Top 10: Ethical Sourcing Tools for Procurement

As businesses shift their supply chains towards digital transparency, responsible sourcing has moved to the top of the procurement agenda. Solutions that let organisations track, analyse and manage supplier data are “playing a vital role” in this transition.

By automating compliance checks and cutting waste, these platforms help align purchasing with ESG goals and mitigate risks before they escalate. Ethical sourcing, in particular, means ensuring fair labour practices and human rights across the supply base.

Procurement Magazine looks at 10 procurement tools that drive transparency, traceability and compliance in ethical sourcing.

10. Retraced

CEO: Lukas Puender
Founded: 2019

Retraced transforms procurement by applying a six-step Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (CSDD) framework to manage supplier data.

It centralises supplier certifications and automates communication to enforce labour and environmental standards.

Through the centralisation of certifications, automated supplier communication and real-time risk monitoring, Retraced ensures compliance with global regulations, including the EU Digital Product Passport and the UFLPA. This approach enables businesses to lower their environmental impact and bolster ethical sourcing.

9. TradeBeyond

CEO: Michael Hung
Founded: 1995

TradeBeyond digitises factory audits and supply chain traceability on a single mobile platform. AI-driven verification flags issues like forced labour in real time.

The platform also automates carbon emissions tracking, centralising sustainability and compliance metrics so procurement teams can meet ESG goals across their supply chains.

By digitising audits using mobile applications and bespoke frameworks, the platform ensures rigorous oversight. AI-driven document verification and traceability tools offer real-time alerts regarding supply chain risks, including forced labour violations.

8. CO2 AI

• CEO: Charlotte Degot
• Founded: 2020

CO2 AI enables granular management of Scope 3 emissions. It builds detailed carbon footprints from activity data and segments suppliers by their sustainability maturity.

The platform pinpoints high-emission hotspots and provides a decarbonisation library so companies can set targets and collaborate with suppliers on cutting emissions.

Through primary data collection, reduction modelling and operational target-setting, the platform ensures companies can track progress and drive supplier commitments towards measurable carbon reductions.

7. Procleus

• CEO: Jonathan O’Brien
• Founded: 2003

The Procleus platform from Positive Purchasing is engineered to embed sustainability within procurement strategies. It provides specialised tools and structured frameworks to align decision-making with environmental, social and economic objectives.

Core capabilities include digital learning programmes, toolkits and intelligent workflows designed to bolster Category Management, Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) and Sustainable Procurement.

Procleus empowers organisations to evaluate supplier performance, mitigate risks and embed responsible sourcing, ensuring businesses achieve their sustainability targets whilst driving efficiency.

6. Green Project Technologies

• CEO: Sam Stark
• Founded: 2020

Following its acquisition of Emitwise, Green Project Technologies expanded its offering to provide global procurement teams with complete visibility into their supply chains. 

It's AI-driven platform equips leading corporations to seamlessly engage suppliers at scale, track emissions data, support Corporate, Product and Service Carbon Footprint (PCF) creation and align suppliers to structured decarbonisation pathways.

Through supplier engagement, verified data, and renewable energy procurement, Green Project supports end-to-end supply chain decarbonisation. 

5. TrusTrace

• CEO: Shameek Ghosh
• Founded: 2016

TrusTrace offers a robust platform for risk, compliance and impact management, streamlining due diligence processes. It ensures regulatory compliance, including with the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), by providing end-to-end supply chain traceability.

TrusTrace maps suppliers across tiers, validates certifications and conducts risk assessments utilising AI, blockchain and IoT technologies. The platform identifies risks such as forced labour, tracks carbon footprints and ensures material integrity, enabling organisations to align procurement decisions with sustainability targets whilst maintaining transparency and accountability.

4. SAP Sustainability Footprint Management

• CEO: Christian Klein
• Founded: 1972

SAP’s Sustainability Footprint Management embeds carbon data into procurement processes. It calculates Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions and helps companies prioritise low-carbon suppliers. AI-powered emission factor mapping and lifecycle analysis improve accuracy, and dashboards provide clear analytics for decision-making. By feeding these footprint metrics into sourcing,

SAP SFM makes it easier to build environmental and social criteria into each purchasing decision.

3. Sedex

• CEO: Jon Hancock
• Founded: 2004

Sedex (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange) helps companies drive responsible sourcing with shared audit and risk data. The network provides secure data-sharing and tools for risk assessments (such as SMETA audits), reducing duplicative audits for buyers and suppliers.

With members in over 150 countries, Sedex enables collaboration on ethical trade and continuous improvement in supply chain practices, ultimately benefiting millions of workers worldwide.

2. Assent Supply Chain Sustainability Platform

• CEO: Michael Southworth
• Founded: 2010

Assent’s platform gives teams deep visibility across multi-tier supply chains. It maps suppliers and their parts, collecting data on product compliance, trade regulations and ESG metrics.

Assent’s data management system collects and validates supplier information, covering product compliance, trade regulations and ESG metrics.

The platform also supports compliance with global regulations, such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), CSRD, REACH and PFAS. It streamlines supplier collaboration with multilingual support and automated workflows, reducing survey fatigue whilst enhancing engagement.

Risk mitigation tools, including real-time dashboards and automated document reviews, also help organisations to proactively address supply chain vulnerabilities. Utilising one of the largest sustainability data networks, Assent delivers actionable insights, allowing companies to align procurement with ESG targets whilst maintaining regulatory compliance.

1. EcoVadis Ratings

• CEO: Pierre-François Thaler
• Founded: 2007

The EcoVadis sustainability intelligence suite spans the full spectrum of sustainability risk and performance management. It provides broad-scale supply chain risk screening and mapping, reliable scorecards with actionable ratings, and comprehensive audit and improvement management. More than 150,000 organisations utilise EcoVadis ratings, risk and carbon management tools and its digital learning platform to accelerate their journey towards resilience, sustainable growth and a positive global impact.

The ethical scoring methodology is built upon three core pillars: policies (25%), actions (40%) and results (35%). This provides a holistic view of a company's sustainability management rather than a simple "tick-box" exercise.

Scorecards highlight strengths, areas for improvement and industry benchmarks, whilst medal-based recognition (Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum) allows organisations to demonstrate a verified commitment to ethical standards.

The platform also facilitates deeper collaboration by enabling businesses to share ratings with partners, driving transparency and accountability across the entire supply chain.

EcoVadis remains a market leader in empowering procurement teams to mitigate risks, optimise sustainability practices and align purchasing decisions with long-term ESG commitments.