Episode 47: Howorth Group and Carbon Maps
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This episode pulls together two sides of the same story – the people asking for change in supply chains, and the people actually being asked to deliver it.
Ollie, Tom and Dexter kick things off with a sharp reality check on why this work matters right now. With energy markets swinging wildly and geopolitical shocks rippling through global supply chains, the conversation shifts from long-term targets to immediate business risk – and the uncomfortable truth that most of that risk sits far beyond your own operations.
From there, the episode splits into two perspectives:
What does this actually look like when you’re a supplier on the receiving end of all those requests? Ollie chats to John Hale, Chief People and Excellence Officer at Howorth Group, who gives a refreshingly honest account of what it takes for an SME to step into this space – without a sustainability team, without endless resources, and often without a clear roadmap.
A few standout themes:
The shift from ‘doing the right thing’ to embedding it into core business strategy
The reality of being asked for more and more data – and figuring it out as you go
Why SMEs are still underrepresented in the conversation (and why that matters)
The importance of human engagement over endless surveys
And a brutally practical truth: most suppliers are still just trying to make it work with what they’ve got
There’s also a clear message for large organisations: If you want better data and faster progress, simplify the ask, align with peers, and invest in real supplier relationships, not just platforms.
The second half goes deep into a different challenge: even when you have the data… are you actually using it to change anything? Tom chats to Patrick Asdaghi, CEO and Co-Founder of Carbon Maps, who makes it clear – reporting isn’t the problem anymore. The real unlock is making environmental data granular enough to reflect real supply chains, operational enough to influence procurement and R&D, and ultimately, important enough to sit alongside cost in decision-making.
We explore:
Why most tools stop at reporting – and why that’s not enough
How product-level modelling reveals opportunities you simply can’t see otherwise
What happens when you treat environmental impact like a financial variable
And why the future might look a lot like nutrition labels, but for environmental impact
The big idea: The companies that win won’t just measure impact – they’ll design it out of their products and supply chains.
Links and mentions
Dexter Galvin’s analysis on energy risk in supply chains
