Procurement and supply chain
Step two - Intermediate
Once you have mapped out your supply chain, the next step is to evaluate your supplier’s environmental credentials, and review your procurement processes.
The metrics that you measure against should tie in with your values and goals around sustainability, working towards net zero and adopting circular economy principles.
Evaluating Sustainability Credentials
Begin by deciding which criteria you wish to consider:
- Environmental – you could review whether the supplier has any commitments to reducing their waste, using renewable energy sources as well as reducing their own carbon footprint.
- Social – you could review whether the supplier pays the national living wage, has employee active travel schemes or if they have any other positive social initiatives.
- Transparency – you could review whether they publish any of their sustainability claims, plans or goals as well as looking at if they have any recognised certificates or awards (ISO, B-Corp).
Gathering information
- Develop a self-certification Supplier Questionnaire, or a checklist to assess the sustainability credentials of your supply chain partners.
- Ask if your supplier’s have any environmental or sustainability certifications that they could share with you.
- Rank your suppliers based on their sustainability performance and set minimum criteria for working with new partners.
Download our Supplier Questionnaire template, or use our online form.
If you opt to use the online form, please press DUPLICATE at the top of the page before amending or sharing.
Effective Supplier Engagement
Not all your suppliers may share your ambitions when it comes to sustainability. There may be more important reasons for using a particular supplier, and changing to an alternative supplier is not possible.
Where you do have conversations with your suppliers, remember to:
- Have open conversations, working together can encourage improvement.
- Lead by example, your commitment to sustainability is demonstrated by your own actions.
- Provide support, offer guidance on how suppliers could improve to meet your sustainability standards.
Use our Draft Email Template to help you share your Supplier Questionnaire.
Reviewing the responses
Once you’ve gathered your supplier data you can begin to assess each response.
Create a Supplier Tracker document, or if you used the online form you should be able to download your responses as a spreadsheet.
Identify any gaps in information, and highlight any areas for improvement, such as:
- Switching to local suppliers to reduce transport emissions.
- Partnering with suppliers who offer better alternatives (e.g. recyclable packaging, making use of renewable energy).
- Prioritising suppliers who align with your values on environmental, sustainable and social responsibility.