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The Supplier Cascade Initiative

We Mean Business Coalition

The Supplier Cascade offers businesses of all sizes a manageable way to address upstream Scope 3 emissions by engaging Tier 1 suppliers. The framework emphasizes actionable steps and transparency in areas that are within a business’s control to accelerate supply chain decarbonization.

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The Supplier Cascade initiative gives businesses of all sizes and climate maturities a manageable way to address Scope 3 emissions. Created by the We Mean Business Coalition, in partnership with BSR, CDP, Ceres, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), SME Climate Hub, and in collaboration with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), the Supplier Cascade has been designed to kick start climate action and help companies across all sectors send their suppliers a clear, streamlined, and actionable message on climate-related asks and expectations.   

The Approach: The Supplier Cascade is an action-oriented and practical approach designed to help companies manage the emissions in their supply chains by focusing on one area that an organization can directly control: their relationship with Tier 1 suppliers. 

The Supplier Cascade approach directs companies to ask their Tier 1 suppliers to:  

  • set a credible reductions target aligned with science;  
  • start a cascade by asking all their own Tier 1 suppliers to do the same; and  
  • report progress on their targets and supplier action annually 

Early Adopters: The initiative also provides the opportunity to learn from other pioneering companies. Businesses that have set science-based targets are invited to become Early Adopters of the Supplier Cascade, working with the We Mean Business Coalition and its partners to track the impact of the approach. Early Adopters:  

  • have access to support from NGO partners for their Supplier Cascade;  
  • are invited to contribute to the creation of additional Supplier Cascade guidance;  
  • can participate in Supplier Cascade discussions that will guide the approach now and in the future; and  
  • be credited as an Early Adopter in the Supplier Cascade guidance and on the We Mean Business Coalition website, in recognition of their proactive approach to Scope 3 emissions.  

Early Adopters agree to report how many of their Tier 1 suppliers have set credible reductions targets on an annual basis and to supply key metrics that can be used to track the impact of the approach.

Learn more about the framework through this explainer.

Watch our webinar where experts from We Mean Business Coalition, BSR, and Suntory Global Spirits share insights and early learnings on scaling this innovative framework.