2026 is shaping up to be a year defined by action and efficiency. If 2025 was the move from “why” to “how,” then 2026 becomes the move from “how” to "scale.” Procurement is integral to this transition.  

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Below are our top ten sustainability predictions for 2026, and what it’ll take to keep up:  

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1. Carbon accounting is no longer the end goal

Corporate Carbon Footprints become basic hygiene, while Product Carbon Footprints and Service Carbon Footprints are increasingly required in RFPs to enable like-for-like comparison and optimization.  

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2. Decarbonization pathways become practical and decision-grade

AI will be used more and more to translate fragmented emissions data into prioritized category- and supplier-level actions that balance emissions reduction, cost, margin, and resilience.

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3. Scope 3 emissions are treated as a financial liability

Boards, auditors, and lenders expect credible reduction plans and product-level roadmaps, pushing Scope 3 into total cost of ownership (TCO) models, internal carbon pricing, and financing structures.

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4. Renewable energy procurement extends deep into the supply base

Buyer-led coalitions and pooled Power Purchase Agreements (shared long-term renewable energy contracts) make renewable electricity a default expectation for strategic suppliers, particularly in manufacturing-heavy categories.

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5. The low-carbon business case fully crystallizes

Low-carbon, resilient suppliers gain commercial advantages, while high-carbon laggards face higher costs, tighter terms, and declining share of wallet.

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6. Regulation drives real supplier action, not just reporting

Sustainability shifts from disclosure exercises to commercial constraints, with procurement embedding climate criteria, engagement programs, and enforceable requirements.

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7. Value-chain decarbonization becomes part of day-to-day procurement decisions

Leading companies stop treating value-chain decarbonization as a separate initiative and embed it into product design, specifications, sourcing decisions, and supplier requirements, addressing emissions at the points where they are created, not after the fact.

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8. Front-runners reach what we call “Level 3” procurement maturity

Decarbonization is embedded into the procurement operating model through repeatable mechanisms, aligned incentives, and connected data, contracting, and SRM processes.

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9. Sustainable procurement teams gain real-time decision support

Agentic AI is integrated across procurement workflows, continuously generating risk maps, footprint estimates, and decarbonization plans.

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10. AI shifts from analysis to redesigning systems

AI supports the optimization of logistics, sourcing, specifications, and packaging to reduce emissions and cost at scale.

If 2025 was the year sustainable procurement teams proved they could measure, 2026 is the year they must prove they can deliver.

‍And Green Project is here to help you do just that.  

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