Advisory Services
We specialise in supporting businesses in the agricultural and food sectors in the proactive clarification, development and implementation of sustainability strategies. The scope of our Advisory Services includes Sustainable/Regenerative Agriculture, Agri-processing and Agri-Food Supply Chains.
Impact measurement and management solutions:
Measurement is the crucial first step for companies committed to mitigating climate change and other negative environmental and social impacts of their businesses and supply chains. Blue North specialises in assessing both product and corporate carbon footprints. We use our online tool, Confronting Climate Change (CCC) for product carbon footprint assessments, and our sustainability management system, Sherpa, for corporate carbon footprint calculations. Alongside Sherpa, our user-friendly Scope 1 and Scope 3 emission tools enable you to evaluate more than just the basics. These tools are based on the latest research and methodologies whilst allowing the user to effectively focus on data refinement and continuous monitoring of year-on-year emissions with the help of dedicated client support services.
Blue North also specializes in Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) to determine the ISO14040-compliant cradle to grave (life cycle) emissions of any product using client specific data. Our technical capabilities also extend into the development of bespoke measurement tools. By applying research, data analysis and computational modelling, Blue North builds user specific greenhouse gas emissions and other impact parameter calculators to measure and report supply chain impacts.
We will assist you with:
- Product LCA / Carbon Footprinting,
- Science Based Targets measurement, reporting and submissions,
- Carbon Sequestration / Removal accounting,
- Water Footprinting,
- Sustainability Key Performance Indicator measurement and reporting.
Applied research and impact evaluation:
At Blue North, we understand that driving agricultural development can be complex with many factors at play – a project, and its planned intervention, needs to be carefully dissected to critically assess its impact. We have the expertise to understand and document the changes and impacts associated with a project or programme, to evaluate and develop Theories of Change, to provide feedback on project success and sustainability, and to ensure that evidence-based decisions drive the design of future projects. Data driven evaluations and impact assessments can also provide a resounding and compelling presentation of evidence of project impacts to donors and investors.
At Blue North, we make use of a conceptual framework to facilitate this understanding and inform data requirements. This is used to develop a range of quantitative metrics, as well as to develop a qualitative impact storyline. The Blue North evaluation and research team offers research, project evaluation, and review services in the fields of agriculture, environment and rural development.
ESG and Sustainability strategy development:
With growing global pressures on the agricultural and food sectors, it is essential for companies to have a robust sustainability strategy in place. Blue North can assist you in creating a comprehensive and integrated plan of action tailored to achieve your specific long-term sustainability goals and objectives. We deploy our in-depth knowledge of sustainability within the agricultural and food sectors to develop clear strategies that place sustainability at the heart of the business and build resilience for organisations.
We will assist you to:
- Clarify the meaning of sustainability in the context of your business
- Explicitly link the sustainability strategy to short-term and long-term business benefits
- Develop the required participatory processes and stakeholder engagements
- Secure buy-in to the strategy, both internally and externally
- Develop the required processes and tools to support implementation
- Develop the tools & resources to support communication with internal and external stakeholders