1.
Sourcing a
sustainable future
2022 sustainability research study

2.
“
Julie Sweet, Chair & CEO
Today’s rapid acceleration
to digital presents us
with a breakthrough
opportunity to create
a more sustainable future.“
2

3.
3
Urgent market and social conditions
are accelerating companies’ focus on
sustainability, such as:
Supply shortages
Extreme weather
Human rights

4.
Measuring success
for sustainable
organizations
4
Accenture defines sustainability as all actions tied
to environmental, social and governance (ESG)
principles that impact building a more responsible
future—from climate change to labor practices to
supply chain transparency.
There is more pressure than ever
to track, measure, audit and
report on progress toward goals.

5.
Procurement plays a
pivotal role in driving
sustainability
5
of environmental, social and governance
(ESG) risk is embedded in a company's
supply chain, which means that this once
back-office function is now pivotal to
enabling sustainability.
Up to
90%
https://www.epa.gov/climateleadership/scope-3-inventory-guidance

6.
6
50+% of company leaders
see sustainability as a top 3
procurement priority.
But only 22% of
procurement
leaders agree.
HFS Research and Accenture, 2021, 352 enterprise leaders —Josh Matthews, Practice Leader,
HFS Research; Saurabh Gupta, President, Research and Advisory Services, HFS Research
But there is a disconnect between
C-suites and procurement leaders
While c-suites see the need for sustainability they must do more to
champion efforts across the business—including procurement.

7.
7
And c-suite leaders need to prioritize
putting more sustainability
resources towards procurement
processes and teams.
Organizations spend less
than 2% on ESG, and
more than half of leaders
see that staying the same
or even decreasing.
HFS Research and Accenture, 2021, 352 enterprise leaders—
Josh Matthews, Practice Leader, HFS Research; Saurabh Gupta,
President, Research and Advisory Services, HFS Research

8.
8
Ways to improve measuring
sustainability:
Procurement’s
key challenge to
prioritizing
sustainability
Since there are no measurements to
sustainability in place today—and the
value to delivering continues to go
unrecognized by most leaders—there
is no incentive for procurement to
deliver on sustainability goals.
Metrics to capture
sustainability activity.
Awareness and resources
to embed sustainability
into every aspect of the
procurement process.
More sophisticated data
and governance tools.
Collaboration across
company resources and
sustainability targets.

9.
3 places to start
measuring the impact
9
Energy Travel Logistics
1 2 3
According to our study, respondents see these as three main spend categories to initially focus on:

10.
Energy
10
Levers to pull:
Consider a transition to
renewable energy. This can
drive millions in savings.
Using renewable energy
can also help companies
manage future volatility in
the energy market.

11.
11
A leading
manufacturer
is forging a
sustainable future
A leading manufacturer
created a program that collects
energy, water and waste data
from their invoices to report
progress against its public
sustainability goals.

12.
Travel
12
Be more thoughtful about when
and how to travel for in-person
meetings.
Take advantage of emerging fuel
trends, such as sustainable
aviation fuel, to green up your
corporate travel programs.
Give employees upgraded travel
booking tools to help them
consider the carbon implications.
Levers to pull:

13.
13
A pharmaceutical
company focuses
on reducing scope
3 emissions
A pharmaceutical company
developed a 10-year roadmap
outlining how procurement will
help achieve their corporate
goal to reduce Scope 3
emissions by 30% by 2030.

14.
Logistics
14
Electrify your fleet or pursue
electric last-mile strategies.
Look into using greener fuel.
Transition from carbon-intense
delivery (air) to less harmful
modes of operation (road
and ocean).
Use technology in scheduling
reverse logistic programs so
trucks never travel empty.
Levers to pull:

15.
15
A global automotive
giant embraces
renewable energy
A global automotive giant is
pursuing a solar project at its
largest manufacturing plant
that will achieve more than half
of its goal of 80% renewable
energy by 2030 while driving
estimated savings of $26
million over 15 years.

16.
16
Start your
sustainability
journey
The drive for a more sustainable future is
only getting stronger. Regardless of industry,
companies are increasingly being judged by
the role they play.
Take the first—or accelerate the next—steps
in your company’s sustainability journey by
reading our full report.
https://www.accenture.com/us-
en/insights/operations/procurement-
sustainability

17.
17
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