As regulatory and climate pressures intensify, procurement departments find themselves on the front line, writes Vincent Dessale, Chief Executive Markets & Commercial Officer, Nexans.
They are no longer merely responsible for cost and technical performance but are becoming key players in companies’ low-carbon trajectories. Yet, when it comes to making decisions, they must navigate through a fog of environmental labels.
In recent years, eco-scores and labels have proliferated. Their promise to simplify environmental complexity into a clear indicator is appealing. Unfortunately, this simplification comes at a cost. Behind the same ‘green score’, methodologies differ, scopes vary, and assumptions remain opaque. The result creates two products with similar performance, which may be based on radically different environmental realities.
For buyers, this lack of consistency is not merely an inconvenience. It undermines comparability, introduces risk into decision-making and, ultimately, weakens the very credibility of responsible procurement. In major projects, where every choice involves millions of euros and tonnes of CO₂, this lack of transparency is no longer acceptable.
The challenge is not to produce more labels, but to return to the foundation of any informed decision: data. Environmental data that is measured, certified, comparable and accessible. Data derived from rigorous life cycle assessments (LCAs), covering the full range of a product’s impacts, from raw material extraction to end-of-life.
It is precisely this approach that enables us to move from declarative purchasing to data-driven purchasing. Comparing products no longer because of a simplified score, but on objective indicators, verified by independent third parties, and aligned with international standards. In other words, this puts science and accountable information back at the heart of decision-making.
This shift is already underway. Driven by regulations such as the CSRD or the digital product passport, environmental transparency is becoming a structural requirement. Companies must now report, trace and justify. In this context, closed labels are increasingly seen as tools of the past.
Of course, for data to be useful, it must be shareable. and environmental data locked within a proprietary system recreates opacity. Conversely, open data—structured and integrable into buyers’ tools—becomes a genuine lever for transformation. It enables us to assess, optimise and manage emissions at the level of a project or a supplier portfolio.
At Nexans, we have made this choice. The real environmental impact of our products that was once invisible is now notable and relatable. Our low-carbon programme is based on the provision of certified LCA data, derived in particular from product environmental profiles (PEP ecopassport®), accessible to our entire ecosystem.
This transparency is a practical tool for taking action. It enables our customers to objectively compare our solutions, incorporate carbon considerations into their tenders, and make informed decisions in the face of growing regulatory requirements. It also helps distinguish between ‘paying more’ and ‘paying fairly’, by linking price to measurable environmental performance.
Above all, it helps to structure the market.
Because the issue goes far beyond any single player or sector. It concerns the way in which we build the standards of tomorrow. Do we want a fragmented market, dominated by incomparable labels? Or an ecosystem based on shared data that is verifiable and usable by all?
We are betting on the second option.
Low-carbon procurement can only become a genuine driver of transformation if it is built on solid foundations. Data is the cornerstone of this. Only data can reconcile environmental standards, economic rigour and trust between stakeholders.
In the future, carbon performance will no longer be a mere ‘bonus’. It will be a purchasing criterion as fundamental as price or technical performance. It is up to us, as manufacturers, to provide the tools to measure it. It is up to buyers to make use of them to transform their decisions for the long term.
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