TAKEAWAYS Shaping the Future of the Global Supply Chain
MEXICO’S TARIFF MOVES
HIGHS & LOWS OF SC DECARBONIZATION
The past few years have been a mixed bag for supply chain decarbonization efforts in sectors such as pharmaceutical, automotive, consumer goods, and retail, finds new data from supply chain intelligence network, Secaro (formerly Manufacture 2030).
“The climate and sustainability market has been characterized by change and uncertainty in 2025. There has been big politically motivated change, last-minute delays to regulation, and increasing complexity,” says Toby Newman, CEO, Secaro. “Hundreds and thousands of companies around the world have been left unsure how to respond, plan, and forecast. So, it’s not surprising that businesses have exercised some caution around supply chain decarbonization—prioritizing optimization and efficiency over actions with higher CAPEX costs.” But despite the challenging market conditions, businesses are still committing to, and pursuing, decarbonization targets, Newman adds. Secaro’s data comes from 43,652 actions taken by 2,552 businesses within the pharmaceutical, automotive, consumer goods, and retail sectors—including M&S, Ocado Retail, AstraZeneca, and Honda—and across 89 countries and 4,086 facilities. The companies shared primary data covering commitments and targets, energy, emissions, reduction plans, water, waste, high-impact materials and commodities, and risks and dependencies, providing in-depth insight into the state of play in global supply chains. Here are some key data points supporting both sides of the decarbonization picture: 90% of supply chain emissions-reduction actions recorded by businesses between 2020 and 2025 focused on optimization and improving energy efficiency. Data shows a surge of decarbonization actions completed between 2022 and 2023, with over half ( 56% ) of actions completed during this two- year period. 73% of renewable energy actions were also completed in this two-year period, with a strong focus on photovoltaics (solar). 70% of respondents have emissions-reduction targets. Additionally, data shared in 2025 shows a slowdown in supply chain decarbonization actions, with overall completed actions down 53% compared to data shared in 2024. This brings activity back down nearly to 2021 levels as businesses faced inflationary pressures and increased costs.
At the tail end of 2025, Mexico announced its decision to implement new tariffs of up to 50% on more than 1,400 industrial products. This marks a significant inflection point for North American trade—and a potential preview of what’s ahead in 2026, according to a recent analysis by Drew DeLong, head of corporate statecraft at Kearney Foresight, a division of global strategy and management consultancy Kearney. The tariffs target imports from countries without free trade agreements with Mexico, affecting a broad swath of industrial categories including chemicals, plastics, base metals, machinery, parts, and electronics. While the EU and members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) are largely spared, major exporters such as China, India, and South Korea are not. “The non-FTA designation of the impacted products means that China, India, and South Korea will not be spared from Mexican tariffs,” explains DeLong. “The list of 1,463 industrial products Mexico plans to hit with tariffs up to 50% is broad and strategically significant.” For supply chain leaders, the implications extend beyond cost: • Mexico’s move—combined with recent Canadian trade restrictions— may signal the early stages of a more protectionist regional model. “With Canada also imposing trade restrictions, a new ‘fortress North America’ trade model could be emerging,” DeLong notes, pointing to Canada’s recent reduction in steel quotas from non-FTA countries and new tariffs on derivative products. • Geopolitical fallout may follow quickly. China has already denounced Mexico’s tariff law, and DeLong expects retaliation to be likely. “I would not be at all surprised to see direct retaliation by China,” he says, warning that escalation could draw the United States into renewed trade tensions if it aligns with Mexico. • The policy shift may also intersect with other negotiations. DeLong suggests that U.S. fentanyl tariff discussions with Mexico and Canada could merge with USMCA talks into a broader effort to advance a North American-centric trade framework.
32 Inbound Logistics • January 2026
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