Making the World a better place…Through sustainable procurement

Chances are social responsibility is not the key driver for your organisation! It might be a nice-to-have, but your key driver is more likely to be super-pleasing your customers, maintaining a competitive-advantage or implementing public policies.

Isn’t it then advantageous that something which is a nice-to-have can help achieve the things that drive your organisation?

Organisations that have implemented social responsibility are reporting benefits such as stronger reputations and brand recognition, revenue growth, improved consumer confidence and better supplier relationships.

So where does procurement fit into it?

In 2017 the International Standard for Sustainable Procurement ISO 20400 was released as a guide to implementing social responsibility and sustainability through the procurement process.

The Guide helps organisations to consider how their operations might influence consumer issues, communities, the environment, human rights, labour practices and operating practices.

It can help identify risks and opportunities for improvement.

This can lead to great outcomes like the small regional Aboriginal business that became a strong national supplier to governments and corporates thanks to real efforts by the NSW Department of Education’s procurement team to support policy.

It can also help to avoid issues such as reported in CIPS Supply Management Magazine where a Fair Work Ombudsman investigation into Tasmanian supermarket cleaning contracts found “serious exploitation of workers and abysmal record keeping in the Woolworths supply chain”. Where cleaning contractors at 90% of Woolworths’ Tasmanian supermarkets were not complying with workplace laws.

How do you become sustainable?

The important thing is to make a start; it’s not about perfection at this stage. A great start is just taking the initial step of making a commitment to assess and communicate your values.

Not sure where to start? Progress, not perfection, is the key.

Download your free copy of our sustainable procurement white paper today and find out where to get started. You can download your copy below.