Sustainable Food Procurement That Cuts Scope 3 Emissions

This guide unpacks why procurement is your climate power move, how to embed sustainability into every supplier decision, and how data can give you a measurable edge.

Why Sustainable Procurement Reduces Scope 3 Emissions

Scope 3 emissions—those indirect emissions from your supply chain—can contribute up to 95% of a food business’s total carbon footprint. Unlike energy use or transportation, these emissions are harder to track and even harder to influence (unless your procurement team is equipped to act).

Sustainable food procurement means selecting ingredients, suppliers, and production methods that align with climate goals. It’s not just ESG check-boxing. It’s a strategic shift that:

• Drives emission reductions at scale through smarter sourcing
• Enables progress toward SBTi FLAG targets
• Strengthens brand positioning in public and private tenders
• Future-proofs your supply chain against climate regulation risks
• Builds investor confidence when disclosed in CSRD reports

Every choice, from the beef you buy to how that beef was raised, carries a carbon cost. Klimato’s database identifies where switching to verified lower-carbon suppliers can substantially reduce emissions per dish, and suggests other high-impact strategies.

How to Evaluate Food Suppliers for Climate Impact

Carbon transparency is quickly becoming a baseline requirement for vendors, not a bonus. To source sustainably, you need more than a good price—you need data.

Here’s what to evaluate:

• CO₂e per product or ingredient category: Choose suppliers who can provide emissions data based on Life Cycle Assessments (LCA).

• Sustainability certifications: Look for third-party standards like EU Organic, Rainforest Alliance, or Global G.A.P. Remember, though: Always pair with hard climate data as a sustainability certification does not always mean lower carbon footprint.

• Agricultural methods & land use: Seasonal produce and foods grown or farmed without contributing to deforestation typically have a lower carbon footprint

Embedding Climate Goals into Procurement Tenders

Incorporating climate targets into tenders doesn’t just help the planet—it helps you win business.

Forward-thinking procurement teams are embedding sustainability in RFPs using phrases like:

• “Suppliers must provide CO₂e data per product unit based on LCA methodology”
• “Preference will be given to vendors aligned with SBTi or equivalent targets”
• “Environmental impact will be weighted alongside cost and quality in scoring”

This creates a clear signal to your supply chain: climate impact matters. And it gives you hard metrics to compare apples to apples, literally.

Tip: Use a weighted scoring system that evaluates suppliers across climate impact, pricing, and delivery capability. Set minimum CO₂ thresholds or assign emission bands (A–E) as qualifiers.

Why Procurement is the Secret Weapon

As climate deadlines loom and pressure mounts, food businesses are turning their gaze to an unlikely hero; procurement. With Scope 3 emissions—those indirect emissions from purchased goods and services—often comprising the majority of a company's carbon footprint, procurement emerges as a pivotal player in driving decarbonization. But amidst a sea of sustainability buzzwords, how can procurement teams distinguish genuine strategies from fleeting trends?

Where Emissions Really Come From

To effectively tackle emissions, it's essential to comprehend their sources:​

• Scope 1: Direct emissions from owned or controlled sources.

• Scope 2: Indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy.

• Scope 3: All other indirect emissions that occur in a company's value chain, including those from suppliers.​

For many food businesses, Scope 3 emissions, particularly from procurement activities, represent the lion's share of their carbon footprint. Addressing these requires a strategic and informed approach.

How Procurement Can Actually Cut Emissions

Procurement isn't just about cost and quality anymore. It’s about shaping your business's sustainability trajectory. Here’s how to lead the decarbonization charge:

1. Data-Driven Decision Making
Accurate emissions data is the bedrock of any decarbonization strategy. Klimato’s tool makes it easy for food businesses to track, calculate, and report their carbon footprint—including the often complex Scope 3 emissions linked to supply chains. By turning detailed climate data into clear, actionable insights, Klimato empowers procurement teams to identify high-impact areas, make smarter sourcing decisions, and reduce CO2e emissions across the board.

