us a step closer to our vision of full transparency and data exchange along product supply chains. Delivering on that vision will see retailers able to deliver the sustainable store of the future, suppliers supported and rewarded for the development of the next generation of sustainable products, and all consumers able to make sustainable choices as part of our everyday lives.”

TSC will move THESIS Index over to the SupplyShift platform. SupplyShift’s expertise in sustainability, established technical development capability, and unique multi-tier/multi-tenant data gathering methods will allow for better analytics, insights, and business value for both suppliers and retailers.

“Walmart and The Sustainability Consortium are working together to integrate THESIS Index into the everyday decision-making of our merchants, as well as giving our suppliers greater insights so they can achieve more on sustainability,” said Laura Phillips, Senior Vice President for Global Sustainability at Walmart Inc. “TSC’s new partnership with SupplyShift is an important part of that new future and an important step in helping us as we work towards our sustainability goals.”

“We are honored to have been chosen by TSC to be their technology platform,” said Alex Gershenson, CEO and co-founder of SupplyShift.  “TSC’s science-based measurement and reporting system delivers proven metrics for retailers and suppliers that enable them to engage across a variety of issues.  SupplyShift’s next-generation solution will make it easy to gain transparency at all levels of the supply chain and will help companies focus less on the complexity of data collection and management and more on taking action to improve their supply chain performance.”

TSC will launch THESIS Index on the new platform in August 2019. TSC powers THESIS Index through the development of key performance indicators. THESIS Index is designed to help retailers and suppliers measure sustainability performance for over 130 different consumer goods categories covering over 90% of all consumer products produced around the world. TSC’s science-based methodology produces key performance indicators that measure manufacturers’ progress against sustainability issues contained within the supply chain. TSC implementation services work closely with retailers to help assess their suppliers and analyze results. TSC relaunched their measurement and reporting system under the new THESIS brand in 2019.

“Henkel values the opportunity for conversations with retailers about our sustainability progress to help us gather insights and develop products that will meet consumer needs. TSC’s new platform with SupplyShift is an important evolution in measurement and reporting and will allow us to have better insights to meet our sustainability goals,” said Robert Anson, Director of Business Development, Henkel.

“Transitioning to a more environmentally sustainable business needs to be as easy as possible. TSC moves us one-step closer by simplifying the reporting process with SupplyShift, ensuring that global supply chains continue to embrace transparency. The result will be transformative – insights and actions that suppliers and retailers can use for driving the creation of better consumer products,” said Elizabeth Sturcken, Managing Director, EDF+Business, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

TSC has more information about THESIS here. To learn more about SupplyShift, the technology powering THESIS, click here. TSC’s retail members include Kroger, Walgreens, Walmart, Amazon, M&S, and Sprouts. TSC launched its beauty and personal care product sustainability rating system in 2018 with some of their current retail members and with additional participation from Target, Rite Aid, Sephora and CVS. Founded in 2009, TSC celebrates 10 years of helping companies create more sustainable consumer products. Learn more about TSC’s 10-year anniversary here.

About TSC

The Sustainability Consortium (TSC) is a global organization transforming the consumer goods industry to deliver more sustainable consumer products. We are dedicated to improving the sustainability of consumer products. Our members and partners include manufacturers, retailers, suppliers, service providers, NGOs, civil society organizations, governmental agencies and academics. Each member brings valuable perspectives and expertise. TSC convenes our diverse stakeholders to work collaboratively to build science-based decision tools and solutions that address sustainability issues that are materially important throughout a product’s supply chain and lifecycle. TSC also offers a portfolio of services to help drive effective implementation. The Sustainability Consortium has more than 100 members and there are over 2,000 users of TSC tools worldwide; it convenes more than 200 global organizations annually over an average of 75 networking opportunities. Formed in 2009, TSC is jointly administered by Arizona State University and the University of Arkansas. It also has a European office at Wageningen University and Research, and a Chinese office in Tianjin, China. For more information visit www.sustainabilityconsortium.org.

About SupplyShift

SupplyShift provides a comprehensive platform to seamlessly gather and analyze supplier networks, connecting companies to de-risk and improve supply chains. They have delivered the first cloud-based control center specifically built to ensure that sustainability insights can be thoughtfully considered in sourcing decisions.  The platform is built with the belief that, when properly managed, a company’s supplier network can deliver incredible value for the company, the greater economy, and can play an important role in changing our world for the better. The SupplyShift platform makes it seamless to gain the insight needed to create a more responsive, responsible supplier network that makes the entire supply chain more productive. Learn more at www.supplyshift.net

Media Inquiries:

The Sustainability Consortium: Erika Ferrin, Erika.ferrin@sustainabilityconsortium.org ,480-965-7752

SupplyShift: Bob Young, byoung@supplyshift.net, 724-344-5738