SCSUS10-BP01 Use document digitization as an ESG goal - Supply Chain Lens
Implementation steps

SCSUS10-BP01 Use document digitization as an ESG goal

Explore opportunities to digitize any physical documentation used for supply chain operations within the company but also in operations involving partners and external entities. Digitization of physical documentation leads to a positive ripple effect over sustainability-related use cases, simplifying data sharing across companies and supply chains, data transparency, and solutions required to solve compliance-related needs.

Desired outcome: Avoid or significantly reduce the use of physical documentation in supply chain operations, leading to measurable reductions in paper waste, improved data accessibility, and alignment with sustainability goals.

Benefits of establishing this best practice:

  • Environmental benefits: Reduces paper waste, lowering the organization's carbon footprint and aligning with ESG objectives.

  • Operational benefits: Improves document accessibility, reduces processing time, and enhances data-driven decision-making.

  • Compliance benefits: Enables better tracking, management, and storage of sensitive supply chain data in secure, auditable digital formats.

Level of risk exposed if this best practice is not established: Medium

Implementation guidance

Supply chain operations often generate significant volumes of physical documents, including supplier contracts, freight airway bills (AWBs), and invoices. Transition to a digital-first approach by using AI-powered document digitization tools, such as Amazon Textract and AWS Comprehend, to extract, organize, and analyze data from physical documents. Integrate these tools into your supply chain workflows to minimize paper dependency, while evaluating the environmental impact of physical documentation and quantifying the reductions achieved through digitization initiatives.

Implementation steps

  1. Identify all physical documentation used in supply chain operations and assess opportunities for digitization.

  2. Implement AI-powered document digitization tools such as Amazon Textract and AWS Comprehend to automate document processing.

  3. Create digital repositories for centralized document management using secure AWS storage services.

  4. Establish Secure and compliance-aligned document storage using AWS tools like Amazon S3 and AWS KMS.

  5. Automate document processing workflows to improve operational efficiency and minimize paper dependency.

  6. Measure and report on environmental impact reductions achieved through digitization initiatives to support ESG goals.