Promoting Sustainble Procurement

Even though the world is in the middle of a pandemic, there are still ways to promote sustainable procurement for your organization. Promoting this important area involves focusing on all three legs of the “sustainability stool”: environmental protection, economic viability and social equity. The Negometrix team covered a number of tactics in one of our recent webinars!

A great first step towards sustainability is to look at the products that are being purchased. Are they green products that are certified by a credible source? The use of green cleaners for our homes and buildings, for example, protects the environment and is safer for the people that are using them. If you see the Green Seal label on the container, then you should be good to go. Other bona fide certifications include EPEAT and Energy Star for electronic equipment and FSC for lumber products.

While we all want to promote the use of digital documents, there are times we need to print something (there, I said it). If your organization is using copy paper, you should consider paper that contains 100 percent post-consumer waste (PCW). There are many supplier options for excellent paper at a competitive price. (To dramatically reduce paper waste, eProcurement is a big help!)

It is also a great idea to consider local, small and diverse businesses in your buying decisions. They can provide quality goods and services and often at a lower price than larger corporations. When dollars are spent locally, they tend to stay in the community. In addition to the local business taxes a supplier pays, their employees will spend money in the community with other local businesses. This helps diversify your procurement spend while bolstering the local economy.

These are just a few ideas that can help promote sustainability in the procurement process. Please remember that sustainable procurement is just good business!

For more information, please visit www.Negometrix.com or email our Western Region Senior Consultant Bilalia H. Mubashshir, at Bilalia.Mubashshir@negometrix.com.