For companies ready to address supply chain emissions, one of the biggest challenges is getting procurement teams to support supplier decarbonization work. To make progress, sustainability must become part of the tools, systems, and processes that already shape supplier relationships every day.
That doesn’t mean starting from scratch. Most supply chain and procurement teams already rely on familiar workflows, such as requests for proposal (RFPs), contracts, onboarding, and scorecards to manage vendor relationships. With a few targeted updates, those same workflows can become powerful levers for sustainability, without creating more complexity or friction.
Here’s how to make it happen.
If you’re looking for a deeper dive, our ebook, Supply Chain Sustainability: A Playbook for Cross-Functional Collaboration, covers how to build alignment with procurement teams, engage suppliers effectively, and embed ESG into day-to-day procurement workflows.
Build sustainability into RFPs and vendor selection
The RFP process offers a critical moment to shape the future of your supply chain. By embedding sustainability-related questions into RFPs, companies can assess potential vendors not just on cost and quality but also on their readiness to meet climate expectations.
Questions to consider include:
- Does the supplier have a verified emissions inventory?
- Have they set reduction goals, such as a science-based target or internal net-zero commitment?
- What climate-positive practices do they currently use, such as energy efficiency, renewable energy sourcing, or low-carbon materials?
Sustainability teams should help develop sample questions, minimum thresholds, and scoring guidance. Procurement teams can incorporate that content directly into the RFP process and weigh supplier responses as part of their evaluation. This ensures that sustainability is part of the conversation from the beginning, not something layered on after a contract is signed.
Formalize ESG expectations through supplier contracts
Contracts are one of the most direct and enforceable ways to communicate sustainability expectations. Including ESG-related language in supplier agreements helps formalize climate commitments and creates a shared understanding of what is required.
This might include requiring annual emissions reporting, committing to participate in decarbonization programs, or agreeing to share emissions data at regular intervals. Companies can also include clauses tied to data quality, transparency, or reduction targets, and flag consequences for non-compliance, such as performance reviews or contract reevaluation.
Sustainability teams should define the sustainability standards and reporting expectations. Procurement or legal teams can then incorporate those terms into contracts and help ensure they are applied consistently across supplier relationships.
Educate and align on climate expectations during supplier onboarding
The supplier onboarding process is the best time to introduce sustainability expectations and set the tone for the relationship ahead. Even if actual emissions reporting or reduction efforts do not begin immediately, the onboarding phase provides an opportunity to communicate what is coming.
Teams should explain why ESG matters to the business, how it connects to supplier performance, and what will be expected over the next 6 to 12 months. That includes timelines for data reporting, expectations around emissions goals, and opportunities for training or support.
Sustainability teams should develop educational materials, such as “GHG 101” webinars or reporting guides, so that suppliers can self-educate. Sustainability teams should also provide clear timelines and requirements to the procurement team. The procurement team should then make sure to deliver that content to suppliers and make sure it is reviewed during onboarding.
Use existing data systems to collect ESG metrics
Many procurement and supply chain teams use Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) systems to automate the exchange of transactional information with suppliers. These systems handle routine but critical data like purchase orders, invoices, shipping details, and product information.
Because EDI is already integrated into suppliers’ day-to-day operations, it offers a valuable opportunity to collect sustainability-related information using familiar infrastructure. By layering ESG data into the same systems that already manage item-level and order-level data, companies can reduce manual follow-up and make sustainability part of routine data exchange. Programs like the Retail Sustainability Collective have demonstrated how ESG fields can be incorporated into these platforms, streamlining the process for suppliers and increasing the likelihood of timely and accurate data submissions.
Sustainability teams define which ESG metrics should be collected and how often. Procurement and operations teams work with technology partners to embed those data points into the workflows suppliers already know and use.
Add sustainability metrics to supplier scorecards
Supplier scorecards help maintain accountability over time. When ESG performance is tracked alongside cost, quality, and delivery, suppliers get a clear message that sustainability matters and that it will be measured.
Companies can start simple by including metrics such as whether a supplier has submitted emissions data, the completeness or quality of that data, progress against a reduction goal, or participation in sustainability initiatives or trainings.
Sustainability teams should define which ESG metrics to include in the scorecard, establish what strong performance looks like, and provide context to help procurement teams evaluate supplier responses accurately. Procurement teams can then take the lead on scoring suppliers against those metrics, communicating results, and using the insights to guide ongoing supplier performance reviews.
Over time, scorecards can be used not just to evaluate but also to reward. Recognizing high-performing suppliers and offering additional support to those falling behind creates a continuous improvement loop that benefits everyone.
Start with what you already have
You do not need to overhaul your procurement process to make meaningful progress on supply chain sustainability. You just need to connect the dots between your existing workflows and your company’s climate goals.
Embedding ESG considerations into RFPs, contracts, onboarding, data collection, and supplier reviews is one of the most practical and powerful steps you can take. It makes sustainability operational, actionable, and real without adding unnecessary friction.
Go deeper with our cross-functional collaboration playbook
If you’re ready to take the next step, Supply Chain Sustainability: A Playbook for Cross-Functional Collaboration offers a deeper look at how to make sustainability a shared priority across teams. The guide helps sustainability professionals build stronger partnerships with procurement and supply chain counterparts by offering practical strategies for alignment, supplier engagement, and embedding ESG into existing workflows.
