Wembury Parish Council Sustainable Purchasing and Procurement Policy
We recognise the impact that our contracts may have on the environment and that we can influence sustainable practices and policy in our area. This policy and procedure explains how we will aim to incorporate sustainable procurement into our tendering procedures and contracts.
Sustainable Procurement is a process whereby organisations meet their needs for goods, services and works in a way that achieves value for money on a Whole Life Cost (WLC) basis. Moreover, sustainable procurement not only focuses on benefits to the organisation; but also to society and the economy, whilst minimising damage to the environment. It encompasses environmental sustainability, social value, ethics and equality.
Wembury Parish Council (WPC) is committed to ensuring that sustainability is embedded throughout every level of the organisation and its operations.
A holistic approach is required when implementing a process to govern purchasing decisions. It is not enough just to consider what a product is made of and so the decision needs to be based on a lifecycle assessment.
Although this will differ depending on the product being considered, a basic assessment would be as follows:
SOURCING MATERIALS – IMPACT – Natural resource depletion, habitat damage
MANUFACTURE – IMPACT – Greenhouse gas emissions, Contamination of water supply, Effect on air quality
PACKAGING – IMPACT – Natural resource depletion, habitat damage, Greenhouse gas emission, increased landfill
TRANSPORT – IMPACT – Greenhouse gas emission, Effect on local air quality, Increase demand for petroleum
DISPOSAL – IMPACT – Habitat damage, visual intrusion, Increased burden on landfill
It would be impossible to completely eliminate all of the above impacts when selecting a product, but the aim should be to try to make a purchase which removes as many as possible.
In practice, making a purchasing decision can be broken down to several easy to follow steps and centre on the following principle:
Do we really need to buy the product at all? Do we have to buy new or does the product already exist within the organisation or local community? Could it be borrowed instead of bought?
If the product really does have to be bought then the following steps should apply:
- Buy locally wherever possible. Local can either mean distributed from a local supplier or manufactured locally. A local distributer may have had the products they sell brought in from elsewhere but at least buying from them restricts the amount of miles that this product has travelled. Better still is a product made locally as this is likely to have less associated transport, be made using local ingredients and be sourced sustainably
2) Check the credentials of the manufacturer or product. Use Ethical Consumer website to assist with this
3) Check whether the manufacturer or product is associated with known environmental issues
4) Check whether the product requires certification. A number of sustainable products require certain standards or certification (such as FSC timber). If the product you are considering requires this, make sure that your purchasing choice does actually have the certification.
5) Does the product require excessive transport in delivery? If you can’t buy locally, look for the closest option. Amazon is often the first choice for many, but do some research and see if the product can be found much closer to home.
6) End of life options. Can the product be recycled when it is no longer needed? If not try and find an alternative that can
Sustainable Procurement Day to Day:
Sustainable procurement practices don’t have to stop after you have tendered/quoted,
awarded a contract and managed the contract. It can be used around the offices and
outside of work.
Below are some ideas of how sustainable procurement can be boosted day to day:
Environmental Sustainability
- Are computer monitors and printers left on or on stand-by?
- Is the heating on when windows are open?
- In summer – are buildings being over-cooled?
- Is water being wasted?
- Can you reduce your single use plastic use?
- Can you cycle to work instead of drive?
- Can you hold a skype call instead of travelling to an external meeting?
- Recycle whenever possible
- Have you ordered the right quantity? (reduce waste)
- Can you participate in carbon offsetting? E.g. plant a tree
Social Value
- Can your department participate in career talks to schools?
- Can you accommodate a work experience pupil from a secondary school?
- Can your department participate in voluntary work? E.g. community challenge days.
Equality and Diversity
- Can you help participate in “meet the buyer” events?
- Report unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
Ethics
- Can you use more Fairtrade products?
Timber and Wood Derived Products
In line with South Hams District Council’s Sustainable Procurement Policy, Wembury Parish Council also supports and adopts ‘The Timber Pledge’:
As a consumer of timber and wood derived products, Wembury Parish Council has a responsibility to ensure that the procurement of these products is not at the expense of the future of the world’s forests, but positively supports responsible forest management.
To achieve this aim, Wembury Parish Council will only purchase timber and wood derived products that are either:
- From independently verifiable legal and sustainable or FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade) licensed or equivalent sources
- Recycled timber or wood derived products
We will not knowingly source forest products from:
- Forests or forest product suppliers that do not comply with all relevant national and international legislation relating to the trade in forest products.
- High Conservation Value Forests where these are recognised nationally or regionally, unless these forests are progressing towards credible forest certification in a time bound, stepwise and transparent manner.
- Protected areas, parks or similar areas where harvesting operations are not complimentary to responsible forest management
- Forests which are currently being converted to other land uses, or forests that have been converted since 1994.
- Forests which are in areas of armed conflict or civil unrest where there is a direct relationship between the forest products trade and the funding of such conflicts.
Agreed May 2021 ref 21-58
The document can be downloaded on this button.