Supplier engagement guide: 5 strategic tips for collecting primary sustainability data

Collecting primary data is one of the biggest challenges sustainability professionals face when accounting for corporate greenhouse gas emissions. While industry averages and estimates have traditionally been the go-to, EU regulations like CBAM and voluntary standards like CDP are raising the bar for data quality and granularity. 

Now, collecting primary emissions data through supplier engagement is not just a “nice-to-have,” but a crucial step in meeting reporting requirements. Sustainability managers often face systemic bottlenecks in data collection, and resource constraints can make it difficult to implement robust supplier engagement programs. However, there are still practical steps and tools sustainability managers can take to improve supplier engagement and streamline data collection. 

Today, we’ll explore five strategies for better supplier engagement, drawing insights from Cozero product manager Paolo Pezzarossi.

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Tip #1: Prioritize communication that builds relationships (even if it’s time-consuming)

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Corporate email requests may be appropriate for initial outreach, but personalized communication that takes their needs into account will help your requests feel less transactional.

When communicating with suppliers, consider:  

• Early communication: Last-minute requests will frustrate suppliers and erode trust. Communicate well in advance when making major reporting changes. For ongoing reporting, check in ~30 to 45 days before the due date (e.g., end of February for quarterly reporting).
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• ‍Using preferred communication channels: Many suppliers might prefer communication tools like WeChat or WhatsApp over email. Adapting to their preferences shows you’re working with them to make it easy for them to respond.
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• Establishing an open channel of communication: When possible, schedule regular check-ins (e.g., monthly or quarterly video calls), assuming time zones and internet reliability allow for it.

Cozero product manager Paolo Pezzarossi notes that communication frequency depends on factors like the supplier’s location. If you are both in the EU, you may not need to explain as much as when conducting business with non-EU suppliers.

The relationship you have with suppliers also influences the level of communication you need to collect emissions data.

For instance, if you’re a new customer, it can sometimes be easier to get the data you need compared to working with long-term suppliers.

“One of the advantages of having a supplier engagement tool like Cozero right from the start is that it simplifies communication with suppliers,” says Paolo. “You can let them know your climate disclosure needs before contracting with them, and include that as part of your agreement.”

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The bottom line: Tailor your communication to each supplier to build genuine relationships. The extra time and effort will be worth it.

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Tip #2: Show how sharing data can benefit suppliers’ business

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The next step is to help suppliers understand how sharing emissions data benefits their business, especially if you’re facing resistance.

“In logistics, companies often want to keep data secret,” Paolo says. “They feel that disclosing how much CO2 they produce will mean they’re disclosing yearly production.” 

To overcome this confidentiality concern, suppliers need a compelling reason to share emissions data. This is where educating suppliers on the benefits of sharing data becomes crucial for both your business and theirs.

Here are a few angles you can consider:

• Regulatory compliance: For example, the EU’s CBAM regulation requires companies to submit primary emissions data. Sharing data will allow them to retain your business and comply with requirements many other businesses might have as well. 
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• Cost savings: Collecting and sharing emissions data can help suppliers identify opportunities for decarbonization and cost savings from measures like energy optimization.
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• Long-term competitive advantage: Organizing and sharing data positions suppliers to adapt to an economy that prioritizes sustainability data transparency. Resources like Deloitte’s 2024 “The business case for sustainability” provide valuable insights you can share with partners to help get them on board.
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The good news: by prioritizing regular communication, you’ll already be well on your way to understanding your partners and positioning data sharing as a mutually beneficial process.

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Tip #3: Provide user-friendly data collection tools that respect suppliers' time

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The next tip to collecting primary data from suppliers is to respect suppliers’ time through the tools you ask them to use.

According to Cozero Product Manager Paolo Pezzarossi, emissions data is still often collected in large, cumbersome Excel spreadsheets. Unfortunately, relying on this method undermines the effort spent communicating well and building relationships. If it takes suppliers ten hours to understand and fill out the spreadsheet, it’s unlikely they will complete the request.

