Can procurement save the planet?

In this episode of TBLI Radical Truth, we sit down with Bob Willard — one of the world's most respected sustainability experts and the leading voice on Net-Zero Procurement (NZP) as a transformative market force. With a 34-year career at IBM Canada and over 23 years dedicated to sustainability advocacy, Bob brings unmatched practical credibility to the most urgent question in climate action: how do we engage the private sector in the race to net-zero at speed and global scale?

His answer: stop waiting for regulation. Use the power of procurement.

In this episode:

• The what, why, and how of Net-Zero Procurement — and why it is the missing market force in climate action
• How NZP engages companies in the race to net-zero GHG emissions without waiting for government mandates
• How deploying NZP with speed and global scale can meaningfully fix the climate crisis
• Why procurement is the most underutilised lever corporations have to drive supply chain sustainability
• How to build a business case for sustainability that resonates with CFOs and hard-nosed executives
• The free, open-source tools that any organisation — large or small — can use to embed NZP today
• Why science-based targets and sustainable procurement must work together for real emissions reduction

The key insight: Purchasers hold enormous, largely untapped power. When large organisations demand low-carbon goods and services from suppliers committed to net-zero targets, they create the market signal that changes corporate behaviour faster than any regulation.

⏱️ Episode Guide:

• 0:00 — Can procurement save the planet?
• 0:X:XX — The what, why, and how of Net-Zero Procurement
• 0:X:XX — NZP as the missing market force for net-zero GHG emissions
• 0:X:XX — Deploying NZP at speed and global scale
• 0:X:XX — Free tools every organisation can use right now
• 0:X:XX — Building the business case: making sustainability irresistible to executives
• 0:X:XX — The future of sustainable procurement and climate action

👤 About Bob WillardBob Willard is a leading expert on sustainability justifications, reporting frameworks, and sustainable procurement, applying his 34-year career at IBM Canada to engage the business community in proactively avoiding risks and capturing opportunities through smart ESG practices. Sustainabilityadvantage Over the last 23 years, he has given over 1,800 presentations to corporate, government, university, and NGO audiences. Sustainabilityadvantage He has authored six books including The Sustainability Advantage and co-authored the Future-Fit Business Benchmark, and published two influential white papers. He was one of five inaugural inductees into the International Society of Sustainability Professionals Hall of Fame in 2011, has received three Clean50 awards including a Lifetime Achievement award in 2023, and holds a PhD in sustainability from the University of Toronto. Sustainabilityadvantage He serves on the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council board, the B Corp Standards Advisory Council, and the Future-Fit Foundation board, and advises the Canadian government's Low Carbon Procurement Advisory Committee. Sustainabilityadvantage

Whether you are a procurement professional, a corporate sustainability leader, an ESG investor, or a policymaker serious about net-zero, this episode delivers the practical roadmap the climate conversation urgently needs.

Note: Please update timestamps marked 0:X:XX once confirmed.

ABOUT TBLI RADICAL TRUTHReal experience. Real results. No greenwashing. TBLI Group is the world's leading ESG and impact investing network — educating, advising, and connecting investors for 25 years.

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