Day 1: Responsible Procurement UN-style

The UN Global Compact is trying to stir up some interest for building sustainability into procurement practices. I attended a workshop today in San Francisco with about 50 others. We spent the day pondering the various challenges and huge potential that weaving sustainability into supply chains has for putting sustainability at the heart of business operations globally.

The day was opened with remarks by Aron Cramer, president of BSR, who pointed out that if sustainability requirements were woven into procurement contracts this could have a very powerful effect worldwide on environmental and social spheres. He also noted that due to the interconnectivity of supply chains today it was important that businesses do not compete in the realm of sustainability - but instead collaborate to raise the bar. The market would suffer if companies with similar supply chains started demanding all sorts of different standards, disclosures, and requirements. It would be a win-win-win for companies, suppliers and society if there was more collaboration in this area.

My favourite panel of the day was a threesome that included a major multinational that provides cafeteria services for tens of thousands of office employees in five locations in the US, the catering company that services these cafeterias, and a representative of a group of small organic farmers in the California region that the catering company sources from. They all had the opportunity to talk about what sustainable procurement meant to them, the opportunities it offered, and some of the stumbling blocks they faced. It was the first time I had seen a real "supply chain" sitting together and talking openly about the challenges they face as they transform their businesses towards more sustainable practices.

I think the other companies in the room were inspired by the degree to which they could work with their caterer to integrate sustainability into their service. The caterer was able to show how they were able to add value up and down the supply chain by brining new options and solutions for sustainability for both the client and the source farmers. And finally the farmer perspective made us all realize that small scale and local agriculture is superior to mass agriculture in terms of health and taste, and we need to find ways to improve their market access.

If you are interested in supply chain issues, visit my colleague Joris's blog on the topic.