Responsible purchasing is an important part of a CSR approach. They place the buyer at the center of the process. The benefits are many: for the planet, your company, the local area, stakeholders…
The concept of responsible purchasing refers to goods and services chosen because, over and above their level of quality, they meet environmental and societal criteria. Responsible purchasing is therefore part of a CSR approach, drawing on notions of solidarity, ethics, sustainable development and equity.
Best practices in responsible purchasing are described in the voluntary ISO 20400 standard.
A responsible purchasing policy benefits both the company and its stakeholders. There are many reasons for this:
The best way to implement a responsible purchasing policy is to seek support. With training and expert help, the transition to a sustainable approach will be easier. As with the implementation of a CSR strategy, the important thing is to frame the approach properly. ISO 20400, for example, encourages companies to ask themselves the right questions, before adopting the right practices.
This transition can only be achieved in stages: defining sustainable purchasing objectives, understanding the CSR challenges facing the purchasing function and incorporating them into the action plan, training employees in this new approach, implementing concrete actions… Not forgetting to promote your commitments through a label.