Banks and large companies are increasingly investing in the decarbonization of supply chains and artificial intelligence, but these steps are driven not only by concern for the environment or technology. Standard Chartered has launched a free platform, Supply Net Zero, which helps suppliers track and reduce carbon emissions. At the same time, Deloitte notes: 60 % of chief financial officers expect significant cost increases and complexity from AI by 2027.
Standard Chartered's platform allows suppliers to collect emissions data, create action plans, attend webinars, and see progress in real time. The bank has set a goal of directing at least half of its spending to suppliers that already have science-based emissions reduction targets. Over the past year, the emissions intensity in the bank's supply chain decreased by 6 %. Such tools look like assistance to small businesses, but in reality they shift part of climate obligations onto counterparties.
At the same time, spending on AI is growing. According to Deloitte, financial executives are preparing for the fact that spending on artificial intelligence and related processes will only increase. Many plan to implement more sophisticated practices for managing these costs, since current tools already show "sticker shock" at corporate scale. Moreover, 43 % of respondents name the implementation of AI for automation as a priority.
Behind the outward logic of green and technological investments lies a simple calculation: whoever controls the data and standards sets the rules of the game. Banks like Standard Chartered gain the ability to influence suppliers through platforms and targets, while corporations investing in AI hope for future efficiency. However, surveys show that the return on AI remains unclear, while costs are predictably rising.
Ultimately, both the decarbonization of supply chains and the adoption of AI turn into new expense items that in the end fall on end consumers and small market participants. As the old saying goes, "whoever pays the piper calls the tune" — only in the modern version, the music costs more and more, and the payers are growing in number.
