The first half of 2025 has been a whirlwind. AI has fundamentally shifted how we approach supply chain work, global political changes have disrupted NGO funding streams, and supply chain legislation continues to evolve with very uncertain outcomes.
The thing about periods of rapid change? They force clarity. For Open Supply Hub, that means doubling down on our core mission while adapting how we deliver on it.
Now more than ever, we need to turn to one another, harness our collective strengths, and build connected data ecosystems that lead to greater insights and collaboration.
The Open Data Imperative
In an era when AI is accelerating the development of closed tools with little accountability for their methodologies, open datasets and systems are more critical than ever as a counterpoint. Yet the ground is shifting quickly beneath us, and scattered individual calls to action are getting lost.
AI is also scraping open datasets at an alarming rate without paying into the system. AI needs data, but what if the work behind gathering and cleaning this data is undermined by for-profit AI systems, and the data ceases to exist?
We need the ability to collectively mobilize and advocate for open data principles – and to protect and sustain our work. We’ll be developing and seeking ways to connect, collaborate, and advocate for open data together with partners and supporters. Interested in being involved when the time comes? Let us know!
Building Sustainable Tools
Open Supply Hub is and will always be a digital public good, accessible to anyone for free.
But we also know that companies around the world are looking for affordable tools to help them map, manage, and improve conditions in their supply chains. Starting today, you’ll see Open Supply Hub introduce more opportunities to upgrade your OS Hub experience through additional paid services and tools that provide more bespoke data collection, standardization, analysis, and management.
These paid services create a sustainable revenue stream while ensuring our free tools remain robust and accessible. As always, any paid feature we introduce will also be made available at no cost to qualifying nonprofit organizations.
Making Connections That Matter
The supply chain world is drowning in disconnected data. We’re working on partnerships and integrations that help you connect these dots (like this one!). The vision is that OS Hub users will soon be able to connect and layer datasets from different platforms, enabling our community to more easily find the tools, systems, or organizations that hold the deeper social or environmental information they might be seeking about a supplier, sector, region, or stakeholder.
Moving Forward Together
These changes have been informed by countless conversations with you—our community of users, partners, and supporters. We’re not done listening. If you have ideas, questions, or opportunities for collaboration, reach out.
These are uncertain times, and we won’t pretend to have all the answers or that we won’t need to continue to change and adapt. But we find confidence and optimism in the examples we see every day from this community – that when we work openly and collectively to make a safer and more sustainable world, we are stronger.
As always, if you believe in the work that Open Supply Hub is doing and want to see us continue to meet the moment, please consider a donation.
