24 % of the surveyed companies have a complete view of their direct suppliers. One level below that, the figure is 2 %. It is precisely at this level that regulators, banks, and major customers now require proof. „State of Procurement & Supply Chain Management 2026” measures just how wide this gap really is.
Study 2026 · 4th annual survey · 74 evaluated questionnaires · conducted at the University of Applied Sciences of Graubünden on behalf of ZEROvia GmbH
PDF, 16 pages + one-pager · no newsletter required
Full transparency along the chain
Bar length relative to the maximum value (24 %). Approximately 40 % lack any transparency regarding early warning indicators for risks in the upstream supply chain.
Fig. 1 — Share of companies with full transparency per supply chain tier (n = 74).
1. The demand is growing faster than the database
Procurement and supply chain management are expected to simultaneously reduce costs, secure supply, manage risks, and provide ESG documentation today. The 2026 survey shows: The strategic ambition has been received – the organizational, technological, and data-related prerequisites are lagging behind.
The pattern runs through all examined fields. Administrative processes are digitized, strategic ones are not. AI is considered a priority, but is rarely used in planning, forecasting, and risk analysis. ESG is anchored in the strategy and fails due to a lack of supply chain data. The study quantifies these gaps – across four survey years.
2. Core results 2026: five findings, three of them here
24 → 2 %
Blind flight beyond Tier 1
There is full transparency for 24 % regarding direct suppliers, and for 2 % regarding the level beyond that. Downstream, the situation is similar: 18 % → 6 %.
57 %
Transparency beats cost
cite a lack of supply chain transparency as the biggest ESG hurdle—ahead of negative price impacts (54 %) and a lack of resources (51 %).
50 %
AI: Ambition beats reality
do not use AI at all in supply chain planning. Demand forecasting 45 %, supplier risk monitoring 44 %—despite high strategic expectations.
Managed Spend
Only a fraction of companies actively manage the majority of their own purchasing volume – and a significant proportion do not even know their own value.
In the study
SMEs vs. large enterprises
Both groups fail for completely different reasons. Segment analysis shows why—and what that means for supply chain collaboration.
In the study
2023 → 2026
What has changed across four surveys, what stubbornly remains the same – and where regulation has turned from an obstacle into a driver.
In the study
3. About the study series: conducted annually since 2023
„State of Procurement has been conducted at the University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons since 2023 – as a student applied project for the Digital Supply Chain Management bachelor's degree program, commissioned by ZEROvia GmbH (formerly Impact Procurement).
The 2026 survey is the fourth in the series. It was conducted from April 20 to May 10, 2026, as an online survey and was distributed via the network of the CSCMP Roundtable Switzerland, LinkedIn, and personal contacts. A stable core set of questions makes developments comparable over four years; in 2026, questions on supply chain visibility, resilience, and risk management were included for the first time.
2023
n = 48
Sustainability in procurement
2024
n = 52
Expansion through AI and regulation
2025
n = 45
Focus on costs and ESG strategy
2026
n = 74
Visibility, Resilience, Risk
What this study is not
The sample is non-probabilistic and not representative of the Swiss business landscape. In 2026, large organizations are overrepresented: 30 % of the responses came from companies with more than 5,000 employees. Individual questions have been modified or added over the years. The results should therefore be interpreted as indicators of trends, not as a fully comparable time series.
4. Why ZEROvia commissioned this study
ZEROvia has been commissioning this series of studies since 2023 to quantify the ESG data gap in European supply chains. The results are incorporated into research, teaching, and our product development as independent market intelligence—and are published freely every year.
The 2026 findings align with what we see in projects: large enterprises cannot manage their supply chains end-to-end because their suppliers, which are often medium-sized businesses, are unable to provide the required data in a structured and verifiable manner. This is the interface where we come in.
„ESG is becoming infrastructure.»
Capture. Detect. Improve.
Here is what you get: Study presentation and one-pager
- Five key results 2026 – from strategic priorities to supply chain visibility.
- Four-year comparison 2023–2026 - along a stable core of questions: what has changed and what remains.
- Segment Analysis SMEs vs. Large Enterprises – different hurdles, different levels of maturity.
- Four recommendations for action - for specialists and executives, derived directly from the findings.
- Methodological classification - Sample, limitations and reading instructions, transparently disclosed.
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Study partners
University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons
The study was conducted by students of the University of Applied Sciences Graubünden in the elective course Market Research on behalf of ZEROvia GmbH.
CSCMP Roundtable Switzerland
The call for participation in the study was also distributed via the network of the CSCMP Roundtable Switzerland.