Engaging Churchill Group’s Suppliers to Drive Scope 3 Emissions Reduction

Acclaro Advisory has been working closely with Churchill Group, a UK-based facilities management company, since 2022 to shape and deliver their end-to-end climate strategy. Over the years, the support has evolved from developing Churchill’s greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory and net zero roadmap through to securing validation of science-based targets in April 2024.

Building on this foundation, Acclaro most recently partnered with Churchill to design and deliver a supplier engagement programme, helping them to drive decarbonisation across their value chain and stay on track to meet their Scope 3 supplier engagement target. This work reflects Acclaro’s ongoing role in embedding sustainability across Churchill’s operations, governance, and supply chain whilst building cross-functional collaboration with the supply chain team to translate ambition into action. The programme also empowers Churchill’s suppliers to take accountability for their own climate risks and actions, strengthening partnerships and creating a more resilient supply chain for the climate transition.

The Challenge

To meet SBTi supplier engagement criteria, Churchill committed to ensuring that 95.3% of suppliers (by emissions) set science-aligned targets by FY2027. This currently accounts for 67% of their Scope 3 emissions.

Achieving this target required more than technical emissions tools,it demanded close collaboration between Churchill’s sustainability function and its supply chain team. Suppliers vary widely in their sustainability maturity, data availability is inconsistent, which meant procurement processes and supplier management practices needed to evolve. Without early, structured engagement, Churchill risked missing this critical target and facing increasing transition risks, from customer scrutiny to depending on a supply chain that is not prepared for a climate transition.

The challenge was therefore twofold: building the internal alignment to embed sustainability within procurement decision-making, while also providing suppliers with the knowledge and tools to take meaningful climate action.

The Solution

To address Churchill’s Scope 3 emissions challenges, Acclaro has been working with both sustainability and supply chain functions to embed climate targets into procurement and supplier engagement processes. This joint approach ensured that supplier engagement was not an isolated exercise, but a business-wide priority that supported resilience, compliance, and reputation.

Key elements of the programme included:

Internal department and supplier engagement strategy

• Internal engagement to understand the needs of cross-functional teams
• Utilised rankings and data to prioritise supplier outreach
• Developed tailored content based on SBTi guidance and GHG Protocol, aligned with departmental needs.

Tools and resources

• Created an easy-to-use GHG inventory calculator for supplier use
• Developed a target-setting tool that auto-generates an emissions summary from Scope 1, 2 and 3 inputs
• Built a step-by-step emissions reduction guide to support planning

Webinars

• Delivered interactive webinars to introduce tools and gather feedback and build supplier understanding
• Discussed the business relevance of emissions measurement, customer expectations, transition risks to ensure content resonated with both sustainability and supply chain team stakeholders, along with the range of supplier maturity levels

“This project was a great example of how supplier engagement, when properly executed, can be a real catalyst for change. By combining robust data with tailored tools and clear guidance, we helped Churchill empower their suppliers to take meaningful climate action, no matter where they were starting from”  

Debbie Shore, Senior Sustainability Consultant at Acclaro

Impact

• Transition risk management: By strengthening suppliers’ understanding of climate reporting and reduction, Churchill is reducing regulatory, reputational, and commercial risks while demonstrating leadership to customers.
• Cross-functional collaboration: By embedding sustainability into procurement practices, Churchill’s supply chain team became a driver of climate action, not just a delivery partner. This integration is key to ensuring lasting supplier commitment.
• Greater supplier participation and awareness: Prioritised outreach and tailored resources increased engagement across key suppliers, building understanding and commitment to emissions reduction.
• Improved data quality and reporting: Suppliers are now able to measure and report Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions accurately using the GHG inventory calculator and target-setting tool, giving Churchill more reliable data to track progress to targets.
• Actionable reduction plans: The step-by-step emissions reduction guide has enabled suppliers to identify practical actions to lower their carbon footprint, which will help Churchill reduce Scope 3 emissions and meet SBTi targets.

The programme’s success was underpinned by robust supplier data. Acclaro’s ongoing work with Churchill over several years on supplier data analysis meant the supplier engagement phase was built on a strong foundation and clear priorities.

“By working with Acclaro, we transformed Scope 3 engagement from a compliance burden into a source of resilience and long-term value across our supply chain.”

Churchill Group

Looking Forward

Acclaro are continuing to work with Churchill on their broader ESG programme, including ongoing collaboration on emissions reporting, roadmap development, and other emerging priorities as their sustainability programme continues to evolve. Acclaro remain committed to supporting Churchill in driving measurable progress and continuing to embed and integrate ESG principles across their whole value chain.