Sustainable procurement is more than just a buzzword; it’s a vital part of any organization’s sustainability strategy. It’s about making responsible purchasing decisions that consider not only the price and quality of products and services, but also their environmental, social, and economic impacts. Also, not to forget, Sustainability is a team sport.

To truly embed sustainable procurement practices into an organization’s operations, it requires the cooperation and collaboration of various stakeholders, including procurement teams, suppliers, and internal departments.

Procurement plays a crucial role

Procurement teams play a crucial role in driving sustainable procurement. They are responsible for identifying sustainable products and services, engaging with suppliers to assess their sustainability performance, and negotiating contracts that include sustainability criteria. Procurement teams must work closely with internal stakeholders, such as sustainability and CSR departments, to align sustainability goals and objectives with procurement strategies.

Supplier also play a significant role

Suppliers also play a significant role in sustainable procurement. They are responsible for producing and delivering sustainable products and services, and must be willing to work with procurement teams to improve their sustainability performance. Procurement teams should engage with suppliers to understand their sustainability challenges, offer support and resources to improve their sustainability performance, and provide feedback on their sustainability performance.

Finally, internal departments, such as finance, legal, and operations, also have a crucial role to play in sustainable procurement. They can help embed sustainable procurement practices into the organization’s policies and procedures, support procurement teams in their sustainability efforts, and monitor and report on the organization’s sustainability performance.

In conclusion, sustainable procurement is a team sport that requires the collaboration and cooperation of procurement teams, suppliers, and internal departments. By working together, organizations can embed sustainable procurement practices into their operations, reduce their environmental and social impacts, and create long-term value for their stakeholders.

Participants receive a step-by-step roadmap in the course Sustainability is a Team Sport: 

Participants receive a step-by-step roadmap for recruiting and launching a green team, prioritizing initiatives, gaining traction, and overcoming objections. In this course, Learners are Doers! If you follow the playbook, you will start a sustainability team!

The course contains 19 lessons with reasonable content (videos 10 minutes or less); a 90+ page workbook of team and leadership exercises and activities, tips, tools and resources; and exercises to help you take a Sustainability Team Toolkit worksheet that accompanies many of the lessons. There is also bonus content including interviews with sustainability experts.

Course content: Sustainability is a team sport

• Develop a business case and strategic rationale for a green team.
• Build a cross-functional, representative and productive sustainability team.
• Prioritize social and environmental issues for the team to address.
• Plan and implement sustainability initiatives, such as volunteer trips, waste audits and more.
• Set goals for both team performance and triple results.
• Manage expectations and lead the team through obstacles and objections.

Link to course in Astrapto’s portal

About Astrapto

Our vision is to see any one, in any position, in any organization empowered and equipped to drive positive impact. Too many people long for purpose-driven work, yet think it’s beyond their reach. It’s not about the job title or description, the degree or knowledge. It’s about the willingness to embark on a journey, one step at a time.  Astrapto means to illuminate and our mission is to shed light on a path for your sustainability and social impact journey. Let us be a guide for you and your staff. 

If you want to learn the basics in Sustainable procurement:

Sustainable Procurement Course by Dr. Aurora Dawn Benton includes all a buyer needs to know to get started towards a sustainable supply chain.

Note: Illustration picture is created by Chat-GPT (Dall-E) on December 10, 2023: “Here’s the image inspired by Van Gogh’s painting technique, illustrating “Sustainability is a Team Sport”. It captures the essence of collaboration in sustainability efforts, represented through a diverse group of people engaged in various sustainable activities within a vibrant, green setting. The style reflects the dynamic and expressive qualities characteristic of Van Gogh’s work.”