Increasingly, governments in developed countries are looking to sustainable procurement to rescue their foundering economies under the guise of “green” or “sustainable” procurement. (more…)
A Procurement Exchange partner, PPI Consulting, recently hosted Shaun McCarthy from ActionSustainability. ActionSustainability is at the forefront of sustainable procurement activities in the UK, and Shaun is a founder of that firm.
If nothing else, the event highlighted the philosophical and technical decisions that need to be made to implement a fully functioning sustainable procurement program. (more…)
Shaun McCarthy is Chair of the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 and a founding director of Action Sustainability. He spent 8 days in Beijing during the Olympics in search of lessons to help make London 2012 the most sustainable games ever.
Commenting on my visit to the Beijing Olympics, the BBC recently reported: “Shaun McCarthy is one visitor to the Beijing Games who has more important matters on his mind than the triumphs & disasters of a mere sporting competition. As Chair of the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012, he has an eye on a far greater prize.” It’s true, I was able to cheer on Team GB here and there, but I spent the majority of my time studying the Games’ sustainability practices and what London can learn from them.
First, let’s start from the beginning. Why is it that sustainable procurement in a public sector context is a big deal? The short answer is that the sum total of all government expenditures in Canada is often quoted to be $100 billion. With that kind of clout, suppliers may have the impetus they need to make sustainable goods and services their default offering, rather than a custom offering. (more…)