Personality Traits for Implementing Sustainable Procurement

Climate change is a significant threat to our world, but companies can help mitigate its effects by adopting comprehensive sustainability initiatives such as reducing emissions and promoting resource efficiency. In this context, procurement professionals play a vital role within the broader corporate structure by driving sustainability throughout supply chains. However, the role or influence of these professionals, particularly from psychological and behavioural perspectives, is not yet well-explored. We assessed how the personality traits of these professionals contribute to sustainable procurement through their willingness to pay (WTP). We tested the hypotheses drawn from the Five-Factor Model with a sample of 465 procurement professionals based in the EU through partial least squares structural equation modelling. We found that agreeableness and openness are significantly associated with WTP, which underscores the influence of these traits in actualizing sustainable procurement. Hence, companies should actively attract and cultivate individuals who exhibit high levels of agreeableness and openness, with an emphasis on fostering a sense of community and innovation, respectively. We advance our understanding of how individual-managerial factors contribute to fostering sustainability within companies.