Procurement Through a Sustainability Lens

How an organization buys, sells, and invests is the ultimate driver of a greener, lower carbon economy. If you work in government, the private or non-profit sectors and play a role in buying or ordering for your organization then you have the power to change lives. Find out how to strategically align purchasing with local objectives and sustainability values, while working within the confines of trade agreements. Learn how sustainable purchasing can empower buying staff to influence environmental and social responsibility and advance the company’s broader sustainability goals. Case studies from governments and other business settings will be discussed and analyzed to uncover best practices and practical tips for launching or refreshing a program.

Learners will:

• Examine best practices in sustainable supply chain management and emerging trends
• Develop a business case for sustainable purchasing and learn how to position it with internal client departments
• Identify the 10 core  elements of a successful ‘Sustainable Purchasing Program’
• Learn the process of identifying the sustainability opportunities and risks associated with different purchasing categories.
• Understand the different types of sustainable procurement tools (e.g. Codes of Conduct, vendor evaluation matrix, and ecolabels, etc.) and their application
• Discuss common barriers to program excellence and how to overcome them
• Consider methods to evaluate success and provide success stories for reporting

Instructor Biography

Tim Reeve is a well-recognized and results oriented professional with over 20 years’ experience delivering successful ethical and sustainability strategies, corporate social responsibility programs and stakeholder engagement processes for private sector and non-profit organizations, governing bodies and Olympic Games. Tim has a legacy of “firsts” that have helped shape ethical purchasing, supply chain management, industry collaboration, and sustainability awareness in Canada. Tim helped develop Canada’s first ethical policy for a Canadian Credit Union (Vancity), Canada’s first comprehensive product stewardship program (BC Product Stewardship Regulation), Canada’s first ethical purchasing policy for a major Municipality (Vancouver), and the first social compliance program for an Olympic Games (Vancouver 2010) that has led to influence both the London 2012 and Sochi 2014 Olympic Games. Tim is also the co-founder and lead instructor for the BuySmart Network and the lead facilitator for the Canadian Municipal Collaboration for Sustainable Procurement (MCSP) group.