Sustainable Procurement Tools

 

It is important that a buyer carries out an appropriate level of due diligence early in the process to establish if what they are buying raises any concern about human rights and worker condition/exploitation. The table on the front page of this guidance identifies indicators of risk/opportunity.

A buyer should conduct their own research for up to date information on risks related to a particular commodity or service. This could include using the various sources of information available on-line, for example see the sources of advice/references below:

There are also various industry initiatives and campaigns to improve workers conditions and ensure that their fundamental rights are respected.

The information available from these sources can be used to help embed ethical standards into procurement. For example the Clean Clothes Campaign, Green Electronics Council, International Labour Organisation (ILO), Fairtrade Foundation and Ethical Trading Initiative, together with the criteria behind some of the certification labels available: Fairtrade, Ecolabel, etc.

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