Sustainable procurement policy

Transcription

1 Sustainable procurement policy EVERYTHING MATTERS

2 Procurement decisions need to take into account social, economic, ethical and environmental factors in order to be sustainable. At DLA Piper we consider the complete product lifecycle, when making procurement decisions. Sustainability and working with ethically minded companies has become a major part of our sourcing and selection criteria. Our key aims when selecting a supplier is to balance optimum service delivery, enhanced product quality, with reduced business risk and to be more socially responsible. This is all achieved by procuring at the best value for the business. In many ways being more socially responsible has brought greater cost efficiencies to the business. Why Procure Sustainably? Reduces the impact we have on the environment. Reduces reputational risk. Helps to stimulate the local economy by investing in local businesses and communities through buying incountry and through local sourcing. Ensures that we only have dealings with companies that uphold human rights and labour laws. Ensures farmers are given a fair income for their produce. 02 Sustainable Procurement Policy

3 Our Aims To work with suppliers who are accredited to ISO standards, who are working towards these standards or are environmentally aware and can demonstrate objectives and goals to improve their sustainability in the future. To encourage preferred suppliers to develop a practical and proactive approach to Corporate Social Responsibility. To encourage suppliers to use local workforces and to buy goods locally where possible. To reduce deliveries made by our suppliers by ordering goods in a more proactive way and through consolidation of our supply base. To reduce the number of unnecessary journeys by encouraging more telephone, video and web conferencing. To promote the use of environmentally friendly products wherever possible. To ensure sustainability is a major consideration throughout the procurement process. To monitor and measure our environmental performance and to drive continuous improvements. To discourage suppliers and potential suppliers from sending us hard copy marketing material. To encourage our suppliers to disclose their carbon footprints. Sustainable Procurement: 5 Stage Approach Below is the 5 stage approach that DLA Piper Procurement have adopted within our business and encourage our internal customers to follow: Stage 1 Review Consider the products and services we buy. Firstly is it actually required? Can a process change enable us to work in a more sustainable manner, thus negating the requirement? Consider the risk to the business when buying a specific product/ service, the emissions it produces from its production, the packaging used to supply the goods, the logistical methods used to deliver its recycled content and its recyclability. Stage 2 Devise a Sustainable Specification If there is a requirement, devise a specification which include considerations to environmental impact, social impact, local trade, logistics, packaging and waste implications. Engage with industry experts to explore new environmental developments and innovations. Inform internal stakeholders of new sustainability advances and include this within the specification. Stage 3 Selection Process Identify and approach appropriately accredited suppliers that either already work with us or potential new suppliers that are working towards reducing their environmental impacts. Make an informed decision based on the overall procurement criteria with serious consideration of environmental improvements. Stage 4 Calculate and Monitor Calculate the environmental impact made as a consequence of buying products and services. Can internal efficiencies be made to further reduce this impact? Monitoring this impact on a regular basis will help promote understanding of where quick wins can be made, which areas are the most efficient and which areas require a longer term strategy approach for improvement. Overall this stage will help achieve our annual goals and set the objectives for the following year. Stage 5 REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE First and foremost we should try to use a product to its full capacity. This will prolong the life of the product resulting in less products required for purchase. Consider who may be able to reuse the product when it is no longer required. e.g. charities. At the end of the product s lifecycle ensure it is recycled or, if necessary, disposed of in the appropriate manner. We aim to ensure where possible, products do not go to landfill.

4 Sustainable Procurement What we currently do Travel DLA Piper is committed to reducing the impact of all our business operations on the environment. The European Travel Policy sets out the guidelines and reminds all travellers to consider three points before making any travel arrangements: IT Using virtual travel as an alternative to actual travel audio, video or web conferencing. Travelling by train instead of flying or using a car. Scheduling their diary to combine several business requirements on one trip, or increasing the time interval between routine recurring appointments. Promote in-country sourcing of all IT commodity products and services. Factor power management into new technologies purchased and promote use of virtualisation technologies to reduce the IT hardware carbon footprint, in turn reducing overall power usage. Engage with Tier 1 government accredited hardware disposal organisations who aim to reduce their use of landfill to zero and focus wholly on reuse or recycle. Catering Menu planning and food sourcing: source local, seasonal ingredients wherever possible. Use in-house bottled water systems which have eliminated the need for deliveries and create zero waste. Use bio-degradable packaging for take away produce in addition to biodegradable consumables, including encouraging suppliers to deliver produce in re-usable packaging or through decanting. Reduce waste through accurate ordering and stock rotation. Grounds for the garden hand out used coffee grounds to staff for use in their gardens. Collect cooking oil to be recycled into biodiesel. 04 Sustainable Procurement Policy

5 Energy We aim to procure Green renewable energy for all our offices, where available (unfortunately it is often not available at landlord managed properties). From 2009 all DLA Piper managed locations have 100% Green energy sourced for them. We have a commitment to work with suppliers and national bodies by taking advice on implementing new technologies which will result in reducing our energy consumption and environmental impact. Paper We insist our copier and business print paper is sourced from FSC (Forestry Stewardship Council) approved mills and work with resellers that have placed an emphasis on strong health and safety and environmental performance. StationEry Products We use innovative forward-thinking suppliers that are committed to sustainability by implementing measures such as operating electric vehicles (where feasible); offering recycling schemes for their packaging, paper and toner cartridges; offering decanting services for their deliveries into our locations; and having a green product portfolio and someone that monitors their environmental impacts. Vending We are committed to purchasing fair-trade products (where possible); buying energy efficient machines; and operating a cup recycling scheme. Waste Management We segregate all waste by utilising specific waste bins around all offices. The waste is then collected and recycled. Cleaning consumables We ensure that we use cleaning chemicals that have the least environmental impact possible. We use FSC-approved suppliers when buying paper products, for example tissue, paper towels, and tork rolls. Post and Couriers We use bicycle couriers where possible for local inner city journeys, and look to reduce the amount of journeys made by couriers by consolidation and insisting on lowcarbon vehicles where possible. During 2009 we will be embarking on a project to significantly reduce the number of deliveries. Contractor salaries We aim to appoint reputable organisations and monitor all salaries to ensure they are above the minimum wage or London living wage. Other areas: We are developing a supplier risk register We assess suppliers Heath and Safety systems and monitor their compliance. We identify key sustainability objectives within each category and implement measures to address these. We are reducing the number of deliveries into our organisation by consolidating supply bases where possible and ordering on a weekly rather than daily basis. We are piloting a scheme which will hibernate all desk tops and laptops at nigh time and will significantly reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions.

6 DLA Piper u k l l p 1 and DLA Piper s c o t l a n d l l p 2 are part of DLA Piper, an international legal practice, the members of which are separate and distinct legal entities. For further information please refer to A list of offices can be found at Regulated by (1) the Solicitors Regulation Authority, (2) the Law Society of Scotland. UK switchboard +44 (0) Copyright 2009 DLA Piper. All rights reserved. JUN /KP