Much of the impact of organizations on people, the environment and society takes place in the supply chain. So if, as an organization, you want to improve your impact, you cannot avoid socially responsible procurement (SRI). This means that when purchasing products, raw materials and services, you also pay attention to the social and ecological effects of your suppliers. At Empact, we advise organizations struggling to achieve a more sustainable form of procurement, such as recently the CIZ. Our most important advice? Just get started. Here are six tips to get you started.
1. Connect MVI with the CSR strategy
Precisely because purchasing choices have such a large effect on the total impact of your organization, this is often where there are great opportunities for improving your CSR performance overall. In sectors such as commercial services, for example, it is not easy for companies to achieve another substantial CO2 reduction within their own walls (of their climate-neutral premises). Outside the walls, i.e. by looking at suppliers, this is often much easier. So our first tip is to see CSR as a promising part of CSR, and link the CSR strategy to CSR goals.
2. Ensure broad assurance in the organization.
Good intentions are a start, but for the implementation of SRP it is essential that all noses in the organization point in the same direction. What you still see too often is that management makes decisions and the responsibility for implementation then falls on the shoulders of the buyers. Because decisive intermediaries such as project managers, budget holders and lawyers (i.e. the principals) are insufficiently aware of the new policy, it does not get off the floor and much potential impact is lost. So ensure organization-wide assurance of the SRP policy and make it an integral part of business operations.
3. Strategic focus on high-risk suppliers
Often companies and organizations have hundreds, or even thousands, of suppliers with whom they do business. So where do you start with SRI? To reduce your negative impact as quickly as possible, it is a good idea to take a close look at the largest and riskiest supply chains, and see what can be improved there in terms of environmental and social impact. These differ from organization to organization, as do the risks. With suppliers of packaging materials, for example, there is often much to be gained by replacing plastic with bio-based materials, while with the purchase of coffee attention can be paid to preventing child labor.
4. Engage with suppliers of strategic products
When purchasing cleaning supplies or office supplies, it is fairly easy to switch suppliers. With suppliers of strategic products, which are therefore crucial to the business process, this is much more difficult or even impossible. However, by starting the conversation with the supplier and focusing on cooperation, it often turns out that more is possible than you think. After all, suppliers will also recognize the need for corporate social responsibility, if only for image or ESG ratings.
5. Use tools for socially responsible purchasing
To make it easier for companies and organizations to get started with CSR, several tools have been developed. One such tool is the CSR Risk Checker from MVO-Nederland. This allows you to discover in no time which international risks you are running with your trading activities and how you can limit them. Another handy tool is the CSR Criterion Tool, developed by PIANOo. It allows you to select comprehensively described SRP criteria for 45 product groups, which you can then use in tenders, for example. Both tools are free of charge and free for anyone to use, so make use of them!
6. Be ambitious, but take small steps
Everything starts with ambition and setting (big) goals. So does socially responsible purchasing. So put dots on the horizon and make them known to everyone in the organization, so everyone knows which way you want to go. But also be realistic and do not expect your impact to drastically improve overnight. That way you avoid disappointment. So break down big goals into small, achievable subgoals and take advantage of the motivation that meeting each one will bring you.
Would you like to learn more about how your organization, too, can successfully implement SRP? Then don’t hesitate to get in touch. Call us at +31(0)6-45770809 email us at info@empact.nu