Ep 94: Fostering Sustainability in the Real World feat. Jonathan O’Brien

Over the last 20 years, there has been a groundswell of interest in sustainability. Turning that interest into action will require procurement to be at their very best. If there is one thing missing from many of the efforts that have been made so far, it is taking a cohesive approach to operationalizing sustainability goals and targets. 

In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Jonathan O’Brien. Jonathan is the CEO and a founding member of Positive Purchasing. He has over 30 years’ experience of working with household name companies around the world to help transform procurement and negotiation capabilities and is a prolific author.

In this conversation, Jonathan shares his perspective on the state of sustainable supply chains and responsible procurement:

• Whether procurement has matured enough to move beyond enforcement/governance and turn the pursuit of supply chain sustainability into a collaborative journey 
• How to create a feeling of shared, cross-functional ownership and responsibility for sustainability programs
• The ESG trend and whether it creates such a large target that specific initiatives like carbon emissions, human rights, or diversity are at risk of getting lost