Welcome! Your customer is working to collect sustainability data across their supply chain, and your participation helps enable more accurate, product-level insights. This article walks you through how to get started and what to expect.
Overview
What is SupplierConnect?
HowGood’s SupplierConnect platform instantly calculates your product footprints and simplifies sustainability reporting to your customers.
Each step is designed to make it easier for you to share sustainability data securely and efficiently - while also gaining insights into your own products.
Your product footprints are calculated in-platform using the basic component and sourcing data you provide. Sharing footprints to your customer is seamless, secure, and can be completed directly in SupplierConnect.
Your proprietary information is always kept confidential - only the calculated footprints (Carbon Footprint and Blue Water Usage) are shared with your customer, and you have access to view and download your carbon and water footprints. The product details you provide are never shared.
Key Features
Pre-populated product lists. HowGood uploads the list of products for which your customer has requested sustainability data - so you have immediate visibility into what needs to be done.
Automatic product footprint calculations. Enter basic product component and sourcing details, and SupplierConnect instantly calculates accurate sustainability metrics.
Shared insights. Access carbon and water footprints for each of your products.
Flexible data submission. Add as much or as little product information as you have, refining later as needed. You don’t need to pre-calculate any sustainability data. Option available to upload your existing LCAs or other emissions documentation.
Always secure and confidential. The data you provide stays private. Your product data is never shared with customers - they only see product footprints.
Step 1: Logging in and Setting Up Your Account
Creating your password: Once you register for SupplierConnect, you will receive an email from Anna at HowGood ([email protected]) with the subject line 'Create your SupplierConnect password.' Click the link in that email to create your SupplierConnect account if you do not already have an account.*
Adding a team member: To add a team member, you can send them a link to the registration form and they can create their own SupplierConnect account.
Viewing your products: After you log in, you’ll find the list of products your customer is requesting information for. If you don't see the list of products, please reach out to us via the in-app chat to let us know.
*Managing multiple customer requests: If you have already responded to a customer request in SupplierConnect and have received a request from a different customer, you can log in with your existing username and password and you will see both of those Customer Requests in your SupplierConnect account.
Step 2: Adding Company-Level Information
On the Customer Products page, click the tile called Company Questionnaire Status.
Use the dropdowns to add your responses for each of the three Company-Level questions:
Do you have a carbon reduction plan in place?
Have you set a target with SBTi?
Which of the following are you measuring?
Click Submit when finished.
Once your product list is loaded, you’ll see each product (usually your packaging materials or components) along with a status column.
Step 3: Adding Product-Level Information
Remember that the data you enter will NOT be shared with your customer - they only receive the product footprints. Your data stays private and secure.
OPTION 1: Add product data directly in SupplierConnect
At first, the product status will show as:
Not Started for all items
Carbon Footprint will be blank
Overall completion tracker at the top will show 0% products complete
Click on a product to open its details page.
You can begin entering the following:
Packaging materials and components
(e.g., type of plastic, paperboard, aluminum)Material specifications
(e.g., weight, recycled content, certifications)Energy use or production inputs
(if known — this is optional but helpful)End-of-life information
(e.g., recyclable, compostable, landfill)Additional packaging details
(like inner/outer packaging, secondary packaging, etc.)
When finished, click Save. Your product footprint will be automatically generated in SupplierConnect. A banner will appear reminding you to click Share Footprint. This is how you submit the product to your customer. Until you do this step, your customer won’t see the footprint.
Click the Share Footprint button after saving each product. This changes the status from “Saved” to “Submitted for Sharing.” Once shared, your customer can begin analyzing the data for sustainability insights. You can share product footprints one at a time. There’s no need to wait until all are completed.
OPTION 2: Add product data via bulk upload
Click Bulk Upload.
Click Download template and add your products to the formatted template.
Once formatted, click Upload, and then answer all questions in the form.
HowGood's Research team will reach out to you via email once your data is uploaded and shared with your customer.
OPTION 3: Add product data via LCA or 3rd party upload
Click Submit Emissions Data.
Select all products you would like to submit 3rd party emissions data for. Once selected, click Upload Emissions Data, and then answer all questions in the form. You can attach one LCA to cover multiple related products. This is particularly helpful if your packaging components already have verified footprint data.
HowGood's Research team will reach out to you via email once your data is uploaded and shared with your customer.
Learn more about sustainable packaging design in our webinar with Danone and OPLN on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)