Advancing Green Procurement

vancAdvancing “green” procurement

by Anne Phillips

wo reports, HEC-EcoVadis 2009 Sustainable Procurement Benchmark and TerraChoice’s EcoMarkets 2009, show that “green” procurement continues to grow in importance within the public and private sectors despite the recent economic downturn. In fact, in some cases the downturn is seen as an opportunity for greener offerings of goods and services with the attendant technology development. The pressure to be greener appears to be due to an increased consciousness on the part of citizens/consumers regarding sustainable development and environmental issues… more people are simply making those choices when spending personal dollars, and are demanding the same attention from buyers in the public sector and from manufacturers and service providers in the private sector. The pressure is having a ripple effect. Major suppliers in both manufacturing and retail are applying significant pressure on their own suppliers, effectively pushing the “green” demand down the supply chain. For example, HP and Xerox have made significant changes in the printing area. Walmart took its supply chain by storm with its packaging reduction goal – just one of its many green focussed efforts – providing impetus for thousands of its suppliers worldwide to confront and resolve the issue if they wanted retail space on Walmart shelves. These companies are not alone in their efforts to provide greener goods and services. For you as public sector buyers, procurement became more complicated by adding green considerations to the already complex equation. The sheer size of the public sector marketplace can and does have an influence on the suppliers and what they offer. You have an important role to play in advancing green procurement in that you must exercise your expertise and be diligent to ensure that the green claims of the goods and services you

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are purchasing can be backed up by green evidence. A recent study by TerraChoice Environmental...