Applying the Six-Step Process to RSPO
Step one: Materially important issue
As a member of the RSPO, Co-op Food acknowledged the need to use sustainable oil palm in its products. As such, this was a materially important issue, meaning that the first step of the process had already been complete. Around half of our customers begin working with us at step two, having identified the important issues to their business and stakeholders internally.
Step two: Smart Goal
The aim of the project was to collect product level data from suppliers on palm oil, soy and derivatives information which would enable Co-op to report back to the RSPO. This included what percentage of each ingredient was in finished products, as well as product size and sales information.
Step three: Benchmark
The purpose of establishing a benchmark was to understand how well Co-op were currently performing against their SMART goal. Before the project could be properly underway, it was necessary to know how much detailed product data around palm oil Co-op had access to already.
Supply Pilot's Campaign Team ran a supplier contact accuracy campaign to ensures that, when suppliers were asked to provide product level data about palm oil and its derivatives, it is sent to the right person within the their organisation. As part of this phase of the project, Supply Pilot also made sure that alongside communicating the regulatory requirements to suppliers, the purpose and importance of the project is also made clear. This helped suppliers understand the project’s significance and exactly what data Co-op needed from them.
Typically retailer and brand supplier data is only 18% accurate. This low level of contact accuracy means that supply chain data collection exercises can be delayed by months whilst emails are sent to:
- inactive inboxes
- incorrect contacts
- commercial contacts who don't have the appropriate level of knowledge or the right information to hand
Step four: Activation
Supply Pilot worked closely with the Co-op team to consult and implement an effective and easy-to-use data collection tool on the Supply Pilot Platform, which replaced the previous approach of manual spreadsheets. The platform automatically pre-populated known data for suppliers to make it much easier to submit accurate information in a timely manner.
“The tool is a positive step forward and really easy to use.”
- Cristina Ramsay, Allied Bakeries
The Supply Pilot Platform also monitored each interaction to see when emails are undelivered, opened, read, and further action is taken. The system also provides intelligent warnings and checks to reduce user error. It also linked to online supporting material and help around technical queries, with the option to ask a question if support is required.
Supply Pilot managed the entire process from the management of the data collection through to the final reporting back to the RSPO. Information was collected for 100% of the supplier base, who are all now engaged with the initiative and the new system.
Step five: Data-driven KPI
The Supply Pilot Platform provided supplier dashboards that showed what substance level product information had been provided by suppliers. This enabled Co-op to visualise progress and pull up reports automatically.
Step six: Commercialisation
As well as capturing responses from over 350 suppliers, Supply Pilot identified over 75 new contacts for Co-op to engage with on sustainable palm oil and palm kernel oil as well as other derivates and soy.
The solutions implemented by Supply Pilot enabled Co-op to collect all the data they needed to report back to the RSPO, as well as provide actionable information to drive improvements towards their 2020 goal.
This data collection project forms a base from which Co-op can continue to stand by their brand commitment to source more sustainable palm oil for their products.