Sustainable purchasing – jump on board now

28 October 2005

Sustainable purchasing – jump on board now

Businesses can improve their bottom line result by purchasing sustainable goods and services, according to international experts who will speak on the conference ‘Smarter buying: better future’ in Wellington early November.

“Companies that jump on board now will reap the rewards of the marketplace. The ones that don't will either be left behind or be punished by the marketplace. The only question remaining is how long this will take”, says John Polak, chairman of TerraChoice Environmental Marketing Inc. TerraChoice is a Canadian agency that helps companies convert environmental and social investment into market success.

“What we are witnessing right now is a world-altering revolutionary change that is every bit as dramatic as the transition from horse and buggy to the automobile. The transition to safer, more resource-efficient technologies will alter everything – from the products available for us to buy to the supply chains necessary to provide them,” says Scot Case, an American expert who is internationally renowned for his work on sustainable procurement.

The conference ‘Smarter buying: better future’ is organised by the Ministry for the Environment. As well as several international speakers, the conference will showcase innovative purchase strategies of organisations like Honda New Zealand, insurance company IAG, Transit New Zealand, Accident Compensation Corporation and Griffins Food.

The key message of the conference is that every organisation can benefit from sustainable purchasing - with improvements in reputation, increasing competitive advantages and better access to investors and funding.

The conference coincides with a meeting in Wellington of the Global Eco-labelling Network (GEN). This is the international eco-labelling organisation to which Environmental Choice New Zealand belongs. Information about the conference can be found on http://spc.mfe.govt.nz

ENDS

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