Sustainable procurement
Responsible procurement · Green procurement
Sustainable procurement is the integration of environmental, social and economic considerations into buying decisions, supplier requirements and contract management across the procurement lifecycle.
Saved terms stay in this browser. No account or server request is involved.
Simply put
What it means in ordinary work
It means considering impacts beyond price and delivery, such as emissions, resource use, labour conditions and long-term value. It should be built into requirements and decisions, not added at the end.
Why it matters
Procurement can influence significant environmental and social outcomes. A structured approach helps manage risk, meet policy goals and avoid claims that are not supported by evidence.
A hypothetical in practice
A hypothetical buyer includes energy efficiency, repairability, packaging reduction and labour standards in a tender, using verifiable criteria and contract measures rather than a generic sustainability questionnaire.
Common pitfalls
A sustainability label or supplier claim is not evidence. Define criteria and verification.
Sustainability goals can conflict with cost or delivery. Make trade-offs explicit rather than hiding them.
Regional lens
How this lands where you work
The global explanation is canonical. Regional notes are additive, separately sourced and shown with their own review state. They never replace the global meaning.
Loading your saved region.
As-of date for date-sensitive regional content: 5 November 2026. Read the review policy.