Build the business case for sustainable procurement
Building the business case for sustainable procurement is one crucial way that procurement can contribute to conversations about the organisation’s strategic priorities.³ Start by reframing your sustainable procurement objectives to clearly show how they overlap with your organisation’s sustainability priorities. This will reveal procurement’s integral role in the sustainability agenda. Engaging in projects with suppliers that demonstrate quick wins, can pave the way for broader, more transformative proposals in the future. Where possible, document the financial or other quantifiable benefits associated with your sustainable procurement projects. You can then share these successes to help strengthen the business case for future sustainable procurements.⁴, ⁵
EXAMPLE: Aligning sustainability with business priorities at NSG Group
NSG Group created a cross-functional steering group to create a consensus on aligning sustainable procurement with organisation-wide business priorities. This included highlighting the connections between sustainable supply chains and meeting rising consumer and investor expectations for sustainability, compliance requirements, reducing risks, and increasing employee engagement.⁷
EXAMPLE: Strategic supplier partnerships for reusable in-store displays at Best Buy
Best Buy aimed to redesign its in-store display units for reuse to reduce costs.⁶ Success required cross-departmental alignment, involving stakeholders from store operations to branding, and strategic engagement with suppliers to identify sustainable material substitutions.