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SDGs and Technical-Operational Manual for Integration into Supply Chain Information Systems

The growing focus on sustainability has fostered the development of numerous frameworks, standards, and methodologies for measuring the environmental, social, and economic impact of production activities. In the agri-food sector, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda now represent a fundamental reference, especially in light of the most recent European regulatory requirements such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

However, the operational adoption of the SDGs within industrial contexts and supply chains faces a significant challenge: most sustainability metrics are disseminated via:

  • static documents,
  • periodic reports,
  • non-interoperable spreadsheets.

These tools do not naturally integrate with the IT systems that govern traceability, production, and quality control, limiting data reuse, complicating automation, and preventing a systematic connection between operational data and sustainability KPIs.

Metriqa proposes an innovative approach: transforming sustainability metrics from documentary references into searchable digital resources that can be directly integrated into supply chain information systems. A technical-operational manual on SDGs and a structured selection of KPIs and certifications relevant to the agri-food sector have been created. The goal is to integrate sustainability as a natively digital element within the information systems that govern supply chain processes, overcoming the traditional separation between:

  • regulatory documentation,
  • reporting tools,
  • corporate operating systems.

After an initial structured analysis of the SDGs and metrics relevant to the agri-food sector, the contents were formalized in a technical-operational manual, including KPIs, indicators, and certifications.

The manual is designed as a bridge between:

  • international regulatory frameworks (UN SDGs, GRI, ISO, EU directives),
  • the operation of corporate information systems.

It is designed for use by:

  • sustainability managers,
  • agri-food supply chain domain experts,
  • IT system developers and integrators,
  • traceability operators.

The main contents of the manual are:

1. Analysis of relevant SDGs

The selection started by considering only SDG 17, then extended to the other SDGs most relevant to the agri-food sector (e.g. SDG 2, 6, 7, 12, 13, 15). In the first application, the work focused on the olive oil supply chain.

2. Identification of metrics, KPIs, and certifications

For each SDG, the following are defined:

  • indicators,
  • quantitative KPIs,
  • recognized certifications,
  • references to international standards such as:
  • GRI Standards,
  • ISO (e.g., ISO 14001, ISO 22000),
  • European guidelines on ESG reporting.

3. Information structure

For each indicator, the manual describes:

  • scope,
  • units of measurement,
  • calculation methodologies,
  • possible data sources,
  • connections to operational processes in the supply chain.

The manual is not a simple list of indicators, but a structured and operational representation that:

  • directly connects objectives → metrics → processes,
  • can be reused and integrated into information systems,
  • promotes the digitization of ESG metrics,
  • enables their publication via API.

The work undertaken demonstrates that the SDGs can be transformed from theoretical and documentary references into operational digital resources, fully integrated into the IT systems of the agri-food supply chain.

This integration:

  • promotes the automation of ESG processes,
  • allows KPIs and certifications to be linked to operational data,
  • makes sustainability measurable and verifiable.