In partnership with Safer States, we've developed a roadmap to help you develop a sustainable procurement policy for your community. Our roadmap consists of four steps that will lead to cleaner, safer environments.
This webinar is an introduction to Sustainable Procurement policies and this Roadmap.
STEP 1. Building a Foundation
Audience: Sustainability Professionals, Environmental Advocates, Community Members and Leaders
Increasing your understanding of public procurement
Public procurement is a distinct field of professional practice. A basic understanding of processes, terms, and organizations will increase your ability to successfully work with procurement professionals in your local or state government to help build a strong environmentally preferable procurement policy. In this section, we will provide you basic information on public procurement so that you can successfully engage with procurement professionals.
STEP 2. Creating a Policy
Audience: Procurement Professionals, Sustainability Professionals, Environmental Advocates, Community Members and Leaders
A robust sustainable procurement policy will serve as the foundation for state or local governments taking action on safer chemicals, climate change, social equity, etc. through their purchasing decisions. Having a statutory or administrative policy means that there is more accountability and resources available for implementation. Our focus is on safer chemicals and products, but a good sustainable procurement policy will address a comprehensive set of environmental, social, and governance topics.
STEP 3. Implementing a Policy
Audience: Procurement Professionals, Sustainability Professionals, Environmental Advocates, Community Members and Leaders
Focus: Addressing priority products and chemicals of concern
Securing some near-term sustainable procurement wins will help create momentum and demonstrate value. There are a variety of options for low-hanging fruit related to safer chemicals and products. Our focus is on making it as easy as possible for procurement staff to address the issue by providing ready to use contract language and specifications. A number of these example specifications also cover issues related to recycled content, energy use reduction, and zero waste goal.
STEP 4. Training and Setting Goals and Metrics
Audience: Procurement Professionals, Sustainability Professionals, Environmental Advocates
Building organizational capacity for lasting change
Staff training and public reporting represent two key elements necessary for ensuring that the change we’ve worked hard to create lasts for the long term. Staff training is critical for building organizational capacity over time and expanding implementation more broadly. Public reporting is important for supporting transparency and accountability.