ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by observing and characterising five main types of ethical purchasing by local authorities:
solidarity purchasing
buying locally
sustainable procurement
social procurement
xattention to investments and assets
It then observes how ethical purchasing or sustainable public procurement can also be practised to a lesser extent by other public bodies such as universities and public healthcare organisations.
A discussion follows on how ethical procurement by local authorities and public bodies is commonly circumscribed by legal rules. Examples where this has occurred include purchasing and investment addressing: South Africa; fossil fuels; Israel and Palestine; in Fairtrade towns, and the Massachusetts Burma Law.
As in other chapters, collective actions in this space are then explored, including the Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) initiative.
The chapter ends by discussing local authorities, such as Preston in the UK and Cleveland in the USA, which have developed complex projects such as supplier seminars and creating their own suppliers.
