EcoVadis Sustain 2026 –
GoodOps Juror & Moderator

This week, GoodOps is in Paris as our CEO, Divya Kapasi Demato, serves for the fifth consecutive year as a Jury Member for the Sustainable Procurement Leadership Awards at EcoVadis SUSTAIN.

Across five years of evaluating submissions spanning food and agriculture, apparel, consumer goods, manufacturing, and technology, one reality is clear:

Sustainable procurement is no longer differentiated by ambition alone.
It is differentiated by execution, integration, and measurable impact.

The sophistication of programs continues to rise — as does the complexity of the global operating environment.

Below are four insights shaping what leadership looks like in 2026 — and how GoodOps is helping clients stay ahead.

1️⃣ Complexity Is the New Baseline

Procurement leaders are navigating:

• Persistent tariff and geopolitical volatility

• Expanding regulatory requirements across Europe and California

• Heightened anti-greenwashing enforcement

• Ongoing Scope 3 data fragmentation

The organizations standing out are not reacting piecemeal. They are building integrated operating systems that align risk, compliance, climate, and commercial strategy into one cohesive framework.

Procurement is no longer a support function — it is a central pillar of enterprise resilience.

At GoodOps, we work with executive teams to embed sustainability and risk management into core procurement architecture, ensuring long-term competitiveness in a shifting regulatory and geopolitical landscape.

2️⃣ Innovative Technology Is the Strategic Lever

The strongest submissions this year demonstrate that innovative technology is deeply embedded into procurement decision-making.

Leading organizations are:

• Mapping multi-tier supply chains with greater precision

• Using advanced analytics and AI selectively to identify emerging risks

• Prioritizing interventions based on real performance data

• Converting compliance requirements into forward-looking strategy

The competitive edge is not in collecting more data — it is in activating the right data.

Technology, when paired with governance and cross-functional alignment, becomes a lever for resilience, cost efficiency, and smarter capital allocation.

3️⃣ Human Rights Is a Competitive Advantage

One of the most significant evolutions over the past five years is the elevation of human rights from compliance obligation to strategic priority.

The most advanced organizations are:

• Moving beyond audits toward supplier capability-building and worker engagement

• Embedding human rights risk assessments into sourcing decisions

• Aligning due diligence with commercial incentives

• Measuring real-world outcomes — not just policy adoption

In a world of mandatory due diligence, heightened consumer scrutiny, and investor pressure, companies that proactively integrate human rights into procurement gain measurable advantages:

• Reduced disruption and legal exposure

• Stronger, more stable supplier relationships

• Increased brand trust

• Long-term operational resilience

The leaders recognized this year show that investing beyond minimum compliance drives both impact and enterprise value.

For GoodOps, human rights is not a side pillar of ESG — it is integral to building durable, high-performing value chains.

4️⃣ Partnerships Define Performance

Award-winning programs consistently reflect a shift from transactional oversight to strategic collaboration.

They are:

• Investing in supplier capability and long-term alignment

• Co-developing decarbonization and resilience roadmaps

• Participating in pre-competitive industry collaboration

• Treating suppliers as innovation partners, not risk checkpoints

When procurement, sustainability, and finance align around shared objectives, supplier ecosystems become engines of competitive advantage.

Five Years of Perspective

Serving on the EcoVadis SUSTAIN jury provides a rare longitudinal view into how global enterprises are evolving.

The companies that consistently rise to the top:

• Embed sustainability and human rights into procurement KPIs

• Align CPO, CSO, and CFO agendas

• Use technology to enhance clarity — not complexity

• Treat resilience as core business strategy

Sustainable procurement is no longer a niche excellence category. It is an indicator of enterprise maturity and future readiness.

As complexity intensifies, the organizations that will lead are those building intelligent, resilient, and rights-respecting value chains — grounded in data, strengthened by partnerships, and designed for long-term performance.

GoodOps is proud to contribute to this global ecosystem and to continue shaping the future of resilient supply chains alongside the leaders redefining what procurement can achieve.