Want to accelerate your company’s carbon management efforts despite all the uncertainty surrounding ESG initiatives in 2025? Start with procurement. They control supplier relationships, contracts, and budgets—making them essential allies in reducing scope 3 emissions, not to mention unlocking resources for your sustainability program in general. But getting procurement on board isn’t always easy.
For one thing, sustainability teams and procurement teams often operate in silos. Those silos are focused on different priorities: Procurement is focused on cost, efficiency, and risk mitigation, while sustainability pushes for emissions transparency and decarbonization.
To move fast on decarbonization, sustainability leaders must embed sustainability into procurement’s existing priorities—cost savings, supply chain resilience, and risk management. Aligning these goals can unlock better supplier data, reduce emissions, and lead to more sustainable operations and supply chains.
Overcoming common procurement objections
“Sustainability adds cost.” → Frame it as cost savings & risk reduction
Procurement teams are measured on cost efficiency—so leading with sustainability as an added cost is a losing strategy. Instead, highlight how sustainability reduces costs and mitigates risk:
- Energy efficiency lowers costs: Facilities that reduce energy waste lower their operating costs—and that translates to savings for the business.
- Future-proofing against carbon taxes and regulations: New regulations like CBAM are introducing carbon pricing mechanisms. Engaging suppliers early minimizes financial risks.
- A more resilient supply chain: Sustainable suppliers tend to have better resource management, making them more reliable long-term partners.
“We already have supplier requirements.” → Position sustainability as an enhancement
Procurement teams don’t want to add complexity. Instead of pitching sustainability as a new requirement, show how it enhances existing procurement metrics like cost, quality, and risk management.
- Integrate sustainability into supplier scorecards rather than creating a separate process.
- Leverage industry tools like RBA’s Emissions Management Tool, SPS Commerce and Optera’s Retail Sustainability Collective, or Optera’s Outreach to streamline supplier reporting and avoid survey fatigue.
- Demonstrate efficiency gains: Automated data collection and centralized reporting can reduce manual work for procurement teams.
“We don’t have the right data.” → Use sustainability to drive better supplier insights
Lack of supplier emissions data is a common roadblock—but it’s also an opportunity. Position emissions tracking as a way to enhance procurement’s decision-making.
- Supplier engagement strategies improve transparency: Teams that collaborate closely with suppliers gain better data and insights, further enhancing supply chain resilience.
- Procurement can leverage sustainability data to select vendors that offer long-term reliability, cost savings, and lower risk exposure.
Five practical strategies to win procurement’s support
- Speak their language. Frame sustainability in terms that align with procurement’s existing priorities.
- Cost savings → Supplier energy efficiency = lower costs
- Risk mitigation → Compliance with upcoming regulations
- Supply chain resilience → Stable, resource-efficient suppliers
- Bring hard data. Show clear ROI on sustainability initiatives.
- Projected cost savings from supplier energy efficiency programs
- Risk assessments for carbon pricing regulations
- Case studies from industry peers demonstrating emissions reductions
- Leverage external pressure. Regulatory and investor expectations are forcing companies to act on emissions tracking—and procurement plays a critical role in compliance.
- Regulations: CSRD, CSDDD, CBAM, SB 253 and SB 261
- Investor pressure: ESG ratings and sustainability-linked financing
- Customer expectations: Growing demand for carbon transparency in supply chains
- Make it turnkey. Procurement teams juggle multiple responsibilities, so sustainability must be as frictionless as possible. Help them succeed by:
- Providing ready-to-use sustainability criteria for RFPs and supplier scorecards
- Using automated emissions tracking tools to minimize manual work
- Start small, prove value. Start with a small-scale supplier engagement initiative that demonstrates value. Once procurement sees success, expand to a broader program.
- Phase 1: Engage high-impact suppliers for emissions data collection
- Phase 2: Incorporate sustainability metrics into procurement processes
- Phase 3: Scale the program across all suppliers
The role of technology in sustainability-procurement collaboration
Procurement and sustainability teams need a shared system for supplier emissions tracking. Tools like Optera’s Supply Chain Manager help integrate sustainability data into procurement workflows by:
- Centralizing supplier emissions data—no more tracking in spreadsheets
- Automating data collection—reducing procurement’s workload
- Flagging emissions risks—enabling proactive supplier engagement
With the right tools, procurement can move beyond compliance and use emissions data to make smarter sourcing decisions.
Get procurement on board—starting today
Winning over procurement isn’t about convincing them to “care” about sustainability—it’s about showing why it’s a business priority. By framing sustainability as a cost-saving, risk-mitigating, and efficiency-driving strategy, sustainability teams can unlock real impact and lasting change.
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