Supply chain sustainability is shaped by everyday decisions. How suppliers are assessed. How data is used. How accountability is shared across procurement and operations.
The 2026 EcoVadis Sustainability Achievement Award winners show how these decisions translate into measurable progress.
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- Schneider Electric, awarded Best Mature Program
- Siegwerk, awarded Best New Program
- Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), awarded Outstanding Program Management
- Caldic Group, awarded Outstanding Sustainability Leadership
Across industries, a consistent pattern emerges. Organizations that build visibility into supplier performance, align governance structures, and formalise supplier engagement are able to embed and operationalize sustainable procurement more effectively across global supply chains.
Visibility Enables More Targeted Supplier Engagement
Supply chains depend on reliable information. Without it, risks remain hidden and performance is difficult to compare.
Schneider Electric has strengthened supply chain sustainability by expanding supplier assessments and using EcoVadis Ratings to track performance across its global supplier base. Strategic suppliers are assessed regularly, creating consistent visibility into sustainability trends and priority risks.
This visibility allows procurement teams to identify where performance varies and where engagement is needed. It also supports comparability across regions, making it easier to prioritise actions at scale.
A similar shift can be seen at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP). Following a major merger, the company centralised supplier data across 31 countries, improving visibility across more than 20,000 suppliers.
As visibility improves, supplier engagement becomes more focused. Data highlights where risks are concentrated and where performance is evolving, supporting more targeted supply chain sustainability efforts.
Governance Structures Support Consistency at Scale
Sustainable procurement often spans multiple regions and business units. Governance creates the structure needed to maintain consistency.
At CCEP, global standards were introduced for supplier participation. Strategic suppliers, representing the majority of procurement spend and Scope 3 emissions, are required to undergo EcoVadis assessment, with minimum score thresholds applied consistently across regions.
This creates a shared baseline for supplier performance, ensuring that sustainability expectations are applied consistently across a complex global supply chain.
Schneider Electric has taken a similar approach by embedding sustainability objectives into procurement scorecards and linking them to company-wide performance incentives.
These governance structures do not standardise every action. They create alignment, enabling organisations to scale sustainable procurement while maintaining a clear view of performance.
Supplier Engagement Becomes More Structured and Scalable
Supplier engagement is central to ESG supply chain management, but it often evolves over time.
CCEP demonstrates how engagement can become more structured. Alongside global standards, the company runs hands-on training sessions to support suppliers in completing their EcoVadis assessments and understanding areas of improvement.
This direct engagement has contributed to measurable outcomes, including a 60 percent response rate across invited suppliers and consistent score improvements across reassessed suppliers.
Siegwerk has taken a different but complementary approach. Through its SustainUP program, the company focuses on building trust with suppliers by creating a “safe space” for open dialogue. This encourages suppliers to share challenges related to human rights risks that might otherwise remain unreported.
As engagement becomes more structured, organisations gain deeper insight into supplier practices. This supports more consistent and scalable supply chain sustainability management.
Sustainability Data Informs Procurement Decisions
Data becomes more valuable when it is integrated into decision-making.
Schneider Electric uses EcoVadis data not only to monitor supplier performance but also to inform procurement decisions. Insights into supplier sustainability performance are integrated into supplier selection and engagement processes.
This allows procurement teams to consider sustainability alongside traditional criteria, creating a more complete view of supplier performance.
At Caldic Group, data plays a central role in understanding complex areas such as Scope 3 emissions. By involving multiple functions, including operations, HR, and commercial teams, the company has improved the quality and consistency of sustainability data across its organisation.
This approach highlights how sustainability data supports more informed decision-making across the business.
Aligning Tools and Processes Enables Scale
Scaling sustainable procurement requires alignment between tools and operational processes.
Siegwerk coordinates its supplier sustainability program through a centralized Global Sustainability Organization, supported by EcoVadis data and dashboards.
This structure allows procurement teams to track supplier performance consistently and manage risks across the supply base.
At CCEP, supplier data, reporting, and governance were centralized following the merger, creating a unified global model. This alignment supports consistent tracking and prioritisation across thousands of suppliers.
When tools and processes are aligned, sustainability becomes embedded within procurement workflows, supporting scale across global operations.
Consistent Frameworks Make Sustainability Performance Measurable
Measuring sustainability performance across a supply chain requires a consistent framework.
Schneider Electric applies defined score thresholds and long-term targets across its strategic suppliers. Suppliers are expected to improve year on year, contributing to a collective target average score.
This creates a clear baseline for performance and allows progress to be tracked over time.
Siegwerk has also used defined targets to guide its program, including a goal to reduce high-risk suppliers by 95 percent by 2030.
These frameworks do not eliminate variation. They provide a structured way to understand it, making sustainability performance more visible and measurable.
Prioritising Risk Strengthens Supply Chain Resilience
Supply chain sustainability becomes more effective when organisations focus on areas of highest risk.
Siegwerk has mapped 90 percent of its procurement spend for supplier risks, enabling a more targeted approach to risk management.
This has contributed to a 57 percent reduction in high-risk suppliers and improved visibility into human rights issues across its supply chain.
By focusing on high-risk areas, organisations can allocate resources more effectively and strengthen overall supply chain resilience.
Empowering Teams Enables Progress at Scale
Sustainability cannot be driven by a single team. It requires alignment across functions and regions.
Caldic Group has focused on building a culture of shared ownership, enabling regional teams to take responsibility for sustainability performance while aligning with global objectives.
Through knowledge sharing and regular exchanges, best practices are scaled across the organisation without duplication of effort.
This approach allows sustainability to be embedded into day-to-day operations, supporting progress across a global network.
Continuous Improvement Drives Long-Term Impact
Sustainability is not a one-time initiative. It develops through continuous improvement.
Schneider Electric tracks supplier performance year on year, with strategic suppliers expected to improve over time.
CCEP has also demonstrated measurable improvement of sustainability practices in its supply chain, with average score increases across reassessed suppliers and high levels of supplier risk verification.
At Caldic Group, sustainability progress is reflected in a 14-point improvement in EcoVadis score and the achievement of a Platinum Medal.
These examples show how consistent measurement and reassessment support long-term impact.
What These Patterns Indicate for Sustainable Procurement
Across industries, the same dynamics appear. Visibility supports understanding. Governance enables consistency. Supplier engagement becomes more structured. Data informs decisions. Risk is prioritised. Progress is measured over time.
These elements are interconnected. Progress in one area often reinforces progress in another.
The experience of the 2026 EcoVadis Sustainability Achievement Award winners shows how supply chain sustainability becomes operational. Not through a single initiative, but through a series of decisions that shape how procurement and supplier engagement are managed.
As these patterns become more visible, they provide a clearer view of what effective sustainable supply chain management looks like in practice.
Feeling inspired?
Hear from Christophe Quiquempoix, VP, Schneider Electric and Cathleen Hansohm, Global Supplier Sustainability Manager, Siegwerk.
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