Celebrating World Sustainable Procurement Day
Our Progress, Our Partnerships, and the Path Ahead
Today, on World Sustainable Procurement Day, we are proud to reflect on how far we’ve come as a business and even more excited about where we’re heading.
Over the past year, we’ve strengthened the foundations of our procurement strategy by aligning our approach with ISO 20400, the global standard for sustainable procurement. This framework has guided us in embedding responsible decision-making into every stage of our supply chain, ensuring that sustainability is not an afterthought but a core principle influencing how we source, partner, and innovate.
A key part of this journey has been our close collaboration with the Supply Chain Sustainability School. As a committed partner, we’ve been able to accelerate our learning, deepen our understanding of emerging sustainability challenges, and access best‑in‑class tools to support capability building across our teams and our supply base. Together, we are building a culture of continuous improvement—one that empowers people to make informed, responsible procurement choices every day.
But our ambitions don’t stop here.
Looking Ahead: Engaging and Empowering Our Supply Chain in 2026
Sustainability is a collective effort, and our supply chain plays a crucial role in helping us meet our environmental ambitions particularly around net zero, carbon reduction, and our commitment to science-based targets.
That’s why, throughout 2026, we will be launching a programme of engagement designed specifically for our suppliers.
This will include:
- A series of supplier engagement sessions
- Targeted training and sustainability support
- New learning pathways in partnership with the Supply Chain Sustainability School
- Practical guidance to help our suppliers align with our environmental goals and compliance expectations
We want to empower every supplier, large or small, to contribute meaningfully to our sustainability commitments. More details on these sessions and learning opportunities will be shared soon.
Our Commitment
As we mark World Sustainable Procurement Day, I want to thank our internal teams, partners, and suppliers who have already been instrumental in driving this progress. Our collective efforts are shaping a supply chain that is more responsible, more resilient, and more aligned with the future we want to create. Sustainable procurement isn’t just about compliance, it’s about leadership, collaboration, and long-term thinking. And together, we are well on our way.
“Sustainable procurement is one of the most powerful levers available to us to drive real, measurable change. By working closely with our supply chain, we can scale our impact far beyond our own operations, supporting innovation, reducing carbon, and helping every partner play a role in achieving our science‑based targets. This collaborative approach is essential to delivering a net‑zero future.”
Richard Pickett
Head of Sustainability, SES
