Resilient Supply Chains: connecting climate goals to real economy action

About the event

Trade and its supply chains contribute to 59% of global GDP and are major sources of greenhouse gas emissions. They are also increasingly vulnerable to climate impacts, including transport and logistics ‘links’ that connect producers with consumers, such as the first mile, roads, railways and ports. If the weakest link of a supply chain breaks, everyone suffers: communities, companies, countries, and ultimately consumers. Life-Links is developing a framework for collaborative action that simultaneously enhances resilience, reduces emissions, and improves sustainability for critical supply chain links. It builds on existing guidelines and data/AI-driven tools, with a focus on logistics. Kuehne Climate Center’s pilot applications are already underway for coffee and avocado supply chains from East Africa to Europe. This event brings together stakeholders from across global supply chains to explore how to transform supply chains into drivers of climate action, local development and real economy benefits.

What to expect

In a roundtable setting, the event will cover:

1. Paris Agreement challenges: integrating adaptation and finance with mitigation, linking global goals to local development needs, and translating climate targets to the real economy

2. Presentation of the Life-Links Framework, including its three steps (assess supply chain vulnerabilities, analyze action measures, joint implementation), and examples

3. Interactive discussions around 3 problem statements on: which supply chains present the best opportunity for collaborative action among supply chain actors and the Global North and South; the type of actions that bring climate and economic benefits for different stakeholders; and what it will take for the private sector to co-invest

4. Report back and debrief

5. Networking

Who should attend

This event is designed for organizations and experts with an interest in supply chains and/or transport and logistics, and who can play a concrete role in building resilient supply chains:

• Industry (manufacturers, retailers, logistics providers and operators, and their associations)

• Finance (financiers, insurers, asset managers)

• Development (development agencies, international organizations and foundations working with communities/countries on sustainable development)

• Government (government agencies and related institutes)

• Service providers (IT/software, technologies, consultancies, other)

• Civil society and research (NGOs, research/academic institutes)