For suppliers
About Sustainable Choice
Sustainable Choice assists local government to integrate sustainability into their procurement systems and purchase sustainable products and services. Every purchase counts and Sustainable Choice can make it easier; it’s the responsible and sensible approach to procurement.
Sustainable procurement isn’t just about being ‘green’, nor is it limited to environmental impacts. Sustainable procurement is about good business practice that focuses on socially and ethically responsible procurement and delivering economically sound solutions while minimising an environmental impact.
Sustainable procurement has gained a lot of traction recently, in particular since the official launch of ISO 20400, in April 2017, the first ever guidance standard on sustainable procurement.
Both government and private sector procurement staff are looking to purchase sustainable products and services. Suppliers who have or are working towards embedding sustainability initiatives into their business are generally preferred.
Regardless of size or sector all businesses can effectively implement meaningful sustainability practices across their operations. These can include, but are not limited to:
- installing water and energy efficient devices in business premises
- reducing pollution and waste associated with activities
- adopting effective recycling, reuse and repurposing practices
- opting for eco-certified and sustainability-certified materials and products
- modifying business practices to reduce carbon footprint
- sourcing renewable energy
- including circular economy principles in product design
- analysing purchasing needs to avoid over-consumption
- opting to utilise share economy solutions where available, i.e. preference renting or borrowing goods rather than buying and owning them
- adopting ethical and inclusive employment practices
Modern Slavery
The Commonwealth Modern Slavery Act 2018 was passed by parliament on 10 December 2018 and commenced on 1 January 2019. The Act requires entities based, or operating, in Australia, which have an annual consolidated revenue of more than $100 million, to report annually on the risks of modern slavery in their operations and supply chains, and actions undertaken to address those risks. This report is known as a Modern Slavery Statement.
Below are some documents that provide good advice and tips on how to get started and how to approach this very important matter.
You can access the Commonwealth Modern Slavery Act 2018 here.
The Commonwealth has released a draft Reporting Guidance which contains detailed information on what should be included in a Modern Slavery statement. It can be accessed it here.
Under the NSW Local Government Act 1993, NSW councils are required to take reasonable steps to ensure that the products and services they procure are not the product of modern slavery. Each financial year councils must include a modern slavery statement in their Annual Report. To assist NSW councils respond to these legislative requirements, LGP conducts an annual modern slavery risk assessment across all Approved Contractors. Further information can be found here.
To assist small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to identify, assess and manage their modern slavery risks, LGP has developed a Modern Slavery Toolkit. Click here for further information and to register for access to toolkit resources.
Case studies and Best Practice
Below is some additional interesting and useful information including case studies of leading practice:
- The Marks & Spencer Modern Slavery Toolkit is an excellent document explaining Modern Slavery and steps Suppliers can take to tackle Modern Slavery in their supply chains.
- From Disclosure to Action – Assessment of FTS100 companies in the UK and their compliance with the UK Modern Slavery Act.
- Case studies of Leading Practice
- Guiding principles on Business and Human Rights (United Nations)
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