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8 October 2013

UN initiatives aim to scale-up sustainable procurement

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in conjunction with the UN Global Compact Team, is taking steps to both green its own procurement and encourage corporations to green their procurement activities. Together the two bodies are providing web-based material, extensive guidance and training to vendors, to ensure that the goods procured by UNDP are sustainable. In this way they aim to use procurement as a tool to minimise environmental impact while enhancing positive social outcomes.

The initiative coincides with the UNDP’s roll out of its new sustainable procurement policy, as well as the Practitioner’s Guide to Sustainable Procurement. The guide looks at ways to make each stage of the procurement process more sustainable, and includes environmental, social and economic considerations to take into account.

“Coordination between UNDP and the UN Global Compact is critical to making our sustainable procurement effort a success,” said Jens Wandel, Assistant Secretary-General and Director of Bureau of Management at UNDP. “Vendors are an important stakeholder in the procurement process and this effort between UNDP and the Global Compact will provide them with the information they need to become more sustainable in their business practices.”

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