EcoVadis Sustain highlights: Building resilient supply chains

For Nexio Projects, EcoVadis Sustain 2026 marked our eighth year joining the community in Paris. The value of Sustain is not just the scale of the network, but the clarity it brings. Across the Partner Summit, sector-led sessions, and practical discussions with procurement and sustainability leaders, one theme kept returning: responsible supply chains are moving from individual programmes to shared systems that make improvement easier to deliver, and harder to delay. 

This year, the strongest signals came through five strategic shifts. 

Strategic shift #1: Collective action is becoming the default 

In several sessions on sector initiatives, the message was clear. Collaboration is no longer a side-track to “real work”. It is quickly becoming the way work gets done. 

EcoVadis’ sector initiatives show what happens when competitors align around shared expectations. Scale matters here. When initiatives bring together large groups of member organisations and tens of thousands of suppliers, they create a consistent signal that individual companies struggle to achieve on their own. 

The payoff is practical for everyone involved: 

• Less fragmentation for suppliers, because the same topics are not requested in multiple formats. 

• More time for improvement, because effort shifts away from repeated questionnaires toward actions that reduce impacts. 

• Faster learning loops, because training and capability-building spread across customers’ full supplier bases. 

A strong example is the Responsible Health Initiative. Through RHI, Nexio Projects has helped deliver practical supplier engagement and training programmes on human rights due diligence and decarbonisation. This supports suppliers in building capability and moving from requirements to implementation. This is what collective action looks like when it is done properly: common direction, shared learning, and measurable progress that no single company could achieve alone. 

If you would like the fuller story and concrete examples of our work and impact, read our piece. 

Strategic shift #2: Human rights due diligence is getting sharper 

Human rights due diligence came through as a space where expectations are rising and tooling is catching up. 

In conversations focused on human rights and supplier due diligence, open-source approaches like the Converged HREDD Assessment Tool were referenced as a step towards reducing duplication while raising the bar on substance. The direction of travel is important. It is moving away from “who filled in the most forms” and towards “who can demonstrate meaningful processes, evidence, and outcomes”. 

There was also a forward-looking thread in these discussions: remedy. Collective grievance mechanisms, aligned with CSDDD, were positioned as a logical next step for companies and sector groups that want to move from assessment to accountability. 

The key implication for companies is ownership. Better tools and frameworks only translate into better outcomes when responsibilities are clear internally, and when follow-up with suppliers is resourced and governed like any other business-critical process. 

Strategic shift #3: Scope 3 progress is coming from customer–supplier collaboration 

A recurring frustration across sessions was that measurement continues to outpace implementation. In decarbonisation discussions, the most compelling examples focused on “how” rather than “what”. 

The strongest message was that real impact is happening through deep collaboration, capability-building, and co-innovation with suppliers. Schneider Electric’s Energize programme was cited as a model because it does not leave suppliers alone with targets. Instead, it pools demand, builds supplier capability, and enables real purchasing mechanisms, including power purchase agreements. 

The wider point was simple. If every buyer pushes separately, suppliers are asked to do more, but are enabled to do less. 

This is where sustainable procurement can shift from compliance control to a progress engine. When procurement teams connect supplier plans to incentives and real commercial opportunities, sustainability stops being treated purely as a cost and starts being managed as a performance driver. 

Download our guide on supplier engagement to see concrete strategies and actions. 

Strategic shift #4: AI is raising the bar, and data quality is the foundation 

Across multiple discussions, another recurring theme was that AI is moving sustainability intelligence closer to day-to-day decision-making. But that only works when the underlying data and evidence are strong. 

AI does not solve data integrity. It amplifies whatever is already there. That is why the foundations matter more than ever: 

• Clear ownership of evidence, data inputs, and sign-off. 

• Consistent documentation and version control. 

• Traceability that allows teams to defend decisions under scrutiny. 

When these basics are missing, teams lose time reconciling spreadsheets, validating claims, and reworking requests. When the foundations are strong, AI can help reduce friction and increase speed without undermining credibility. 

