ABSTRACT
This chapter covers the practical actions required to implement green procurement principles within the procurement function itself. By shifting to procurement based on through-life costs, the organisation will tend to buy equipment which is more efficient in use, leading to reduced energy consumption, reduced purchases of consumables and reduced waste. Black list substances should never be purchased and those on the grey list should only be used where no alternative exists. A popular method of ensuring basic levels of supply chain sustainability is to insist on products meeting relevant third-party standards. Services such as Sedex allow suppliers to upload third-party audit reports to avoid duplication. Suppliers complete standard audit questionnaires and upload supporting information such as certificates and audit reports. To translate the results of supplier assessments into a form of guidance for procurement staff, many companies have adopted a formal ranking system. Some suppliers are so toxic that they must be proactively identified and ruled out of contention.
