Podcast: How AI can improve ethical sourcing and sustainability

Julian Harris, CEO of RobobAI, discusses how AI can enhance ethical sourcing and sustainability in supply chains on the ERP Confab Podcast.

Supply chain sustainability is an ambitious strategy for managing the environmental, social and corporate governance impacts of product sourcing, manufacturing, and delivery. But the inherent complexity of supply chains makes it difficult to ensure that each component in a product, from raw materials to subassemblies, finished goods, packaging and transportation, meet the environmental and labor regulations of countries and international organizations.  

Companies have long used information technology to manage their supply chains, but most still struggle to achieve adequate visibility into the practices of their suppliers. In recent years, the environmental, social and governance (ESG) movement has brought new pressures from shareholders, customers, and regulators for companies to collect and report data on their sustainability practices.

Artificial intelligence shows promise to help organizations make sense of the enormous amounts of data needed for supply chain sustainability and for meeting increasingly strict ESG requirements.

RobobAI a vendor of spend analysis and procurement management software based in Sydney, Australia, is applying its AI-driven analytics platform to supply chain sustainability.

In this podcast, CEO Julian Harris explains how RobobAI works and how it monitors risks, such as raw materials from suppliers sanctioned for modern slavery. He also describes ways it supports diversity by, for example, identifying opportunities to employ indigenous labor.

A native of Wales, Harris held executive leadership positions at several IT service companies before co-founding RobobAI in 2017. He is also chairman of Search365, a company with offices in Australia and Singapore offering AI, analytics and search products for the financial services and government sectors.

Other topics discussed in the podcast include:

• where RobobAI fits in ERP and supply chain management software architectures
• how it can improve supplier visibility by analyzing spend data from multiple ERP systems and other data sources
• how Coca-Cola uses RobobAI to improve visibility into its suppliers
• where the ESG movement stands today

Summary

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing supply chain sustainability by enhancing visibility into sourcing practices and helping companies meet environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards. RobobAI, an Australian vendor, uses AI-driven analytics to monitor supplier risks, such as modern slavery, and promote diversity in labor sourcing. CEO Julian Harris discusses these innovations and their implications in a recent podcast.

Highlights 

1. Supply Chain Sustainability: Aims to manage environmental and social impacts of sourcing. 
2. AI’s Role: Helps organizations process vast data for sustainability and ESG compliance. 
3. RobobAI’s Function: Utilizes AI to assess supplier risks and promote diverse labor practices. 
4. CEO Insights: Julian Harris shares the platform’s capabilities and supplier monitoring. 
5. Coca-Cola Case Study: Demonstrates RobobAI’s effectiveness in enhancing supplier visibility. 
6. ESG Movement: Increasing pressures from stakeholders for transparency in sustainability practices. 
   
   
   

For more on AI-powered procurement solutions, Contact RobobAI to learn more about how our AI-driven solutions can transform your business.

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This article originally appeared in ERP Confab Podcast  hosted by David Essex