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The Sustainability Purchasing Network (SPN) is a learning resource for corporate, not-for-profit, academic, government, public sector, labour, and co-operative organizations in their sustainability purchasing efforts.
If you are interested in making purchasing choices that consider how goods and services promote a healthier community and environment through all stages of their life cycle—from extraction and harvesting to manufacturing to disposal—this website is for you.
Visit our Resource Center to access state-of-the art research, best practices, and resources on sustainability purchasing.
Go to Learning Events to sign up for a Network Learning Circle or Workshop to develop your own professional skills and knowledge in this emerging strategic business and sustainability practice.
Join our Online Forum to exchange ideas, share best practices, and find out what others are doing to address sustainability purchasing challenges in their organizations.
Who We Are
The Sustainability Purchasing Network creates social, economic, and environmental value by educating, connecting, and inspiring organizations to develop and improve their sustainability purchasing efforts. The Network serves the needs of organizations through sustainability purchasing training, resources, and projects.
The SPN is a program of the Fraser Basin Council, a BC-based not-for-profit organization.
Our Mission, Vision, and Goals
Mission: The mission of the SPN is to foster a sustainability-inspired economy by helping organizations build sustainability purchasing capacity.
Vision: SPN's vision is to be the "go-to" resource centre for sustainability purchasing in BC and beyond.
Goals:
- Increase the effectiveness and efficiency of sustainability purchasing.
- Increase the number of organizations committed to sustainability purchasing.
- Increase the volume of goods and services procured through sustainability purchasing policies and practices.
- Increase the success and impact of suppliers servicing sustainability purchasers.
Sustainability Purchasing Defined
Sustainability purchasing is the process by which organizations buy goods and services taking into account not only the economic value for money (price, quality, availability, functionality) but also the environmental, social, and ethical impacts of these goods and services - at local, regional, and global levels.
For example, sustainability purchasing considers (in the case of products):
- What the product is made from and how long it lasts.
- The energy, material, and emissions "footprints" associated with its manufacture and transport.
- Who has made it, how it's made, and under what working conditions.
- How it will ultimately be disposed of.
- Whether the purchase needs to be made at all.
The range of objectives a sustainability purchasing program might consider include:
- Waste prevention and reduction
- Resource reduction
- Pollution and toxin reduction
- Reduction of greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions
- Biodiversity maintenance
- Wages and working conditions
- Employee health and safety
- Human rights
- Growth of a sustainable economy
- Support for local economy
- Support for social enterprises
- Aboriginal procurement
- Fair trade
SPN Sponsors
SPN receives financial support from the following generous Sponsors:
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