Green Procurement Playbook 2025

The Stages of Excellence Assessment is a practical tool for assessing a company’s maturity with green procurement, helping them to understand where they stand and where to focus. It outlines typical practices observed across four levels of maturity, from early compliance-driven efforts to full strategic leadership. Figure 3 is an overview of each maturity level. Stages of Excellence overview FIGURE 3 Source: Kearney, 2025. Instructions for completing the Stages of Excellence Assessment BOX 1 The Stages of Excellence Assessment consists of a series of descriptions across the eight building blocks. For each one, review the options carefully and select the one that most closely reflects your organization’s current practices. The descriptions are broad enough to apply across industries and geographies, yet specific enough to prompt meaningful reflection. If your organization operates differently across regions or business units, choose the response that best represents your typical or average approach. Don’t worry about being at an early stage – this tool is not designed to evaluate performance, but to help you identify practical opportunities for improvement. The goal is not to fit into a single category, but to determine the stage that best reflects your current position – so you can prioritize the actions that will drive the greatest impact. The assessment should take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. Once completed, use the results of this assessment to navigate Chapter 3 of the Playbook. It provides targeted guidance, tools and case studies to help you move from where you are today towards becoming a leader in green procurement. Green Procurement Playbook: The CPO’s Guide to Delivering Value for Business and Planet 9III Value creatorIV Sustainability leader II I Not yet started Compliance driverRisk manager — Green procur ement actions are reactive, limited to meeting basic regulatory or reputational expectations. — Sustainability is not integrated into procur ement strategy , structur es or decision-making. — Initiatives are fragmented and dependent on individual champions or exter nal pressur e. — No clear ownership, targets or incentives for sustainability within procur ement.— Procur ement supports company-wide sustainability through risk mitigation and foundational practices. — Selected tools, standar ds or processes are used to addr ess sustainability risks in operations and supply chain. — Leadership and cross- functional support are emerging but not yet consistent or embedded. — Sustainability is acknowledged as important, but not yet positioned as a driver of value.— Procur ement is aligned with corporate sustainability goals and contributes through structur ed, measurable initiatives. — Sustainability is embedded in key procur ement processes, gover nance and decision-making frameworks. — Collaboration across functions, suppliers and partners generates shared value. — Clear performance targets and KPIs link green procur ement to business and sustainability outcomes.— Procur ement is recognized as a strategic driver of the company’ s sustainability transformation. — CPO and team proactively shape ambition, influence enterprise-wide priorities and lead innovation. — Sustainability is institutionalized across tools, incentives, partnerships and cultur e. — Procur ement decisions consistently deliver envir onmental and social impact alongside business results.