Sustainable procurement is allows you to influence your supply chain by making informed purchasing choices that minimises environmental impact.
- Why is environmental supply chain management and sustainable procurement important?
- How can I address these issues in my business?
- How can I get suitable training?
Why is environmental supply chain management and sustainable procurement important?
Your organisation is part of a complex supply chain with a range of customers and suppliers of goods and services that influence the way you operate. While customers set specifications and standards that suppliers must meet, suppliers constantly strive to improve the efficiency and profitability of their operations, while seeking to delight their customers. Therefore, successful businesses must always be looking for ways to stay competitive. Influencing businesses and organisations up and down their supply chain can help to achieve this.
Improving efficiency, reducing demand for materials and cutting wastes all reduce your costs and are good for business and the environment. Maximising these benefits requires you to manage your supply chain and integrate business activities to create value for customers. Good supply chain management helps to secure existing and future contracts from customers, reduce business risks, drive out unnecessary costs and more.
Sustainable procurement is an approach that allows you to influence your supply chain. It can help you make informed purchasing choices by knowing more about where the products and services you purchase are made so that their environmental impact is minimised.
For instance, if you buy regularly from the same supplier why not do a bit of research into their environmental policies and practices? If every business did this, there would be demand for companies to green their practices in order to remain competitive.
How can I address these issues in my business?
Zero Waste Scotland’s Supply Chain Management and Sustainable Procurement - A guide for Scottish SMEs provides you with practical advice and guidance about supply chain management and the role you can play in influencing your customers in a positive way about the goods and services they buy and use. It also describes how to develop a sustainable procurement to help guide relationships with your own suppliers. Download this guide here.
If you are an office-based business, Zero Waste Scotland has developed a guide designed to meet your specific needs and opportunities. Green Office, A Guide to Running a More Cost-effective and Environmentally Sustainable Office, covers the common environmental impacts of a typical office. It will help office workers and managers to quantify current practice, and take practical action to reduce environmental impact and costs by improving the use of office resources. Download this guide here.
How can I get suitable training?
Zero Waste Scotland’s On Course For Zero Waste is a series of FREE accredited distance training modules. Each module provides in-depth training in a key topic for improving the environmental performance of your organisation.
Module 7, Supply Chain Management and Sustainable Procurement, can be accessed here.
Guidance is provided on the practical application of the skills you will learn. Downloadable tools and templates are provided, so you will be well equipped to bring about change.
