Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and osapiens have collaborated with DS Smith to establish full transparency into the origin and movement of materials relevant to the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). This initiative covers DS Smith’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) supply chain, preparing the company for regulatory requirements coming into force at the end of 2026.

The program spans more than 250 plants in over 30 countries. By integrating previously separate systems into the osapiens HUB, DS Smith has centralized supplier onboarding and traceability data. This consolidation allows for auditable proof of material origins from source to delivery, addressing the complex regulatory landscape facing global packaging firms.

Implementation metrics

Since implementation, the partnership has delivered measurable operational improvements through automated case management and digital monitoring. The following table outlines key performance indicators achieved on the osapiens platform:

Strategic context

Matias Pollmann-Larsen, Global Risk, Resilience and Sustainable Value Chain lead at Accenture, noted that nearly 80% of supply chain leaders report increased difficulty due to uncertain geopolitical regulatory requirements. The collaboration aims to build a data foundation for proactive compliance rather than reactive responses.

Sakis Miliotis, IT director for Paper, Paper Supply Chain, Recycling and Sustainability at DS Smith, emphasized the value of consistent data access across a vast network. The integrated system streamlines supplier submissions and provides a clear view of EUDR-relevant materials.

Partnership expansion

Building on this success, Accenture and osapiens are expanding their joint offering to assist clients globally in addressing supply chain complexity. The combined solution leverages Accenture’s industry expertise and osapiens’ AI platform for multi-tier supplier mapping, continuous risk monitoring, and automated compliance. This expansion targets sectors beyond packaging, aiming to strengthen operational resilience and transparency across multiple industries.

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has made an investment through Accenture Ventures in Within, an AI platform company designed to help organizations map, enhance, and automate business processes. The partnership aims to assist clients in gaining deeper insights into operational workflows to deploy AI agents effectively.

This move addresses a critical gap identified in Accenture’s latest Pulse of Change survey. While 82% of C-suite leaders are increasing AI investment, only 23% report achieving widespread, sustained business value from the technology. This figure is down from 32% earlier this year, highlighting a significant disconnect between spending and outcomes.

Bridging the context gap

A primary reason for the low value realization is that day-to-day operations, including exceptions and workarounds, are rarely documented. Consequently, AI systems often lack the necessary context to understand requirements. Within’s platform captures how employees work across applications and tracks undocumented offline interactions, compiling this data into a continuously updated context layer called the Work Brain.

Jason Dess, Accenture’s Industry and Process Reinvention Lead, noted that organizations often lack a clear picture of their starting point. "Without that understanding, it’s difficult to scale AI beyond isolated use cases," Dess said. He added that Within helps create this operational picture quickly, accelerating transformation programs and shortening delivery timelines.

Partnership scope and capabilities

The collaboration combines Accenture’s scale in AI delivery and industry expertise with Within’s work-to-agent platform. The goal is to help clients accelerate their path from process discovery to agent deployment. The platform supports various functions, including finance, HR, sales, marketing, customer service, IT, supply chain, procurement, and commercial operations.

Within is built on a private, sovereign architecture designed for data privacy and security, making it suitable for regulated industries. It also accelerates ERP and operating model transformation programs, which traditionally require significant time and resources.

Key metrics from Accenture survey

What the numbers show

The divergence between investment intent and realized value is stark. With 82% of leaders boosting AI spend but only 23% seeing sustained value, there is a 59 percentage point gap between commitment and outcome. The drop in value realization from 32% to 23% suggests that simply increasing capital allocation is insufficient without addressing foundational process visibility.