Digital Twins: Unlocking smarter, more sustainable supply chains

What exactly is a digital twin?

A digital twin is a virtual model that mirrors a real-world object, process, or system. It continuously collects and updates data from sensors and connected devices, enabling organizations to simulate real scenarios and make better-informed decisions.

As McKinsey explains, digital twins can take many forms — from product and data twins to system and infrastructure twins. In a supply chain context, a supply chain digital twin models the behavior of assets, materials, and operations across the entire network. This allows businesses to anticipate disruptions, optimize flows, and improve decision-making speed by up to 90%. No wonder digital twins are among the top three investment priorities for companies tackling supply chain transformation.

Why it matters now

Today’s logistics networks face enormous pressure. Companies must meet new compliance standards, such as the upcoming Digital Product Passport (DPP), while managing costs, meeting sustainability goals, and maintaining resilience. For organizations looking to stay ahead, digital twin technology provides a scalable, data-driven path to smarter and more transparent supply chains.

Connected Load Carrier’s approach

Connected Load Carrier (CLC) helps companies turn their physical assets — from returnable transport items to high-value components — into living digital twins. Through the company’s 360° Asset Control Tower, every connected asset gains a unique digital identity linked to real-time sensor data.

This means users can track condition, usage, and location while sharing relevant information with partners through secure QR codes. The result? Less manual work, higher data accuracy, and a stronger foundation for compliance with DPP and other regulatory requirements.

CLC’s platform makes it easy to start small — for instance, tracking a single asset type or flow — and scale up as value becomes clear. Whether it’s optimizing stock management, monitoring cold chains, or supporting circular reuse, every connected asset contributes to more visibility, efficiency, and sustainability.

Where digital twins make the biggest impact

Digital twin technology creates value across multiple areas of the supply chain:

1. Warehouse and stock management
   Data from digital twins help optimize warehouse layouts, automate stock checks, and prevent overstocking or underuse — reducing waste, improving efficiency, and cutting costs.
2. Cold chain monitoring
   In sectors such as pharmaceuticals and food, digital twins ensure temperature-sensitive goods remain compliant through built-in monitoring that tracks every deviation.
3. Supplier collaboration
   Real-time data from digital twins enable better visibility into supplier performance, delivery times, and environmental impact — helping companies strengthen relationships and meet ESG goals.
4. Sustainability reporting
   By tracking asset lifespans, reuse rates, and emissions data, digital twins provide solid evidence to support circularity and sustainability claims.

Turning data into decisions

By combining IoT data with digital twin intelligence, companies can answer questions that used to take hours or days:

• Where is a specific asset located, and how is it being used?
• Which items are underutilized or idle?
• Did temperature-sensitive goods remain within optimal limits?

This operational clarity not only supports compliance — it also empowers better business decisions, predictive maintenance, and circular processes such as reuse and recycling.

The foundation for the future

Digital twins aren’t just the next step in asset management; they’re the foundation for a smarter, more sustainable, and more transparent supply chain. As more organizations embrace digital transformation, Connected Load Carrier’s technology is helping bridge the physical and digital worlds — one asset at a time.

• Learn more about how Connected Load Carrier brings digital twin technology to life at Connected Load Carrier’s website.