Recommendation: Implement a mandatory supplier engagement programme that requires packaging partners to report Scope 3 emissions data and to commit concrete improvement plans within 12 months.
To ensure data is visible, adopt pitney data templates that standardize emissions inputs and provide an overview of performance across the supply base through a centralized dashboard.
Each supplier must submit quarterly reports detailing material usage, energy intensity, transport kilometres, and end-to-end emissions. Henkel will verify with audits and provide feedback via a simple scoring model that links to supply contracts and incentives. A designated contact in the sourcing team will guide them through the data submission process.
Through this programme, suppliers will uncover opportunities to redesign packaging, switch to lower-impact materials, and optimize distribution; such changes deliver more gain and hugely sustainable gains when data guides decision-making that they want to act on.
Henkel will share progress with internal and external stakeholders and with other packaging manufacturers through quarterly updates; expects to close the gap on Scope 3 emissions across the supply chain and reveal measurable data that demonstrates the value of the programme.
Scope 3 Emissions in Packaging: What Counts and How to Measure
Start by mapping your packaging-related Scope 3 categories and apply consistent measures across your value chain. That gives you an actionable overview of where emissions originate and what data you must capture to manage them effectively.
Count emissions across five main categories: Purchased goods and services for packaging, Upstream transportation and distribution, Waste generated in operations, End-of-life treatment of packaging, and Use of sold products. For each category, collect data from suppliers, factories, and logistics partners with a single template and standard unit (kg CO2e). Across worldwide supply networks, upstream materials and end-of-life treatment typically drive the majority of packaging emissions, often 60–75% of the total, with transport and waste making up the rest.
Measurement approach and data quality: Use a hybrid method that blends supplier-reported data with modeled figures from life-cycle databases. Build a simple, auditable model to track the five categories and assign responsibility so your team can manage data quality and fill gaps quickly. This approach provides an overview for leadership and supports a practical training program.
Policy and project governance: For the henkels project, define a policy that prioritizes the categories with the biggest impact, set a credible target, and require quarterly progress updates from their suppliers. Start with medium-sized suppliers to pilot the approach and then expand to all partners together worldwide.
Technology and collaboration: Implement user-friendly technology to collect data, track measures, and visualize progress. Use training materials and regular workshops to help your suppliers understand emissions drivers and how to reduce them. The result is a clear value proposition for environmental performance and a path to ongoing reductions.
Bid Structure and RFP Criteria for Packaging Suppliers
Bid structure essentials
Define a four-module bid structure that guides suppliers to submit comparable offers: baseline pricing and service levels; a carbon reduction plan with milestones; packaging materials, recyclability, and upstream logistics data; and risk, compliance, and data protection measures. This framework clarifies expectations for your organization and helps you compare offers from other providers with precision.
This structure allows suppliers to submit consistent data and enables a clean comparison across other bids, ensuring carbon performance remains central to the decision. Align every module with your policy and governance standards to protect data and preserve confidentiality.
Advance the process with a standard cost model that includes base price, surcharges, freight, and value-added services. Require a transparent view of any surcharges and how they may shift over time, plus clear notes on how services will be delivered and measured.
Include where data will be collected and who will own assets, with a clear data room plan. Document how data assets support your organization’s decarbonization goals and how access will be controlled to protect sensitive information.
Regularly schedule submission stages: an initial concept brief, then a full proposal, with a fixed calendar. Designate a single contact for each bid and publish a timing map so suppliers know exactly where to send questions and how responses will be delivered. Track progress through defined milestones to keep your team aligned.
Incorporate data protection measures and compliance checks into the bid design, tying them to your overarching policy and protection requirements. Include a clause that evaluates supplier readiness to meet data and confidentiality standards as part of the offer assessment.
RFP criteria and data requirements
Set carbon-focused evaluation criteria that emphasize upstream emissions, reduction potential, and alignment with targets. Require quantified reduction trajectories and a plan to monitor progress through the life of the contract, with clear milestones and review points.
Request a german supplier offer that demonstrates how technology and access to assets will drive the decarbonization effort. Ensure the offer includes a straightforward policy statement, a technology roadmap, and concrete examples of how assets and tools will be deployed to lower emissions in the packaging chain.
Require a detailed description of how the chain and upstream suppliers will be managed to reduce Scope 3 emissions. The response should show governance structures, risk controls, supplier engagement activities, and measurable measures tied to specific targets and timeframes.
Ask for lifecycle data and performance measures: material inputs, recyclability, end-of-life handling, and data protection considerations. Requests should include third-party verification where available and a plan to close data gaps with documented evidence.
Include finance questions that explain how you will finance decarbonization investments, any advance payments, and the potential impact on total cost of ownership. Request transparency on investment timelines, ROI expectations, and how long-term contracts may influence pricing and risk sharing.
Set a clear timeline and ensure a single contact remains available for clarification. Require responses in a consistent format, with a dedicated point of contact who will coordinate answers, compare offers, and manage follow-up questions efficiently.
Data Collection, Verification, and Transparency of Emission Metrics
Adopt a standardized emissions data template across the supply chain and appoint a dedicated data manager by Q3 2025. This template becomes the basis for measurement and targets, capturing upstream packaging materials, energy use, and logistics traded across regions, and therefore enabling clear visibility of how packaging choices affect Scope 3 emissions.
