Oct 15 • PATRICIA JOYCE N.

Unlocking Value through Green Procurement: Insights from World Economic Forum’s New Procurement Officers Playbook

This Playbook reiterates a clear message: the environmental footprint of companies begins in their supply chains. It highlights that decarbonizing purchased goods and services, materials, and logistics represents the most material opportunity for achieving corporate net-zero targets. This resonates with the growing wave of regulatory convergence — from the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) to the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) — which increasingly shifts accountability for sustainability performance upstream into global supply chains.
In 2023, twelve Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) issued a Joint Statement on Sustainable Procurement committing to harmonize environmental and social standards, build supplier capacity in emerging markets, and integrate sustainability criteria into all MDB-financed projects. Through its 2022–2024 communiqués, the G7 has urged MDBs and advanced economies to align financing and procurement operations with the Paris Agreement, establishing a global expectation for sustainable procurement practices.

The 8 building blocks for Green Procurement

The report’s 8 building blocks of green procurement and defines four maturity levels — Compliance Driver, Risk Manager, Value Creator, and Sustainability Leader. The maturity model reflects a shift from reactive compliance to proactive value creation, mirroring the global trajectory of sustainability regulation.
  • Leadership and CEO buy-in
  • Organizational structure and governance
  • Strategic business case
  • Embedding sustainability into operations
  • Supplier engagement and support
  • Cross-industry collaboration
  • Data and digital infrastructure
  • Talent and cultural transformation
Download  copy of Playbook & Register for the upcoming "Introduction to sustainable procurement (ISO 20400)" free online course.
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