At VivaTech 2025, Sweep CEO and co-founder Rachel Delacour was invited to join a live discussion with President Emmanuel Macron, alongside a panel of fellow French tech entrepreneurs.
While the panel covered AI, talent, and European tech strategy, Rachel brought a critical climate issue to the table: how can public procurement better support decarbonization?
The question: Can procurement be a climate lever?
Rachel highlighted a gap between France’s climate goals and how government money is spent. Too often, she pointed out, public purchasing decisions are driven purely by cost—even when lower-carbon alternatives are available.
She cited Sweep customer SNCF, France’s national rail company and a prominent Fortune Global 500 company with revenue in 2024 of €43.4bn, as a model. The company has made major changes to procurement practices to reduce emissions across its supply chain.
Rachel asked: When will the French government follow suit—shifting from a cost-first approach to one that supports climate performance and industrial sustainability?
The response: Long-term thinking, collaborative action
President Macron agreed that the current approach is flawed. He described the French government’s reliance on short-term budget cycles as a “real limitation”, saying it discourages investment in sustainable solutions.
The way forward, he explained, is to move from annual budgeting to multi-year planning—so agencies can account for long-term environmental value, not just immediate price tags.
“You have the power to change this”, replied Rachel, an interjection that led President Macron to invite Sweep to work directly with his team:
“I’m ready to do this with you—point by point. I’m making this commitment here in front of this audience ”
He also acknowledged the need for better tools to evaluate the long-term returns of climate-forward investments, and more flexibility for public buyers to choose suppliers based on sustainability—not just cost.
Rachel Delacour also underlined the urgency of the situation, adding that “of course, I would like to see you act faster at the national level to limit the environmental impact of all organizations, whether public or private.”
Why it matters
For Sweep, the conversation reinforced an increasingly evident truth: businesses are making serious progress on supply chain emissions, but public policy still lags behind.
Government procurement can be a powerful force for climate action and the sustainable business transition that will be necessary for companies to thrive in the low-carbon economy of the future. However this is only possible if this kind of large-scale public buying strategy is aligned with emissions goals, and rewards innovation. That means rethinking procurement criteria, investing in carbon intelligence, and prioritizing value over lowest bids.
President Macron’s openness to change is a positive sign. Now it’s about turning ideas into action—and building a public procurement model that supports net-zero goals across sectors.
Three questions we’d still love to ask
Rachel’s question focused on procurement—but there’s plenty more we at Sweep would like to cover. Here are three follow-up questions:
- How will France support companies in complying with the CSRD?
The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive is a major step toward transparent, standardized reporting in the EU. But implementation is complex and without appropriate tools and governance, can be particularly resource-intensive. What tools, guidance, or funding will the government provide—especially for first-time reporters? - What’s the strategy for enabling credible Scope 3 reporting?
Scope 3 emissions—often the largest part of a company’s footprint—are difficult to measure and rely heavily on good quality supply chain data. How will France help companies improve Scope 3 visibility and accuracy, particularly through industry collaboration or digital infrastructure? - How can we support SMEs under pressure to act on sustainability?
Many small and medium-sized enterprises face growing expectations from other stakeholders including investors, and their own customers to deliver on climate commitments—but often lack the resources or expertise to do so. What is France (or the EU) doing to help SMEs take action without overloading them with compliance costs or complexity?
Sweep’s takeaway
President Macron’s response to Rachel Delacour showed real momentum for change—and a willingness to collaborate. For a company like Sweep which is working at the intersection of data, sustainability, and strategy, it’s clear that policy can help scale impact faster.
We’ll keep pushing for procurement policies that reward climate leadership and forward-thinking business transformation, and turn emissions reduction into a shared priority—across the private and public sectors.