Map data flows from suppliers to the company, prioritizing upstream activities, manufacture sites, and field operations. Collect material-specific data (mass, energy intensity, process emissions) and connect it to a common unit such as CO2e per packaging unit, creating a consistent baseline that supports apples-to-apples comparisons across suppliers and plants. Ensure data from manufacture processes is tagged by material type and destination so you can trace where emissions originate and gain confidence in the numbers, then share them with them and their teams.
Verification: Require third-party assurance and periodic checks to validate data accuracy. Use established frameworks and maintain data provenance records to ensure credibility. Schedule independent audits for at least 20% of suppliers each year and publish non-sensitive results to build trust with customers and regulators.
Transparency: Publish an overview of the methodology, with the basis for calculations and disclosure scope. Align paris-aligned targets to net-zero ambitions and provide a public dashboard that shows progress without compromising competitive information. For packaging, present metrics by material category, supplier, and region, so manufacturers and their supply chains can track improvements in near real-time.
Training: Run targeted training for suppliers and internal teams so they can collect consistent data, interpret results, and implement corrective measures. Offer hands-on guidance on data collection, quality checks, and governance processes to improve data reliability across the field and upstream.
Pathway and measures: Define a concrete decarbonisation pathway with measures such as switching to recycled content, reducing energy intensity in manufacture, and optimizing packaging weight. Track progress against targets and report fluctuations clearly. This visibility helps gain alignment with traded partners and ensure the supply base focuses on decarbonisation where it matters most.
Governance: Create a cross-functional body to manage data quality, answer questions from stakeholders, and decide when to adjust targets. Use a formalised process to review upstream data, ensure consistency with net-zero ambitions, and manage risk across the supply chain. This governance, called Data Transparency for Packaging, codifies expectations for manufacturers and their suppliers and sets clear cadence for updates.
Conquéret milestone: Mark a conquéret milestone to signal breakthrough transparency and encourage continuous improvement across the supply chain. This milestone helps them gain buy-in from manufacturers and their suppliers, and clarifies how decarbonisation measures translate into real gains in the field.
Finally, ensure that the approach remains practical and actionable: limit disclosures to the minimum necessary, only publish data that informs decision making, and provide an easily navigable overview that managers in the supply base can act on. The result is a robust, auditable framework that strengthens trust with customers and accelerates net-zero progress.
Engagement Timeline: From Supplier Onboarding to Emission Reduction Goals
Begin onboarding by mapping data flows from each supplier and establishing a concrete baseline for emissions tied to packaging lines. Create a single access point for data, assign a field trainer, and require them to share volumes and line-item data to support assessing reduction opportunities. This approach will lay the groundwork for a transparent, scalable program that partners can trust.
Henkel will lead a policy-driven engagement with partners, with a chief sponsor from the supply chain team coordinating cross-functional trainings. Henkel reportedly asks suppliers to share progress, results, and next steps with the brand field team, enabling rapid feedback and course correction. The initiative will set clear expectations and ensure accountability across the value chain.
Phased Onboarding and Training
In the first 30 days, complete onboarding, grant system access to the data platform, and conduct training sessions for them on assessing packaging-related emissions and data quality. This phase will establish the baseline and empower suppliers to participate actively in future steps.
From day 60 to day 120, engage actively with partner manufacturers to assess reduction opportunities, run targeted activities on high-volume lines, and pilot improvements with medium-sized suppliers. Share progress with the brand team and field colleagues to drive momentum. Use benchmark data from major retailers such as amazon to calibrate line-level targets and demonstrate practical impact.
Beyond day 120, set future reduction goals with time-bound targets, align with policy, establish clear KPIs, and implement a rigorous monitoring cadence. Use data dashboards to track emissions by line and by supplier, ensuring transparent reporting to brand managers and field teams. Maintain ongoing training and give them continued access to best practices, so packaging improvements scale across volumes.
Risk Management and Compliance: Aligning With Internal and External Standards
Directly tie supplier performance to net-zero targets by establishing a formal risk program for packaging suppliers. Build a contract framework that includes protection measures, explicit targets, and clear consequences linked to performance. We offer practical support to help suppliers reach targets.
In addition to internal policies, align with external standards such as the GHG Protocol, ISO 14001, and ISO 20400. Create a governance structure that oversees risk, compliance, and supplier engagement, and require reports that verify progress through a standardized data model. The standard applies to every step of the manufacture and distribution, and as an addition to policy, require data protection and access controls, and establish a portal where suppliers upload data securely and where access is tightly controlled.
- Map packaging suppliers, classify them by critical assets and exposure, and assign a risk score that feeds into the procurement decision. Update quarterly and share the results with your teams; set a target that 80% of critical suppliers report emissions data for the current year.
- Require data collection that directly measures carbon intensity and Scope 3 impacts for packaging, using a common template; ensure data protection and restrict access to authorized personnel.
- Embed contract clauses that bind suppliers to annual reduction targets, specify the program for reduction measures, and set out pricing implications such as surcharges for missed targets; ensure mechanisms to audit and verify.
- Adopt third-party verification of emissions data at least once per year, with an auditable trail in reports; compare current performance to previous years to quantify reduction.
- Assign a program owner and a procurement liaison, track progress against targets, and publish a dashboard that your leadership reviews monthly.
- Define a clear pathway for supplier improvements, including actions like switching to recycled materials, optimizing packaging design, and reducing transport miles; require these actions in the contract and monitor results.
- Disclose progress through internal and external reports, and use channels such as supplier portals and internal facebook groups to share updates, while safeguarding sensitive data.