Communicate

Share your progress and learnings with relevant functions internally

Documenting and sharing your journey towards sustainable procurement is essential. By telling the story of your progress and sharing learnings with relevant internal functions, you not only keep everyone in the loop but also inform and enhance future practice. Consider how to best tailor what you share to engage different parts of the business. For instance, your finance team may be more interested in how much you save from procuring sustainably or the financial risks of not doing so. In contrast, your marketing team may be interested in product-level sustainability differentiators that address customer needs and demands.

Report on sustainability performance

Demands for credible, transparent sustainability reporting on supply chain sustainability performance continue to grow. Proactively reporting on supply chain sustainability is both a responsibility and a strategic move that facilitates benchmarking and encourages others to do the same. To enhance openness, consider how you could share more key value chain sustainability data that clarifies your progress against your goals. To ensure your disclosure is meaningful and accessible, consider what metrics would be most relevant to key stakeholders. By adopting a more transparent approach, you will contribute to a culture of accountability, openness, and collaboration in your sector.

EXAMPLE: Linking procurement outcomes to the SDGs in The Netherlands

The Province of Zeeland uses data linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to assess the positive impact of its procurement. Zeeland partnered with the Sustainable Procurement Platform¹ to show the impact of procurement projects. Progress on the objectives is then made visible to the public via an online dashboard. As part of its Sustainable Procurement Plan 2021-2024,² the province commits to each procurement project being transparent about the considerations and results.

EXAMPLE: Asics facility-level disclosures

Asics disclosed its supplier list in Excel format, making it easily accessible to stakeholders. The list includes facility-level data, including addresses, product types, number of workers, percentage of migrant workers, and workforce gender ratio.^³

EXAMPLE: Unilever's Palm Oil Grievance Tracker

Unilever publicly discloses all complaints it has received about its palm oil supply chain. Grievances are defined as alleged breaches of its People and Nature Policy and related guidelines.⁴

EXAMPLE: Disney's public supplier facilities list

Disney publishes a list of supplier facilities to help foster collaboration with others interested in improving working conditions. For instance, it allows peers to find shared suppliers by searching the list of over 8,000 suppliers, which includes names, locations, and contact information.⁵

Share insights and amplify success

Sharing your experiences and insights, including both successes and lessons learned, can help other stakeholders learn from your journey. As you advance your knowledge, consider collaborating with external entities such as policymakers, industry associations, or NGOs to expand your reach. It is also important to amplify good work on sustainable procurement. This is not limited to your own efforts; it also includes sharing the efforts of suppliers and competitors. For instance, this might involve sharing case studies about supply chain partners in industry publications, blogs, or events. Being generous with recognition signals that sustainability efforts are valued and encouraged. It can also inspire other suppliers and industry peers to improve their value chain sustainability strategies and practices.

EXAMPLE: HPE shares details of its approach to supply chain responsibility

HPE shares its approach to supply chain responsibility in a detailed "solutions guide." It includes how they are assessing supply chain risks, monitoring, and improving performance, and working collaboratively with suppliers.⁶

EXAMPLE: H&M multi-tier supply chain risk disclosures

H&M disclosed its supply chain sustainability risks across different tiers of its supply chain and the steps it takes to address them. For instance, the company identified forced labour risks at the raw material level and, in response, has banned raw materials originating in high-risk countries.⁷