NZBCSD sustainable procurement practice welcomed

NZBCSD welcomes first steps to sustainable procurement practice

The New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development (NZBCSD) is delighted that the NZ Police in conjunction with the Ministry for the Environment has signed their first sustainable procurement deal.

They have agreed a cleaning contract which includes waste reduction, recycling, reducing toxicity of cleaning products and energy conservation for the same or less cost over all.

Both organisations participated in the NZBCSD’s recent study into how companies can create a more sustainable supply chain and the business benefits for doing this.

Steve Bonnici, Managing Director Urgent Couriers who participated in the NZBCSD project said: “One of the biggest problems for companies that engage in sustainable development, is that whilst customers are increasingly asking about a supplier’s social and environmental commitments, they don’t seem to be factoring this into their decision making. Today’s announcement is a first step to making this happen.

“The NZBCSD study identified two principal factors, which will drive a more sustainable supply chain.

“Firstly, national and local government has a major opportunity and responsibility to influence because of its own procurement budgets. Central Government spends $2.5 billion per year directly on procurement. Including specific environmental and social as well as economic objectives for their suppliers will help make sustainable development mainstream. We are delighted that the NZ Police have started the ball rolling.

“Secondly, global retailers and brand owners have the power to drive change. In Europe the top 30 grocery retailers account for 67 percent of the total retail sales of NZ dollars 1660 billion with the leading ten European retailers representing 40 percent of total retail sales. Most of these retailers now examine the sustainability of their supply chain. New Zealand’s export market is dependent upon global customer and consumer practices and this will change the behaviour of New Zealand suppliers and ultimately the NZ retail market.”

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