2. Engaging Suppliers in Sustainability
Building strong, collaborative relationships with suppliers is crucial for cutting supply chain emissions. Leading businesses are moving beyond one-off requests for data—they’re setting clear expectations, offering support, and creating long-term partnerships focused on transparency and impact. One effective strategy is helping suppliers access the resources they need to calculate and share their carbon footprint data more easily. Tools like Klimato’s emission database make this process simpler, giving procurement teams a clear view of the climate impact of different ingredients and products. According to a report by McKinsey, companies that actively engage suppliers in decarbonization efforts—through data sharing, incentives, and capacity building—are far more likely to hit their climate targets than those that take a passive approach.

3. Setting Science-Based Targets
Aligning procurement goals with science-based targets ensures that emission reduction efforts are both ambitious and achievable. Vattenfall, for instance, has committed to reducing its Scope 3 emissions from purchased goods and services by 50% by 2030, showcasing the impact of setting clear, science-backed objectives.

4. Leveraging Technology for Emission Tracking
Modern procurement teams can harness technology to monitor and manage emissions more effectively—and that’s where Klimato comes in. Our app not only calculates the carbon footprint of ingredients, recipes, and menus, but also gives food businesses access to a database of emissions data, helping them engage suppliers with facts rather than guesswork. By making it easy to track hotspots and monitor progress over time, Klimato enables procurement teams to focus their efforts where they’ll have the biggest impact—and back up their sustainability strategies with real numbers.

Navigating the Path Forward

For food businesses aiming to decarbonize their supply chains, procurement offers a strategic avenue:

• Educate and Empower: Invest in training procurement teams on sustainability principles and tools.

• Collaborate with Suppliers: Foster open dialogues about sustainability goals and support suppliers in their decarbonization journeys.

• Integrate Sustainability into Procurement Criteria: Beyond cost and quality, consider environmental impact as a key factor in supplier selection.

• Monitor and Report: Regularly track emissions data, set benchmarks, and report progress to stakeholders.​

Klimato Case Study: Cutting Emissions Through Smarter Sourcing

Several Klimato clients have cut their Scope 3 emissions simply by switching suppliers based on carbon data. One example? The Hoxton Poblenou, a hotel in Barcelona, reduced the average carbon footprint per sold dish by 42%—from 3.1 kg CO₂e to 1.79 kg CO₂e—after working with Klimato to climate-optimize its menu through ingredient-level life-cycle assessments and recipe tweaks.

With our carbon-aware procurement dashboards, you can:

• Compare CO₂e across ingredient options
• Identify high-emission hotspots in your purchasing data
• Benchmark supplier performance and track improvements over time

FAQ: Sustainable Procurement & Scope 3 Emissions

What are Scope 3 emissions in food procurement?
Scope 3 emissions are indirect emissions from your value chain, especially from purchased goods and services. In food, these often come from agriculture, packaging, and distribution.

How can procurement reduce Scope 3 emissions?
By sourcing lower-carbon ingredients, working with data-transparent suppliers, and embedding climate criteria into procurement processes.

What tools help track Scope 3 emissions?
Klimato’s platform calculates the carbon footprint of ingredients, menus, and recipes—plus it benchmarks supplier impact using LCA-based data.

Do sustainability certifications reduce carbon footprint?
Not always. Certifications show intent but don’t guarantee low emissions. Always pair certifications with actual CO₂e data.

What’s the ROI of sustainable procurement?
Besides emissions reductions, benefits include better tender performance, future regulatory compliance, improved brand trust, and long-term supply chain resilience.

Procurement’s Role in Your Net Zero Strategy

Whether you’re bidding on a catering contract or managing a multi-restaurant group, procurement is where the shift starts. This is just one part of the full picture. Discover how LCA, CO₂ labeling, and climate-smart menus can help you take control of your carbon footprint.