There are several organisations that provide guidance and toolkits you can use to help introduce sustainable procurement in your business. They can help you to work out your priorities, assess environmental and social impacts and identify how to reduce your impact.
WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) is a government organisation that aims to reduce waste and resource use across supply chains. You can:
- find sustainable procurement training and evaluation tools on the WRAP website
- find information on recycled products on the WRAP website
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the government department responsible for environmental policy, including encouraging sustainable procurement. You can:
- find sustainable buying standards for government on the Defra website
- read about the government's Sustainable Procurement Task Force action plan on the Defra website
Other information for businesses
For other sources of information, you can:
- read about the British Standard BS8903 on sustainable procurement on the British Standards Institution (BSI) website
- find advice and guidance on developing a sustainable procurement process on the Sustainability at Work website
- read about sustainability and environmental management standards on the BSI website
- find responsible supply chain management information on the Portal for Responsible Supply Chain Management website
Public sector procurement tools and guidance
Guidance and toolkits designed for public sector organisations may also help you to consider social and environmental factors in your purchasing decisions:
- read about a sustainable procurement toolkit on the Forum for the Future website
- find a sustainable procurement toolkit on the Capital Ambition website
- find guidance and case studies on local government sustainable purchasing initiatives on the Sustainable Procurement Information Network website
- find a green public procurement training toolkit on the European Commission website
- read information on sustainable procurement and the environment on the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges website
- find advice and guidance about sustainable procurement for public sector buyers on the Central Procurement Directorate website
