March 28, 2007—A new guide from the British Columbia-based Sustainability Purchasing Network helps organizations consider the impact of their purchasing decisions all the way down the line. The Network’s “Guide to the Business Case and Benefits of Sustainability Purchasing” is a one-stop resource that helps business, non-profit, and government organizations improve environmental and social conditions through purchasing, develop better relationships with suppliers, reduce costs, and ultimately build a more sustainable economy.
According to the study, sustainability purchasing is a management process used to give preference to suppliers of goods and services that demonstrate positive social and environmental impacts. It entails looking at what products are made of, where they have come from, who has made them, and how they will be disposed of at the end of their life—even considering whether the purchase needs to be made at all.
This resource tool is intended for use as a guidance document for organizations that are thinking about, or are in the process of, developing an internal business case for sustainability purchasing. It contains 80-plus examples and case studies to help them tailor their sustainability purchasing programs to their unique circumstances and priorities, and illustrates how to manage and leverage the costs.
The Sustainability Purchasing Network (Network) is a learning resource for public, private and government organizations in their sustainability purchasing efforts.
For the complete report, visit the Network’s Sustainable Resources Web page.
