Embedding Sustainability in Financial Sector Procurement

Summary:

SourcingHaus was engaged by a leading Islamic financial institution to design and deliver a targeted capacity-building and action planning initiative to advance sustainable procurement practices across the organization. Delivered through a series of structured workshops over three months, the initiative combined 12 custom-built training modules with facilitated breakout sessions, each generating a concrete, organization-specific output. The result: a comprehensive and actionable Sustainable Procurement Action Plan aligned with the institution’s ESG ambitions.

The Challenge:

As part of its wider ESG and sustainability journey, the institution recognized procurement as a key area for action - especially in reducing upstream emissions, promoting responsible sourcing, and aligning procurement with its environmental and social values. With diverse spend categories ranging from ICT and construction to professional services and facilities, the institution sought a structured and practical approach to build internal capacity and create a roadmap for integrating sustainability into procurement processes.

The objective was not only to transfer knowledge, but to co-create a tailored Sustainable Procurement Action Plan that reflects the institution’s priorities, risks, and market context.

What We Did:

SourcingHaus designed and delivered a hands-on programme involving cross-functional participants from procurement, sustainability, legal, and operational departments. The programme was structured around a modular framework, with each module followed by a facilitated breakout session using custom-built templates to develop a key component of the institution’s Sustainable Procurement Action Plan.

The Impact:

• Developed a complete, organization-specific Sustainable Procurement Action Plan rooted in global good practice and tailored to institutional context
• Delivered a modular learning structure where each session built toward an actionable output, ensuring time invested translated into immediate value
• Strengthened internal capacity to assess procurement sustainability risks and opportunities, particularly in high-spend, high-impact categories
• Equipped teams with tools and templates for Scope 3.1 emissions mapping, sustainable tendering, and supplier engagement