In early 2024, three Graduate Consultants from Barkers attended a three-day sustainability course delivered by the University of Liverpool Management School, alongside professionals from a range of industries.
The programme explored sustainability strategy, futures thinking, ESG frameworks, and the role of innovation in addressing climate challenges. Sessions were led by subject matter experts and focused on topics including critical uncertainties, future technologies, and the balance between investment decisions and climate impact.
Across the three days, participants explored how organisations can better anticipate change and integrate sustainability into long-term strategic planning.
Below are three key takeaways from the course and how they can be applied in business strategy and procurement.
1) Identifying Sustainability Blind Spots in Organisations
While sustainability is now a priority for most organisations — from SMEs to multinational corporations — significant blind spots still exist in sustainability strategies.
A key issue highlighted during the course is that many sustainability initiatives are internally focused, without fully considering wider impacts across the supply chain, procurement processes, and downstream environmental effects.
This can lead to a misalignment between sustainability goals and operational reality. For example, organisations may set ambitious targets such as net-zero emissions or fully recyclable materials, but fail to embed these requirements into procurement decisions or supplier engagement strategies.
In some cases, this gap can result in greenwashing, where sustainability claims are not fully supported by measurable action — reducing trust and limiting long-term impact.
2) Strategic Planning Through Futures Thinking
A core theme of the course was the use of futures thinking in strategic sustainability planning.
Rather than reacting to change, futures thinking encourages organisations to:
- Explore multiple plausible future scenarios
- Identify risks and opportunities in advance
- Work backwards from a desired future outcome
This approach — often referred to as “backcasting” — helps organisations define long-term sustainability goals and translate them into actionable steps today.
By breaking down complex sustainability challenges into manageable milestones, organisations can:
- Improve strategic alignment
- Strengthen stakeholder engagement
- Increase buy-in across departments
- Embed sustainability into core business decision-making
Ultimately, this shifts sustainability from a compliance exercise to a strategic growth driver.
3) Sustainability Progress: It’s Not All Doom and Gloom
Despite ongoing environmental challenges, the course highlighted a more optimistic reality: many organisations are already contributing to sustainability outcomes more than they realise.
Examples discussed included:
- Hybrid and flexible working policies reducing commuting emissions
- Employee volunteering initiatives such as environmental clean-ups
- ESG and social value programmes embedded into operations
- Internal training initiatives, such as carbon literacy programmes (including at Barkers)
These initiatives demonstrate that progress is already underway — but often not fully recognised or measured in a structured way.
4) Practical Applications for Procurement Teams
The insights from the course can be directly applied to procurement and supply chain strategy. Key actions include:
- Conducting an ESG health check to identify sustainability blind spots
- Embedding carbon reduction requirements into procurement processes
- Holding suppliers accountable through clear ESG criteria and reporting
- Integrating futures thinking into procurement strategy to anticipate future regulatory, environmental, and market changes
By embedding these principles, procurement functions can play a central role in delivering long-term sustainability outcomes.
Conclusion
Futures thinking provides a powerful framework for organisations looking to move beyond short-term sustainability goals and towards meaningful long-term impact. By identifying blind spots, improving strategic foresight, and embedding ESG into procurement practices, organisations can better prepare for an uncertain but increasingly sustainability-driven future.