Green Procurement Playbook 2025

Building block 4 Embedding green procurement into operations I II III IV Focus area Compliance driver Risk manager Value creator Sustainability leader Procurement process— Sustainability is not consider ed at any step of the sour cing or supplier selection process. — RFPs and contracts include only basic compliance clauses (e.g. legal or envir onmental regulations). — Award decisions are made solely on cost, quality and delivery criteria. — No tools, templates or procedur es support sustainability in procur ement decisions.— Sustainability risks are consider ed in select sour cing events, mainly to avoid disruption or reputational issues. — RFPs may include general sustainability language, but without consistent weighting or evaluation methods. — Contracts include optional sustainability clauses, used inconsistently . — Sustainability is treated as a secondary or tie-br eaking factor in supplier selection.— Sustainability criteria are embedded into sour cing processes with formal weighting in evaluation templates. — Award decisions include structur ed trade-of fs between sustainability performance and other business priorities. — Contracts include clear requir ements (e.g. emissions targets, reporting obligations, impr ovement plans). — Tools such as carbon- adjusted cost models or inter nal carbon pricing, help teams make more informed decisions.— Sustainability is a requir ed and decisive factor in all major sour cing decisions. — End-to-end procur ement processes – from planning to contract management – integrate sustainability at each stage. — Tailored templates and decision tools are used across categories to ensur e consistent application of sustainability standar ds. — Procur ement tracks supplier performance against sustainability targets and integrates results into futur e decision-making. — Category strategies do not reflect sustainability goals or priorities. — Any sustainable sour cing is reactive and compliance- driven (e.g. meeting legal or reputational requir ements). — Category managers are not expected to consider envir onmental or social impact in their decisions. — Cost, quality and delivery remain the sole focus in category planning.— Category managers are encouraged, but not requir ed, to addr ess sustainability risks (e.g. emissions, reputational concer ns). — Strategies may include basic sustainability actions, especially if aligned with savings or risk mitigation. — Sustainability-r elated decisions are made on an ad hoc basis, often limited to high-pr ofile categories. — Ther e is no accountability for delivering on sustainability within category plans.— Sustainability targets are cascaded to the category level and owned by category managers. — Strategies include actionable initiatives, such as switching to lower - impact materials or responsible suppliers. — Award decisions that do not align with sustainability goals must be justified. — Category strategies vary based on spend impact and risk (e.g. supplier collaboration in strategic categories, demand management elsewher e).— Each priority category has a defined sustainability roadmap, aligned with corporate targets (e.g. scope 3 emissions, circularity , biodiversity). — Advanced levers such as product redesign, lifecycle optimization and joint innovation are core to strategy . — Sustainability targets take precedence when critical thresholds are at stake – cost is consider ed, but it is not the only factor . — Cross-functional category teams are accountable for performance.Category management Note: RFP = request for proposal. Green Procurement Playbook: The CPO’s Guide to Delivering Value for Business and Planet 13