On July 1st, we welcomed sustainability professionals, procurement leaders, ESG specialists, and data experts to the Salacia office in Rotterdam for the second edition of the See Your Future Community. Together with the Social and Economic Council (SER) and Lyreco, we explored one of the biggest sustainability challenges organizations face today: how to gain control over ESG data across the value chain.
What made this session particularly valuable wasn’t just the expertise shared from the stage – it was the openness of the discussions. Participants from a wide range of industries quickly discovered that, despite operating in different sectors, they are facing remarkably similar challenges.
Turning supply chain responsibility into practical action
Supply chain responsibility has rapidly become a strategic priority. Whether organizations are preparing for future regulations, responding to customer expectations, managing risks, or simply wanting to make better-informed decisions, one thing is clear:
Reliable ESG data is the foundation.
The challenge, however, is rarely understanding why ESG data matters. The real question is how organizations can actually collect, manage, and use it effectively.
Throughout the afternoon, our speakers and participants shared practical experiences, discussed common roadblocks, and worked together on solutions that can help organizations move from compliance towards real business value.
Sustainability cannot be carried by one department
One of the strongest themes emerging from the discussions was that sustainability initiatives still rely too heavily on one or two dedicated people within many organizations.
Yet responsible supply chain management requires collaboration across the entire business.
Procurement needs supplier engagement.
Legal needs governance.
Operations need reliable data.
Management needs insights to make decisions.
Organizations that have already embedded sustainability across multiple departments are finding it much easier to move forward than those where ESG remains an isolated responsibility.
As several participants noted, supply chain responsibility is ultimately a business transformation—not a sustainability project.
Supplier fatigue is becoming a real issue
Every organization wants more insight into its suppliers.
The problem?
Suppliers are receiving an overwhelming number of questionnaires from customers, often asking for similar information in slightly different formats.
This growing phenomenon, often referred to as supplier fatigue, creates frustration, increases administrative work, and ultimately results in lower-quality data.
Rather than continuing to ask suppliers for more information, many participants agreed that the future lies in asking smarter questions.
Data standardization, AI, and better collaboration between organizations offer significant opportunities to reduce duplicate requests while improving the quality and availability of ESG data.
These insights directly support several new product ideas currently being explored by Salacia’s Product Development team.
Collecting data is only the beginning
Even when organizations succeed in gathering ESG data, another challenge quickly emerges.
Information is often scattered across:
- Excel spreadsheets
- ERP systems
- Supplier portals
- Certificates
- Email conversations
- Internal databases
Collecting data is difficult.
Connecting, standardizing, validating, and reusing that information across the organization is even harder.
During interactive breakout sessions, participants shared practical experiences around how tooling could simplify these processes and where the biggest opportunities lie to reduce manual work.
These conversations are incredibly valuable as they help shape the next generation of functionality within the Salacia platform.
Practical advice that every organization can apply today
One of the most appreciated parts of the session was the practical guidance shared by both the speakers and participants.
Several key recommendations stood out:
- Don’t aim for perfection from day one, focus on your biggest risks and impacts first.
- Prioritize instead of trying to solve every ESG challenge simultaneously.
- Start the conversation with suppliers rather than simply sending another Code of Conduct or questionnaire.
- Ask suppliers what they need in order to provide better data.
- Build relationships instead of administrative processes.
Supply chain transparency is ultimately a collaborative effort.
Don’t let regulatory uncertainty slow you down
Another recurring topic was the ongoing discussion surrounding the Omnibus proposals and changing European sustainability legislation.
The message from both the SER and Salacia was consistent:
Don’t wait.
Organizations that postpone their sustainability efforts because regulations are evolving risk losing valuable time.
Instead, use this period to improve internal processes, strengthen collaboration, organize your data, and prepare your organization for the future.
Regardless of exactly how reporting requirements evolve, better ESG data will continue to support better business decisions.
Thank you to everyone who joined
A special thank you goes to our speakers:
- Noortje Crabbendam (SER) for sharing practical guidance on supply chain due diligence and ESG legislation.
- Iris van Wanrooij (Lyreco) for openly discussing the realities of implementing supply chain sustainability within a global organization.
Most importantly, thank you to everyone who participated.
Your openness, ideas, challenges, and willingness to share experiences are exactly what make the See Your Future Community so valuable.
Together, we’re building more than software.
We’re building a community that helps organizations turn supply chain responsibility from a concern into real control.
Join the conversation
The See Your Future Community brings together professionals who believe sustainability becomes more impactful when knowledge, experiences, and practical solutions are shared.
Interested in joining one of our upcoming community events?
Keep an eye on our events page or follow Salacia Solutions on LinkedIn for upcoming sessions. We look forward to welcoming you at the next edition.
