As part of our newly launched Sustainability Plan, agreed by Governors earlier this month, we are now committed to considering sustainability in all of our ordering of resources. We have developed our own new system which staff must follow when placing orders. This requires of them to consider all of the following:
- How essential is the purchase
- Committment of the supplier to net carbon zero
- Committment of the supplier to human rights, including abolishing slave and/or child labour
- Employment ethics – including whether unions are recognised and the Living Wage is paid
- Location – could the product be sourced from somehwere nearer
- Method of delivery
- Whether the product includes single-use plastic
If you’re interested to know more about Sustainable Procurement, there is a good paper on it here: https://sigmaearth.com/sustainable-procurement-what-it-is-benefits-elements/