How EcoVadis is thinking about AI in assessments 

Sustain also made it clear that AI is changing workflows, not responsibilities. One practical implication discussed was the shift in effort when completing EcoVadis questionnaires: less time spent on document chasing and formatting, and more time needed for validation and decision-making. 

EcoVadis’ direction on AI was pragmatic: 

• AI can help structure documentation, attach evidence, and flag eligibility issues to reduce friction. 

• Companies still need to accept or reject suggestions and confirm that evidence is accurate and relevant. 

• Analysts remain the final decision-makers, so quality and consistency still matter. 

In short, companies that invest now in strong data and evidence foundations will be better positioned as AI becomes more embedded in assessments and supplier management workflows. 

Download our newest EcoVadis guide to learn more about the raising expectations and changes to the assessment. 

Strategic shift #5: Trust, governance, and resilience drive performance 

Lastly, Sustain discussions sharpened the “why” behind the operational shifts. The language of resilience came up repeatedly, and it felt like a genuine evolution in how sustainability is being positioned. 

Companies are increasingly moving from isolated risk management to systems thinking. Supply chain resilience strategies now need to reflect interconnected risks across environmental disruption, human rights, geopolitics, and technology. And because those risks cross organisational boundaries, trust becomes a performance multiplier. 

Speakers and peers repeatedly linked trust with tangible outcomes: 

• Suppliers disclose issues earlier. 

• Partnerships last longer. 

• Improvement plans move faster. 

Governance was framed as the credibility layer beneath it all. Boards are treating sustainability as strategic competence, with clearer accountability at senior levels. For many organisations, that is the difference between ambition and execution. 

Nexio Projects: Proud EcoVadis Strategic Partner 

Sustain also gave a clear view of where the EcoVadis ecosystem is going. At the Partner Summit, partnership models were discussed with more tiering, clearer specialisations, and a higher bar for delivery. Nexio Projects was recognised within this context, reflecting our focus on practical transformation and measurable outcomes. 

In sessions and conversations with peers and clients, the same challenges surfaced repeatedly: supply chain complexity, a shifting regulatory landscape, and the need for actionable roadmaps. 

This is where our solutions, EcoVadis and beyond, are focused. We help organisations improve performance without overloading teams or suppliers, from evidence readiness and programme design through to supplier engagement and governance. Where organisations are aiming to improve their score, the best approach is to strengthen the operating model that sits behind the rating, so progress holds up over time and under scrutiny. 

The big message from Sustain 2026 

Across the event, the practical takeaway was that responsible supply chains are being built through shared infrastructure and stronger execution, not louder requirements. Good to remember the importance of:  

• Leveraging sustainability data for bettter decision making 

• Collaborating with your suppliers for success 

• Trusted data buiding the cornerstone of AI integration 

Next steps for buying organisations 

1. Align internal requests to reduce supplier burden 

Map where supplier asks overlap across teams and business units, then simplify what you request, how you request it, and when you request it. 

2. Design supplier engagement around capability 

Build supplier engagement that includes training pathways, clear milestones, and support to act on priorities. 

3. Create incentives that unlock progress 

Link improvement plans to real commercial value, so suppliers can justify investment and procurement teams can see outcomes. 

4. Strengthen the data foundations 

Invest in consistent data governance so AI and reporting improve decision-making rather than adding noise. 

5. Use EcoVadis to monitor suppliers and drive action plans 

Bring EcoVadis results into procurement, risk, and supplier development discussions to monitor supplier progress over time, prioritise where engagement is needed, and translate insights into clear action plans for your categories and supplier segments. 

If Sustain 2026 showed anything, it is that the organisations making the most progress are building systems suppliers can work with, not processes suppliers have to fight through. If you are willing to take that next step, Nexio Projects is ready to help as a key partner throughout the whole supply chain.

Book a consultation with our experts who have supported over 1000 EcoVadis projects across sectors. 

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