Some two thirds (66%) of supply chain leaders are ‘actively working’ to reduce the impact of their operations, while close to half (47%) have established dedicated sustainability teams to guide strategy, a new report by Blue Yonder has found.
Blue Yonder’s 2026 Supply Chain Compass: Spotlight on Sustainability report surveyed some 678 senior supply chain professionals across North America and Europe, which boast a combined annual revenue of more than $500 million.
Findings from the study include that more than half of respondents (56%) believe that supply chain operators bear responsibility to help solve problems like inflation and climate change, while just one in five state that they are confident in achieving their sustainability objectives.
Still a priority
“Sustainability remains a priority, even in a year marked by immediate business risks like tariffs, disruption and inflation,” commented Saskia van Gendt, chief sustainability officer, Blue Yonder.
“Right now, efforts are primarily focused on improving efficiency and productivity and making faster, better decisions, which can translate into less waste, more sustainable operations and cost savings. Sustainability is no longer a discrete objective, but a strategic element of mature, modern business plans.”
As the study found, supply chain leaders are increasingly addressing sustainability targets by implementing improvements across their operations, with 26% identifying data and traceability as key to advancing sustainability efforts, and a third (33%) citing the importance of forecasting technology.
Strategic priorities
However, at the same time, just 12% of supply chain leaders rank sustainability as among their top three strategic priorities, down from 24% last year. Some 68% of respondents cite economic challenges such as labour and inflation as their top concerns.
Blue Yonder’s report also explored the role that artificial intelligence is playing in supply chains, with respondents most often associating AI with operational benefits, including improved planning and predictability (29%), risk management (26%) and decision-making (23%), rather than sustainability (11%) or traceability (13%).
Elsewhere, the study also found that 25% of supply chain leaders believe current sustainability targets do not go far enough, while another 25% say that achieving these targets would require changes to existing processes – underscoring that leaders recognise the scale and urgency of the sustainability challenge.
“Pursuing sustainable supply chains means changing processes, which is challenging for every organisation,” van Gendt added. “Now technology can accelerate change by integrating sustainability into supply chain decision making and optimisation while achieving greater adaptability, resilience and staying power in the market.” Read more here.
