A Conversation Between Our Chief Information Officer and Head of Sustainability
When Ragnar Ragnarsson (CIO) and Pedro Vasconcellos (Head of Sustainability) talk, it’s hard to miss their excitement about the role of digitalization in sustainability and data-driven progress. Ragnar has been with Samskip for over 25 years and has seen the company grow from a single office in Reykjavik to an international leader in sustainable transport. Pedro recently joined the team as Head of Sustainability and has been working in the field for the past decade.
Ragnar and Pedro discussed the critical role that data plays in driving sustainable progress. Sustainability is not bound to a single department and, just like data collection, is a widespread practise at Samskip. Collaboration between the IT and Sustainability teams is key to achieving great sustainable progress and transparency in the value chain.
Transparency is a recurring topic in the conversation. When asked about their highest priority projects, Pedro and Ragnar talk about providing insights into the Samskip-owned assets, but also on their partners' performance. Samskip clients can be assured that their cargo is handled in a way that’s aligned with their ESG standards, which must be proven with data. To achieve this, Samskip actively works with its suppliers to obtain data on their sustainability performance, and supports them to advance and improve together.
Data governance is critical to reach Samskip's sustainability targets. Good quality data to report on all activities, fuels, internal products and services, and suppliers and contractors is vital to make lasting impact. Ragnar highlights the Digital Twin project, which creates digital replicas of Samskip's vessel fleet to anticipates the impact of factors like sailing speed, weather, and routing on energy efficiency; all to reduce CO2. While this data-driven decision-making approach is not yet the case for the full company, both Pedro and Ragnar agree that they’re on track to get there in the future.
Pedro emphasizes the importance of reporting sustainability information to clients and mentions the upcoming CSRD and EU ETS regulations, which require validation of carbon reductions. He is developing a top-notch carbon footprinting tool to give insight into the carbon footprint per asset, to start reducing CO2 effectively, avoiding future costs. Samskip will offer clients information on CO2 per order based on GLEC-standards, and develop digital solutions that will allow clients to further reduce their emissions by working with Samskip.
Ragnar and Pedro both strongly believe that these new regulations will benefit their clients, as Samskip is a frontrunner on sustainability and very vocal about it. Working with Samskip will mean a lower risk for clients as well, as Samskip is supporting the sustainability strategies of its clients. With people like Ragnar and Pedro, Samskip is leading the way towards sustainable progress, transparency, and collaboration.