Definitions
In terms of the Queensland Government's State Procurement Policy, sustainable procurement means that when buying goods and services, consideration is given to the following:
- Strategies to avoid unnecessary consumption and manage demand;
- minimising environmental impacts of the goods and services over the whole-of-life of the goods and services;
- suppliers' socially responsible practices including compliance with legislative obligations to employees; and
- value for money over the whole-of-life of the goods and services, rather than just initial cost.
This aligns with the definition adopted in the Australian Procurement and Construction Council Inc (APCC), which has developed The Australian and New Zealand Government Framework for Sustainable Procurement . The framework developed by the APCC is a set of principles designed to guide the Australian and New Zealand governments in implementing sustainable procurement.
The United Kingdom Government and the Marrakech Task Force on Sustainable Public Procurement defines sustainable procurement as:
"Sustainable procurement is a process whereby organisations meet their needs for goods, services, works and utilities in a way that achieves value for money on a whole life basis in terms of generating benefits not only to the organisation, but also
to society and the economy, whilst minimising damage to the environment"1 .
Sustainable procurement considers issues such as, but not limited to:
- Reduced usage by consuming less, sharing, reuse, life extension through improved durability, extended warranties or repair.
- environmental and social impacts associated with the manufacture or production of the product or service.
- transport and logistics associated with production and distribution of the product or service.
- product design, and its subsequent impacts through the lifecycle of the product.
- hazardous material content, including toxicity.
- resource requirements.
- emissions and other pollutants at all stages of the lifecyle.
- energy and water required at all stages of the lifecyle.
- end of life options, including the reuse, repair, recycling and disposal options at the end of a product's life.
- social responsibility and ethical behaviour of manufacturers and suppliers of the product.
These issues and the associated responses that can be taken to progress sustainable procurement are examined further in Resources and Tools
Last updated May 2009
1 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, June 2006, Procuring the Future - The Sustainable Procurement Task Force National Action Plan, [online] at http://www.sustainabledevelopment.gov.uk/publications/procurementaction-plan/index.htm
Last updated May 2009
