Webinar hears from the ESG experts: “Sustainability is becoming front and center in terms of a competence and a deliverable for procurement professionals.”
London, December 1, 2021 – JAGGAER is working with experts in the field to help customers achieve sustainability goals while also driving value and competitive advantage. At a recent webinar entitled “Taking Charge of Sustainability through the Power of Data” in partnership with Supply Management, JAGGAER was joined by Maria Ceballos Hunziker, Group Head Sustainable Procurement and Impact Valuation, Holcim, David Loseby, Managing Director Barkers Commercial Services and Shaun McCarthy OBE, Director, Action Sustainability.
Shaun McCarthy, who has been working in sustainable procurement for 20 years in corporate organizations and more recently as a consultant opened proceedings by pointing out that most of what companies do these days is through the supply chain. “So how is it anything but obvious that sustainability is becoming front and center in terms of a competence and a deliverable for procurement professionals? In fact, it could be argued that the sustainability agenda will be delivered through procurement professionals,” he stated.
Maria Ceballos Hunziker said that she sees two pillars to sustainable procurement. “First, doing things right, which means compliance with the growing volume of regulations on the environment and human rights. And then doing the right things, which means that every purchasing decision should take account of the impact on the environment, water quality, biodiversity and so one. The nice thing is that procurement professionals have it in their power to make a positive change,” she said.
Roger Blumberg, JAGGAER VP Corporate & Product Marketing, expressed his excitement at being part of this movement to raise environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards: “In my 30 years of being in the procurement space I literally have never seen a movement to take off at such a pace.” Procurement, he argued, is no longer just about getting the best price, it’s also about giving business to suppliers who are environmentally responsible.
The panelists agreed that supply chain transparency and visibility are of critical importance in pursuing ESG goals. For example, past sourcing projects at Rolls Royce sought simultaneous reductions in cost, consumption and CO2 emissions. Data transparency and data sharing helped bid participants with practical measures. Rolls Royce identified a dozen actions that had a payback of less than a year but all of which would reduce energy consumption.
Audience surveys during the webinar found that the majority of companies (63%) have only just started on their sustainable procurement journey. 28% have an established program with clear goals or a fully mature program. Progress will undoubtedly come with the application of the right software. The survey revealed that 58% are not yet using technology in pursuit of sustainable procurement. Nevertheless, there are good intentions for the future, with 41% of participants stating that their organization’s main driver for pursuing sustainability goals was simply “it’s the right thing to do” compared with 21% who cited government pressure and a mere 5% who cited cost savings.
The webinar panel concluded that the key to a sustainable supply chain lies in using big data and technology to find the best partners from an ESG standpoint, identify supply chain risks, and predict the carbon footprint of various alternative supply options. If you have such insights, then buying sustainably is not going to cost an organization more than buying unsustainably.
This webinar was one of a series of events hosted by JAGGAER, click here to watch the webinar on-demand.
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About JAGGAER: Procurement Simplified
We drive customer value for buyers and sellers through our global connected network served by offices located in the Americas, APAC, Asia and EMEA. JAGGAER develops and provides comprehensive source-to-settle SaaS-based solutions, including advanced Spend Analytics, Category Management, Supplier Management, Sourcing, Contracts, eProcurement, Invoicing, Supply Chain Management and Inventory Management. These all reside on a single platform, JAGGAER ONE. JAGGAER has pioneered spend management solutions for more than 25 years and continues to lead the innovation curve by listening to customers and stakeholders in all industry sectors, public services and academia. For more information, visit www.jaggaer.com
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