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What is sustainable procurement?
Procurement is called sustainable when the organisation uses its own buying power to give a signal to the market in favour of sustainability and bases its choice of goods and services on:
- economic considerations: best value for money, price, quality, availability, functionality;
- environmental aspects, i.e. green procurement: the impacts on the environment that the product and/or service has over its whole life-cycle, from cradle to grave; and
- social aspects: effects of purchasing decisions on issues such as poverty eradication, international equity in the distribution of resources, labour conditions, human rights.
The UN operates to achieve the goals of peace, equality, sustainable development and respect for human rights. The way the UN manages its operations and procures products and services should reflect these goals.
Ensuring lowest environmental and most positive social impact of procurement does not only build on the international community commitments. It also manages the reputational risk of exploitation or environmental damage in the supply chain; it gives a strong signal to the market and encourages the innovative production of cleaner and more ethical products; and it enhances the benefits for the environment and for local communities.
Sustainable procurement is not about “burdening” the market with extra requirements; rather it is a well-defined strategy that gradually phases in sustainable requirements in bids, supports measures, promotes dialogue and open communication between the suppliers and procurers.
Link to UN Sustainable procurement policy (Draft) available shortly
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