How Oluwafunmilayo Akinleye is redefining procurement by making sustainability pay

As businesses grapple with rising costs, supply chain volatility, and growing pressure to respond to climate change, the long-held belief that sustainability undermines profitability is increasingly being challenged.

One of the voices pushing back against that assumption is Oluwafunmilayo Kehinde Akinleye, whose work in green procurement is reframing environmental responsibility as a source of long-term financial value rather than a cost burden.

Akinleye’s approach centres on repositioning sustainability as a core procurement objective, rather than a secondary compliance exercise. In her view, environmental considerations should sit alongside cost, quality, and delivery in sourcing decisions.

By embedding sustainability into supplier selection, contract design, and performance evaluation, she argues that organisations can ensure green commitments translate into real purchasing behaviour.

Cost efficiency remains central to the strategy, but it is assessed through a longer-term lens. Akinleye highlights the limitations of focusing solely on upfront prices, noting that environmentally responsible products often deliver a lower total cost of ownership.

Energy-efficient equipment, durable materials, and recyclable inputs may cost more initially but can significantly reduce operating, maintenance, and disposal expenses over time.

Lifecycle costing models, she says, help procurement teams uncover savings that traditional price comparisons often miss. Supplier engagement is another pillar of her framework.

Akinleye advocates working closely with suppliers that demonstrate strong environmental performance, transparent reporting, and a willingness to innovate.

Tools such as sustainability scorecards allow procurement teams to assess suppliers on emissions, resource efficiency, waste management, and environmental certifications. This structured approach not only reduces environmental risk but also encourages suppliers to improve their practices to remain competitive.

Innovation is presented as one of the strongest commercial benefits of green procurement. By collaborating with environmentally responsible suppliers, organisations can access new materials, cleaner technologies, and more efficient processes. Akinleye shows how joint innovation initiatives can cut emissions while also reducing costs through better logistics, material substitution, or process optimisation.

Risk management also features prominently. Environmental risks, from regulatory changes to climate-related disruptions, increasingly affect procurement costs and supply continuity. Green procurement, Akinleye argues, helps organisations anticipate these risks by building more resilient supply chains and reducing exposure to penalties, reputational damage, and sudden cost shocks.

Technology underpins the practical delivery of this strategy. Digital procurement platforms and analytics tools enable companies to track environmental performance alongside cost metrics, providing real-time visibility into supplier emissions, energy use, and material consumption. Data-driven decision-making allows organisations to set measurable targets and demonstrate credible progress.

Beyond cost savings, Akinleye’s approach delivers broader business benefits, including a stronger brand reputation, greater stakeholder trust, and better access to markets amid tightening sustainability standards.

Her work positions procurement as a strategic lever for competitiveness in a carbon-constrained economy, showing that responsible sourcing can drive resilience, innovation, and long-term profitability.