Accelerating sustainable industrial transformation: a supplier-led perspective
Achieving ambitious sustainability targets in heavy industry will likely require more than demand-side commitments; it can depend on the practical ability of suppliers to innovate, invest, and deliver. A new insight report from the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Deloitte Consulting LLP, Turning challenge into opportunity, elevates the supplier perspective, providing an important roadmap for advancing sustainable industrial transformation.
Drawing on direct insights from industry leaders in aviation, shipping, steel, and other foundational sectors, the report moves beyond ambition to help address the bottlenecks and emerging opportunities that could define the next phase of sustainable innovation and growth.
From compliance to competitive advantage
Organizations that recognize supplier-led innovation as a driver of progress are well positioned to turn operational challenges into new opportunities for competitive advantage and growth. The insights in this report can help business leaders:
- Unlock new value: Identify and act on opportunities to help build new business models, enhance competitive advantage, and drive commercial growth through sustainable innovation.
- Strengthen supply chain resilience: Mitigate exposure to resource volatility and regulatory risk by modernizing infrastructure and investing in next-generation clean technologies.
- Accelerate strategic investments: Understand how to leverage aggregated market demand and consistent policy to help de-risk private investment in transformative industrial solutions.
- Drive progress through collaboration: Use value chain relationships to help advance systemic, industry-wide solutions to shared emissions reduction challenges.
Sector-specific pathways for action
Progress can require a nuanced understanding of each industry's unique challenges and opportunities. The report offers a practical blueprint for leaders navigating the realities of advancing cleaner, more sustainable industrial practices across seven sectors:
1. Aviation: Overcoming the infrastructure hurdles needed to help scale Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
2. Shipping: Securing the long-term offtake agreements that may be necessary to help unlock investment in low-carbon marine fuels.
3. Trucking: Aligning fleet electrification with charging infrastructure development and grid readiness.
4. Cement and concrete: Using procurement and standards to create bankable demand for low-carbon innovation.
5. Steel: Charting a course to commercialize pioneering technologies in a complex global policy environment.
6. Aluminium: Solving the energy challenge to help power low-carbon primary production.
7. Carbon dioxide removal: Building a coherent market structure to help commercialize and scale removal technologies.
How Deloitte can help
Deloitte is positioned to help organizations translate these supplier-led insights into actionable strategy. Deloitte practitioners support clients in navigating the complexities of advancing sustainable industrial solutions from assessing supply chain readiness and building the business case for investment, to developing strategic roadmaps and forging cross-sector collaborations.
Explore the findings
The Turning challenge into opportunity report is now available.
Download the report here.
