How Contract Insight supports a more sustainable future
Every July, millions of individuals and organisations around the world take part in Plastic Free July, a global movement aimed at reducing single-use plastics and creating cleaner communities and ecosystems. What began as a grassroots challenge in Australia has grown into a powerful symbol of environmental accountability and intentional decision-making.
But sustainability isn’t just a personal choice, it’s a business imperative. As more companies adopt environmentally responsible practices, sustainability must be embedded into core operations – including how organisations manage contracts. That’s where Contract Insightcomes in.
Sustainability starts with smart choices – and smart contracts
Whether it’s reducing packaging waste, switching to eco-friendly vendors, or committing to circular economy principles, companies are increasingly embedding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals into their operations. But those goals mean very little without a way to track, enforce, and audit them.
Contract Insight® our leading contract lifecycle management (CLM) solution, gives organisations the tools to make sustainability more than a mission statement – it makes it measurable.
Here’s how:
Vendor selection and sustainable sourcing
Plastic Free July encourages people to be conscious of the products they buy and the companies they support. Similarly, organisations can use Contract Insight’s vendor management tools to evaluate suppliers based on sustainability certifications, recycling practices, emissions data or plastic-reduction policies. By integrating these criteria into templates and vendor scorecards, Contract Insight helps procurement teams partner with companies that align with their plastic-reduction goals.
Clause libraries for environmental compliance
Organisations often have internal policies or must comply with environmental regulations such as the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive. Contract Insight’s clause library and AI clause matching tools allow legal and procurement teams to standardise green requirements across all vendor and service contracts.
You can build and automatically insert clauses related to:
- Reducing plastic packaging
- Sustainable sourcing
- Waste reduction benchmarks
- Reporting and audit obligations
This ensures that sustainability is built into the DNA of every agreement rather than left to chance.
Track KPIs and reporting for ESG goals
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Plastic Free July challenges us to examine our plastic footprint. Contract Insight allows you to do the same across your contract portfolio with configurable dashboards and reports.
Set and monitor contract-based sustainability KPIs like:
- % of suppliers compliant with plastic-reduction standards
- Number of contracts with green clauses
- Cost savings from reusable packaging agreements.
This level of visibility helps companies report accurately on ESG goals, share progress with stakeholders, and identify opportunities for improvement.
Reduce waste with digital contracting
Plastic Free July is all about cutting down on waste. So is digital transformation. By digitising and centralising contracts with Contract Insight, organisations dramatically reduce:
- Physical paperwork
- Storage space
- Shipping materials
- Manual processes that can lead to inefficiency or loss.
With features like eSignatures, electronic workflows, and document templates, Contract Insight supports a fully digital contract lifecycle that’s not only efficient but greener, too.
Sustainability is a long-term commitment
Plastic Free July reminds us that small actions can add up to big changes. For organisations, the key is to make those actions part of a lasting strategy. Contract Insight helps businesses go beyond one-time sustainability pledges – by building transparency, accountability, and alignment into every contract.
Whether you’re choosing a vendor, renewing a services agreement, or evaluating ESG performance, Contract Insight empowers you to make choices that reflect your values and track them every step of the way.
This July, as you swap out plastic for better alternatives, think about your organisation’s contracts. Are they supporting your sustainability mission? With Contract Insight they can be.
Let’s make Plastic Free July more than a personal challenge – let’s make it a business standard.
Contact John O’Brien, CEO at Four Business Solutions – global business consultants and software integrators specialising in business process improvement – request your free demo of award-winning Contract Insight® CLM software.