“This is one of the big pain points we’ve tried to solve when building Cozero’s Share module,” Paolo says. “We asked ourselves: how can we build human warmth into the platform so it still feels like a one-on-one relationship, but make it easy to fill in it out in 5 minutes and get all the info needed?”

To achieve this goal, Cozero’s Share module facilitates quick yet granular data collection through features including: 

• Bulk submissions for uploading data across multiple products
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• A simple, intuitive interface that can be completed in minutes
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• Structured input fields (unlike blank spreadsheets)

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Whatever tool you decide to use, Paolo advises against manual data collection through bulky Excel files, which will dramatically lower your supplier response rates. In contrast, user-friendly tools can boost response rates to ~80% and higher.
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Tip #4: Provide a central dashboard where suppliers can view submissions and pending requests

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If you’re using carbon accounting software to facilitate your data-sharing requests, make sure to provide suppliers with a central dashboard for visibility over submissions. Without this, it will be hard to track historical submissions, and you risk receiving duplicate responses, which can undermine your data quality.

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When vetting carbon accounting solutions for supplier engagement, Paolo Pezzarossi recommends prioritizing tools that offer:

• Visibility over whether suppliers have seen or opened your emails 
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• A dashboard showing pending requests to you and suppliers
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• Access to historic submissions

Paolo emphasizes this data will be crucial for monitoring and improving supplier response rates. And, sharing access to historic submissions with suppliers allows them to easily re-use the info they’ve provided to you, which will streamline their reporting to other customers as well.

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Tip #5: Fill in supplier knowledge gaps by allowing flexible data input 
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The final tip is to remember that your suppliers aren’t carbon accounting experts. Providing context for the data you need and offering flexible data input options will therefore be key to getting the responses you need.

“If you get an Excel file, especially for CBAM, without any explanation, it's kind of like getting a request from your boss without any instructions on what they're expecting. It’s just too blurry!” Paolo says. 

Suppliers need clear guidance on what data is required and how they should provide it. When providing context, you can give them information like:

• the units for the data you’re looking for
• why you need the data (regulatory reporting, creating your Product Carbon Footprint)
• how you need this information fits into the bigger picture of their reporting (e.g. product configuration, product composition, distribution and storage).

Providing this context will get easier with additional years of reporting, since you’ll be able to anticipate and address supplier questions before they come up.

To make this process easier, also consider allowing suppliers to input data in a way that’s more accessible to them. For instance, instead of asking them to calculate emissions themselves, request data they are more likely to have on hand, such as machine run time or product materials. 

This can help ensure suppliers are able to provide accurate, actionable data without having to conduct the complex emissions calculations as part of the carbon accounting process. 

By offering context and flexibility, you reduce the burden on your suppliers while improving the quality and accuracy of the data you receive.

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Leveling up your supplier engagement

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Engaging suppliers to collect primary sustainability data is a critical part of complying with the sustainability regulations in place today.

While it can be a challenge, applying these five strategies can significantly improve your data collection efforts. And ultimately, you’ll be able to move beyond just sustainability reporting to also creating and implementing an actionable decarbonization plan.

Cozero’s Climate Action Platform helps enterprises transition from carbon accounting to real-world impact. With robust tools for emissions calculation, decarbonization planning, and supplier engagement, businesses can not only track their emissions but also take effective action toward meaningful reductions.

Curious to see how Cozero can streamline your supplier engagement? Check out our product demo, or get in touch with the team.

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Resources

• Deloitte. (2024). The business case for sustainability: Why companies are investing in a sustainable future. Retrieved from https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/consulting/us-business-case-sustainability-061224.pdf_‍
• CDP. (2024). Supplier engagement guide 2024: Driving action through value chain collaboration. Retrieved from https://cdn.cdp.net/cdp-production/cms/guidance_docs/pdfs/000/004/994/original/Supplier_Engagement_Guide_2024.pdf

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