Nearly 80% cite of the Top 10% of performers (leaders) cite innovation (not compliance) as the primary driver of ROI in their sustainable procurement programs, compared to 54% of other companies, according to the 2026 Sustainable Procurement Barometer from EcoVadis, in collaboration with Accenture.
Procurement leaders increasingly prioritize value creation through circular products, resource efficiency, and supplier-driven innovation. Today, 58% of organizations run innovation initiatives across 26%–75% of supplier spends, compared with just 9% in 2024.
"Many companies now consider sustainable procurement a core driver of business performance," says Matias Pollmann-Larsen, global risk, resilience and sustainable value chain lead at Accenture. "Organizations that combine sustainability data with AI are making faster, more informed decisions across their supply chains. That is improving resilience, reducing disruption, and driving measurable growth."
"The question is no longer whether to invest in sustainable procurement. It is how to make it deliver measurable business results," says Pierre-François Thaler, co-founder and co-CEO of EcoVadis. "The leaders are using sustainability data to make everyday sourcing decisions, applying AI to manage risk and performance at scale, and holding suppliers accountable for improvement. That is what turns sustainability into cost control, resilience, and growth."
Key takeaways:
· According to research conducted by Accenture, disruptions are costing organizations more than $1.6 trillion in lost annual revenue growth. Organizations that proactively build more resilient supply chains are better equipped to manage multi-tier sustainability risks, achieving 3.6% higher revenue growth than their peers.
· The Barometer shows that while a majority of buyers are now deploying AI tools operationally for predictive analytics (72%), risk screening (64%), and data validation (62%), suppliers are lagging on AI adoption.
· Nearly 80% of buyers have visibility into the sustainability performance of more than half of their Tier 1 suppliers, but Tier 2 remains a blind spot (only 12% at 50%+ visibility) and Tier 3 is largely opaque.
· Managing supply chain emissions and advancing net-zero progress is still the leading priority, cited as a Top 3 program focus area by 54% of organizations. Teams expect carbon to remain just as important over the next 2-3 years.
· High labor standards are becoming a baseline expectation as programs mature, driven by continued stakeholder scrutiny and tightening due diligence requirements. Organizations face growing pressure to increase visibility into working conditions and human rights risks across their supply base.
· As core priorities become embedded in program foundations, organizations are shifting their focus toward value-creation opportunities – such as circularity and responsible AI – and emerging risk areas like data ethics and digital traceability.
