Automating Supplier Sustainability Assessments for Smarter Engagement: Key Webinar Takeaways

Spreadsheets won’t solve Scope 3. That was the clear message from our recent webinar on automating supplier sustainability assessments.

For sustainability teams in the food industry, Scope 3 emissions are the elephant in the room. They make up over 80% of most companies’ total footprint, yet they’re also the hardest to track. Why? Because most of the impact sits outside the company’s walls, in the hands of suppliers.

That’s why Carbon Maps teamed up with Solinest to share how companies can make supplier assessments more efficient, consistent, and actionable.

Over the 45-minute session, speakers from both teams shared the realities of traditional supplier assessments, walked through Solinest’s approach, and explained how automation helped shift supplier engagement from a manual task to a more strategic part of their sustainability work.

Ariane Jacoberger, Sustainability and Social Impact Manager at Solinest, put it plainly:

“99.2% of our emissions are related to Scope 3. We're almost fully dependent on our suppliers. That’s why we had to change how we work with them.”

That realization reshaped Solinest’s approach. With nearly all of their emissions tied to suppliers, they knew spreadsheets wouldn’t cut it anymore.

Why supplier assessments matter

Most companies already track their carbon footprint, but that’s only part of the story. To reduce emissions, you need to understand why certain ingredients or products have a high impact. That’s where CSR maturity assessments come in.

“If you manufacture pastries, you might find that butter or cocoa are your most impactful ingredients,” said Estelle Huynh, COO at Carbon Maps. “But to act on that, you need to understand how your suppliers produce and source them.”

Without insight into supplier practices, companies are left guessing. Qualitative context is what turns carbon data into a roadmap for action.

What’s holding companies back?

Even when companies understand the importance of supplier assessments, putting them in place is a challenge.

Before working with Carbon Maps, Solinest had no structured process. They only assessed suppliers when clients asked, and even then, the process relied on manual emails and spreadsheets.

“The contacts were not readily available, we had major delays, and no comprehensive view of our suppliers’ performance,” Ariane said. “It was time-consuming, inefficient, and stressful for the team.”

In practice, that meant starting from scratch with every new request, chasing down contacts, compiling responses, and repeating the same questions across teams.

Even when companies manage to collect data, they often don’t know how to use it. Estelle noted that many teams end up with a spreadsheet full of data but don’t know how to turn that into an action plan. On top of that, companies want to assess all their suppliers at once, which quickly becomes unmanageable.

This is where quantitative carbon data helps you for a targeted approach. According to analyses Carbon Maps has carried across the platform, an average of ~50% of a food company’s impact is tied to its Top 10-20 suppliers. Carbon Maps’ recommendation? Start with your top suppliers who make up the most of your impact or are tied to your most impactful products, and build from there.

The automation solution

Manual assessments are slow, repetitive, and difficult to manage at scale. Automation makes the process simpler, faster, and more useful for both companies and suppliers.

Here’s how Carbon Maps leverages automation:

• Cloud-based questionnaires. Suppliers access an online questionnaire through a secure login. They can start filling it out, save their progress, and return later to complete it at their convenience. This eliminates the need to manage Excel files or track email threads. To encourage completion, automatic reminders are sent, and responses are validated in real-time, giving companies cleaner, more reliable data without back-and-forth.

• Tailored questions. The questionnaire can be adapted to each supplier’s size and profile, so the questions asked are relevant. No one-size-fits-all approach.

• Advanced scoring. Once responses are submitted, suppliers receive a maturity score across areas like governance, environmental practices, and social impact. This helps identify top performers and spot where support is needed.

• Single-pane view of score and footprint. Qualitative scores and carbon data appear together, giving companies a clear link between supplier practices and product-level impact.

• Real-time dashboards. Teams can track responses, compare performance, and quickly see where to focus next.

Solinest’s experience

Ariane shared how automation helped them move from manual emails to a structured supplier assessment process:

• Achieved a 50% response rate in the first round, giving them a solid starting point for analysis.

• Revealed a wide range of CSR maturity levels, helping them understand where each supplier stood and who needed support.

• Identified leaders by product category, making it easier to showcase progress to clients.

• Used the results to launch joint projects, like reducing transport-related emissions.

• Now uses the scoring system as a map to tailor partnerships and bridge commercial and sustainability discussions.

What to ask suppliers

A strong supplier assessment goes beyond checking boxes. It should help you understand how your suppliers operate, where they are in their sustainability journey, and where you can work together.

Justine Morand, Customer Success Manager who leads Supplier Assessments at Carbon Maps, recommends focusing on six categories:

• Governance – How CSR topics are handled in the company.

• Carbon measurement – Explores details about carbon footprint assessments.

• Reduction action plans – Covers emission reduction targets.

• Social and societal impact – Assesses code of conduct, labor practices, and human rights policies.

• Communication – How sustainability initiatives are communicated externally (certifications, labels) and internally (employee workshops).

• Other environmental indicators – Looks at water use, waste management, soil health, etc.

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In addition, it’s important to know that qualitative supplier data also helps you refine your own quantitative data: 

Tips for getting started

If you’re considering launching a supplier assessment, here are a few practical tips from the speakers:

Estelle summed it up well:

“Start somewhere. Make it actionable. And focus on what matters.”

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Missed the live session? Watch the full webinar replay to hear all the insights from Carbon Maps and Solinest.