Chief Executive Officers are under increasing pressure from boards, investors and regulators to drive progress on both economic returns and climate goals. In many sectors – transport, food and beverage, capital goods and construction – scope 3 emissions account for over 90% of all corporate greenhouse gas emissions, with a significant share coming from upstream activities such as purchased goods and services. This places procurement leaders in a unique position to address CEO priorities, drive change and inform strategy across supply chains.

The World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Kearney, has created a playbook for Chief Procurement Officers to turn ambition into action. Informed by contributions from over 100 expert practitioners and lessons from leading organizations, the playbook starts with an assessment tool that helps identify what to prioritize and where to focus. It then identifies eight building blocks – covering supplier engagement, governance, data, capability building and more – that are critical to delivering sustainability without compromising business value.

This is a significant opportunity. By elevating procurement to the strategic agenda, CEOs can accelerate progress on climate goals, reduce supply chain risk and future-proof the business. The companies moving fastest are those where sustainability is not a side project, but built into how decisions are made across the business.