EU Sustainability & Supplier Impact Think Tank
Closing the EU–supplier capability gap
EU sustainability regulation is reshaping how the world trades, finances, and measures value creation. Yet more than half of the EU’s value chain lies outside its borders — in regions where reporting infrastructure, clarity and capacity are still developing. When capability doesn’t keep pace with regulation, the result is not just non-compliance. It is exclusion, supply-chain disruption, job loss, and stalled climate and human-rights progress
Our Mission
Make the Sustainability Transition Globally Inclusive, Practically Achievable, and Economically Resilient
The EU Sustainability & Supplier Impact Think Tank exists to ensure that ambition and capability grow together — not apart.
We act as a structured, trusted bridge between
- EU policymakers and regulators
- Companies dependent on global supply chains
- Suppliers in emerging and developing economies
- National governments and development partners
The challenge we are solving
The EU is moving faster and further than any other bloc in embedding sustainability into law. But:
80% of Suppliers
over 80% of suppliers serving the EU operate in regions with limited reporting infrastructure
Complexity and Lack of Clarity
Suppliers cite cost, complexity and lack of clarity as barriers
Without support, this drives a two-speed sustainability world:
- compliant vs excluded suppliers
- Funded vs Unfunded Businesses
- Connected vs Disconnected Economies
We are designed to prevent that outcome — by converting policy into practice, globally
What we do
We bridge regulation and reality.
We translate complex EU sustainability rules into practical, usable tools, while
ensuring supplier voices inform policymaking rather than being left behind
- Research supplier readiness and risk exposure
- Build communities of practice across regions and sectors
- Translate regulation into accessible guidance and templates
- Enable governments to design support programmes
- Equip SMEs with targeted capability-building
- Facilitate structured EU–supplier policy dialogue
- Publish evidence-based insights and impact reporting
Roadmap
Our 18-month roadmap (2026-2027)
Phase 1
(0–4 months)
Understand & Mobilise
- Mapping priority regions
- sectors and gaps
- convening early partners
Phase 2
(4–10 months)
Educate & Enable
- Toolkits
- Guidance & Training
- Communities of practice
Phase 3
(10–18 months)
Scale & Influence
- Consulting support to SMEs
- Policy feedback loops
- Impact publications
Why governments and the EU value this initiative
We help prevent
- Unintended exclusion of SMEs
- Loss of export competitiveness
- Fragility in EU value chains
- Regulatory non-compliance risk
We provide
- Real-world impact feedback to policymakers
- Visibility on readiness gaps
- Stronger social and economic resilience
- Globally inclusive implementation of EU law
Why investors and partners engage with us
Participation signals:
- ESG leadership
- Strategic foresight
- Credible risk governance
- Commitment to fair transition
- Preparedness for future regulation
It also creates:
- More compliant supply chains
- Higher-quality ESG data
- Lower disruption and reputational risk
- Access to pipeline markets prepared for EU expectations
Governance & neutrality
The Think Tank is hosted by the United Diplomatic Council (UDC), providing:
- Neutrality and non-partisanship
- Access to decision-makers
- Diplomatic reach across supplier regions
- Legitimacy and convening power
- Preparedness for future regulation
This positioning allows us to operate above narrow corporate or national interests and ensure balanced participation from:
- Governments
- Regulators
- Business and industry bodies
- Academia
- Civil-society organisations
- SMEs and supplier associations
Who we invite
Participation is open to:
- EU companies dependent on non-EU suppliers
- EU policy and regulatory institutions
- Non-EU policy and compliance agencies
- Procurement and ESG leaders
- Academics and impact analysts
- Development partners, SMEs and associations
Join this Think Tank
If you believe you can bring value to this think tank, in the form of knowledge, expertise or other alignments, please reach out to us to explore collaboration: