Step 8: Implement a sustainable procurement policy

Total cost of ownership is a well-known concept relating to the financial costs of owning and operating a good (or service) over its entire life. It is usually only applied to the use step.

Environmental sustainability requires that we additionally consider disposal. Ecological sustainability, if so defined, could include all steps for a full lifecycle assessment. Of course, the environmental and ecological approaches also require that we look beyond financial aspects to the non-financial ‘costs’ involved in that life cycle.

Consider what is important to your IT department, to the strategies outlined above or meets with your organisations environmental policy/culture and form. Consider how they would apply to each of the lifecycle steps and define requirements for the products purchased by your organisation.

Then seek suppliers who most closely match those criteria. It may require that you change suppliers or that you begin to pressure your preferred supplier to meet your customer requirements. Some examples are outlined below:

Design – should use the minimum amount of material possible to achieve the performance needs of the product. Design should include efficiency of use, maximum life and end of life recyclability in mind.

Materials – should be of high recycle/remanufactured content. Use minimal rare, toxic or non-renewable resources.

Production – should be manufactured under an ISO 14001 (or similar) environmental management system or by using process controls that keep emissions at a minimum.

Distribution – should be manufactured/stored/sold as close as possible to the organisation’s premises. Should have minimum packaging materials.

Use – should be highly efficient in use, have a long life and be easy to use.

Disposal – the manufacturer should extend their responsibility towards collection and recycling of the product once its useful life has expired.