ESG and sustainability series: An index of the content to come this month and next

This summer Spend Matters is exploring the topic of environmental, social and governance (ESG) in business; in particular we have a sharp focus on sustainability — what it means for sourcing, the supply chain and procurement generally. Read “ESG and sustainability technology in procurement: Why it matters now and how the market is responding” (part of our PRO offering) from our analyst Bertrand Maltaverne to find out what will be covered in that market- and technology-focused series.

Accompanying our analysts’ efforts to bring these important topics to the fore, is a set of interviews, investigations and research conducted by our editorial team. They will set the scene for our coverage, lay down the specifics of terminology, talk to the people driving the sustainability agenda in their organizations, talk to the tech providers who are facilitating those efforts, and get a feel for what sustainability means to many individuals. At the end of the series, our analysts will pick up on the main themes that arise from those interactions. See the latest series coverage here.

Look out for the following deliverables on Spend Matters — all free to read.

The ESG and sustainability index:

Read now: The basics of CSR, ESG, sustainability — and how technology adds insights to the process

We launch the series with a look at what the key concepts mean and provide a glossary of terms to clarify the many abbreviations in use across CSR, ESG and sustainability.

Read now: A timeline of procurement and supply chain ESG regulation through the years 

What does sustainability really mean to you?

This part of the series reaches out to some of the voices behind the sustainability efforts broad selection of firms, asking three key questions:

• How would you ensure in your organization that sustainability is not just a tick-box exercise?
• How would you embed sustainability and responsible practices/thinking into procurement?
• What would you ask of procurement tech/software vendors to help with your sustainability goals?

Read now: What does sustainability really mean to you? Jaroslaw Richert, IT Asset Governance Sr. Manager, Schneider Electric

Read now: What does sustainability really mean to you? Gail Evans, director at Brightman business change consultancy

Read now: What does sustainability really mean to you? Andy Davies, Procurement Manager at London’s Natural History Museum and Kimberley Lewis, its Environmental and Sustainability Officer

Read now: What does sustainability really mean to you? Martin Thompson, founder of The ITAM Forum

Read now: What does sustainability really mean to you? Wouter Machiels, Procurement Director at Imec

Read now: What does sustainability really mean to you? Rob Bonnar, Global Procurement Director at SHV Energy

August 30: What does sustainability really mean to you? Chad Gottesman, procurement business lead for Accenture Operations

ESG Insights

In this series we talk to a variety of procurement professionals to get up-close and personal on their view of what their ESG efforts really mean for the businesspeople implementing them and the business impact as a whole.

Read now: Q&A with Greta Matos, on getting started with ESG and other insights

Read now: Women in Procurement — with Manjula Lee, Founder and CEO at World Wide Generation

Read now: Women in Procurement — with Greta Matos, Responsible Supply Chain Specialist at &Wider

Read now: Recycling in procurement — CleanO2, a personal care company that repurposes carbon emissions into soaps

Supply Chain Mapping and n-tier visibility for sustainability — the experts’ views

Read now: Q&A with Bob Young, VP at SupplyShift

Read now: Q&A with Jayson Berryhill, CEO and founder of Wholechain and en(visible)

Read now: Q&A with Luise Müller-Hofstede, Client Partner/Strategic Development at Circulor

PRO content goes in-depth on ESG details

In the PRO portion of the ESG/sustainability series this month and next, subscribers can read our analysts’ insights about the issues and the technology vendors. All readers can see the PRO posts’ lengthy intros, which frame the issues being discussed.

The PRO posts on ESG topics we will provide:

• A definition of what sustainability means for procurement (Hint: It’s more than business continuity)
• A look at the economic aspects of sustainability beyond P&L impact
• Examples of what sustainability encompasses for each organization
• A mapping of sustainability factors into S2P
• An examination of the critical capabilities that procurement technology should include
• An ROI model of the business case for investing in ESG/sustainability technology for procurement
• Understand how sustainability is addressed by procurement technology suites and by niche solutions/specialists

Additional posts in this ESG market landscape series will provide:

• Market segmentation of sustainability coverage in S2P, including relative levels of capability by vendor group
• Profiles of vendors by segment, with specific analysis of fit to sustainability requirements
• Deep dives into specific topics, including carbon footprint tracking, labor rights/modern slavery, and multi-tier supply chain visibility
• New profiles of example vendors for each segment

Read the full series here.

How do you find the right procurement technology and vendor for your company? Spend Matters’ new 5-step “Procurement Technology Buyer’s Guide” can help — with how-to documents, checklist templates and other tips.