Programme overview
Technical depth: Practitioner · Practical mode: Case study
Introduction
For most organisations the largest environmental and social impacts sit outside their own operations, in the suppliers, materials, logistics and product use that make up the value chain. Customers, investors and buyers now ask for evidence on supplier labour conditions, Scope 3 emissions and circularity, yet sourcing decisions are still made largely on price and delivery. This course from Core Concept equips managers to map value chain hotspots, apply recognised standards and manage suppliers against sustainability criteria. Participants work through multi-sector cases and leave with a Value Chain Sustainability Roadmap for their organisation.
Course Objectives
- Map the organisation's value chain and locate its main environmental, social and governance hotspots
- Apply ISO 20400, the GHG Protocol Scope 3 Standard and the OECD due diligence process to value chain decisions
- Segment suppliers by sustainability risk and build sustainability criteria into specifications, tenders and supplier assessments
- Estimate product and value chain emissions using recognised calculation methods and data sources
- Manage supplier non-compliance, human rights risk and decarbonisation through corrective action, engagement and scorecards
- Produce a Value Chain Sustainability Roadmap with priorities, supplier actions and KPIs
Target Audience
- Procurement and category managers responsible for sourcing decisions and supplier selection
- Supply chain and operations managers accountable for supplier and logistics performance
- Sustainability and ESG managers responsible for Scope 3 and value chain disclosure
- Supplier quality and compliance managers running audits and corrective actions
- Product and commercial managers responding to customer sustainability requirements
Course Outline
Day 1: Value Chain Sustainability Foundations
- Porter's Value Chain Mapping of Upstream and Downstream Activities
- Environmental, Social and Governance Hotspot Analysis by Supplier Tier
- Customer and Investor Requirements: Supplier Codes of Conduct and Questionnaires
- Business Case Drivers: Cost, Resilience and Market Access
- Value Chain Sustainability Maturity Assessment
Day 2: Standards and Frameworks for the Value Chain
- ISO 20400 Sustainable Procurement Guidance: Policy, Organisation and Process
- GHG Protocol Scope 3 Standard: The Fifteen Categories
- OECD Due Diligence Guidance Six-Step Process
- UN Guiding Principles and ILO Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
- ISO 59004 Circular Economy Principles and ISO 59020 Circularity Measurement
Day 3: Applying Sustainability to Suppliers and Products
- Supplier Risk Segmentation Using the Kraljic Matrix and ESG Risk Scoring
- Sustainable Specifications and Tender Evaluation Criteria
- Supplier Self-Assessment Questionnaires, EcoVadis Ratings and SMETA Audits
- Product Carbon Footprint to ISO 14067 and Life Cycle Assessment Screening
- Scope 3 Data Collection: Spend-Based, Average-Data and Supplier-Specific Methods
Day 4: Value Chain Risk, Performance and Improvement
- Forced Labour and Human Rights Red Flags in Lower Supplier Tiers
- Supplier Corrective Action Plans and Responsible Exit Criteria
- Supplier Decarbonisation Engagement Programme Design
- Value Chain Sustainability KPIs and Supplier Scorecards
- Traceability Tools and Supplier Data Quality Controls
Day 5: Case Work and the Value Chain Sustainability Roadmap
- Apparel Sourcing Case Study: Responding to Tier-Two Labour Findings
- Construction Materials Case Study: Prioritising Scope 3 Reduction Options
- Value Chain Sustainability Roadmap Drafting
- Supplier Engagement Plan and KPI Set Build
- Peer Challenge Panel and Roadmap Defence
Skills You Will Gain
- Value Chain Hotspot Mapping
- Sustainable Procurement
- Supplier ESG Risk Assessment
- Scope 3 Emissions Accounting
- Human Rights Due Diligence
- Supplier Development
- Circular Economy Application
- Supplier Performance Management
Why Attend This Course
- Return to work with a Value Chain Sustainability Roadmap that sets priorities and supplier actions, tested through peer challenge
- Answer customer and investor questionnaires on suppliers and Scope 3 with evidence rather than general statements
- Recognise when a supplier audit or rating hides a problem that needs corrective action or escalation
- Compare sourcing practice with managers from manufacturing, construction, retail and services in other countries
Conclusion
An organisation's sustainability performance is only as credible as the value chain behind its products and services. This course moves from mapping hotspots and the standards that govern value chain responsibility, through supplier segmentation, sustainable tendering and emissions estimation, to the labour, data and decarbonisation problems that test supplier programmes. The final day brings these tools together in a Value Chain Sustainability Roadmap that participants take back to their organisation, giving procurement and sustainability teams a shared and defensible plan for action.