Letter to Supply Management, March 2011

Taken from Supply Management, March 2011

I and my co-signatories urge a shake-up of the current purchasing policies deployed by government and business to encourage a greater take-up of green innovations.

Despite many breakthroughs in clean technology, from energy efficiency to new materials, procurement processes are still too risk-averse.  Sadly it is a common experience for eco-entrepreneurs to present a breakthrough proposition which has financial as well as environmental benefits, only to be asked by purchasing executives whether the product has a three-year track record of reliable service.  By its very nature, innovation of this kind has not.  It is not just the private sector at fault, government has a significant and as yet largely unfulfilled potential to boost investment in these new ways of working.

Late last year, the first British standard guidance to address this area was launched.  BS 8903 provides a blueprint for embedding sustainable practices throughout the supply chain.  CEOs and department heads should be asking their procurement chiefs if they have a copy.

Copyright Supply Management (2011)

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