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Procurement teams have a critical role to play in delivering net zero. With a large proportion of organisational emissions sitting within supply chains, the decisions made through procurement processes can shape outcomes far beyond the organisation itself. Yet for many procurement professionals, the challenge isn’t about understanding why this matters. In fact, it’s working out how to deliver it in practice.

This was a key theme in our recent webinar, which brought together speakers from infrastructure, local government and healthcare to explore how Carbon Literacy can support procurement teams to turn ambition into action. You can watch a replay here.

Influencing genuinely sustainable supply chains

As Phil Korbel highlighted, “Procurement has a huge influence within organisations and also across entire supply chains.” The opportunity is clear, but so too is the need for approaches that make this influence easier to apply in day-to-day decision making.

One of the most common challenges discussed was the difficulty of assessing supplier responses. Sustainability is now a standard part of many tenders, but interpreting what suppliers say and distinguishing meaningful action from generic commitments remains a concern.

Lucy Hayes from the Lower Thames Crossing described this clearly: “You get a lot of cut-and-paste responses… it’s hard to tell who’s genuinely embedded this and who hasn’t.”

A recognised standard for attracting the right suppliers

Carbon Literacy helps address this by providing a shared foundation and a recognised standard. Rather than adding complexity, it simplifies evaluation by giving procurement teams greater confidence that suppliers understand carbon impacts and can act on them.

At Stockport Metropolitan Council, this is already being used to signal values and attract the right suppliers. As their representative explained, “We highlight to our supply chain that we’re a Carbon Literate Organisation and how much we value that. If you’re a smart supplier, you’re going to respond to that.”

This approach shifts the dynamic. Instead of spending time filtering out weak responses, procurement teams are better able to identify suppliers who are already aligned. As Michael Cullen, Chief Executive of Stockport Metropolitan Council, noted, “The best suppliers are the ones already doing sustainability well. This just helps us find them.”

At the same time, there is a strong focus on ensuring this remains inclusive. Stockport’s emphasis on the “Stockport Pound” reflects a commitment to keeping value within the local economy. Carbon Literacy supports this by helping smaller and local suppliers build capability and confidence, rather than creating additional barriers. “It’s not about shutting smaller suppliers out – it’s about bringing them with us,” as Michael explained.

Embedding Carbon Literacy into procurement

The webinar also explored how Carbon Literacy can be embedded directly into procurement processes. At the Lower Thames Crossing, suppliers are asked to commit to becoming a Carbon Literate Organisation within the first year of delivery. Lucy Hayes, Head of Carbon Management for Lower Thames Crossing, shared, “We’ve said to our suppliers that you need to become a Carbon Literate Organisation within the first year.”

Crucially, this is not approached as a purely contractual requirement. “We’re also bringing contractors together to do that training collectively,” she added. This collaborative approach helps build consistency across the supply chain, encourages shared learning, and strengthens relationships between organisations working towards common goals.

How Carbon Literate procurement translates to practical action

Alongside these structural approaches, the session also highlighted the impact of individual action. A case study highlighted by Heidi Barnard from NHS Supply Chain demonstrated that “A pledge made through Carbon Literacy led to the removal of plastic-containing wipes from a national framework.”

This illustrates an important point: Carbon Literacy builds awareness as well as enabling action, and that action can lead to measurable change at scale.

Across all these examples, a consistent message emerged. Carbon Literacy helps make sustainability more practical for procurement. It provides a common language, supports more consistent supplier engagement, and enables better-informed decisions. In doing so, it also contributes to delivering social value through skills development, behaviour change, and wider community impact.

As Michael summarised, “It gives us a pass/fail element and also something much richer in terms of engagement.”

Next steps for net zero procurement

To support organisations looking to take this forward, a briefing document is available to complement the webinar, bringing together key insights and approaches.

Download the Carbon Literacy for Net Zero Procurement briefing paper.

Additionally, an implementation guide will be published soon, providing practical, step-by-step support for embedding Carbon Literacy into procurement processes.

There is also an opportunity to join a collaborative network connecting organisations working in this space to share learning and develop best practice.

If you would like to find out more about the Carbon Literacy training programme and how it can support your procurement activity, join the collaborative network or for any other queries, please get in touch via [email protected].