Purchasing the future you want

Procurement and sustainability professionals recognise the vital role sustainable procurement plays in “purchasing the future we want.”

There has never been a more pressing set of indicators demonstrating the scale of the issues facing humans and the planet.

Even a small shift in the way we buy will have a significant impact on people and the planet, while helping to meet the Paris Agreement targets and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With the ever-growing impacts of climate change, population growth, scarce natural resources, global pandemics and calls to action for social justice, organisations will need to innovate their purchasing practices to build more resilient and sustainable supply chains.

Our use and discard models of consumption have had devastating impacts on our planet. Resource extraction and processing are responsible for around half of global greenhouse gas emissions [1]. They are also responsible for 90% of biodiversity loss and water stress [2]. The spotlight is therefore squarely placed on extractive industries for climate change mitigation. Our consumption-based linear economy—take, make, use, discard—is not sustainable.

The transition to a circular economy, based on better design, reduce, reuse, and recycle, depends on procurement as a key driver. Organisations can support this transition, one that is restorative and regenerative by design [3], by evaluating the services and products they buy and the companies with whom they choose to do business.

This guide is designed to help procurement and sustainability professionals leverage the power of sustainable procurement to advance your sustainability goals, while also contributing to the advancement of the circular economy.

Register here to read the full guide from HP to sustainable IT procurement.

[1] IRP, 2022. Making Climate Targets Achievable: Improving Wellbeing through Reduced Absolute Resource Use. Potočnik, J., Teixeira, I. A think piece of the International Resource Panel Co-Chairs https://www.resourcepanel.org/reports/making-climate-tar gets-achievable
[2] IRP, 2022. Making Climate Targets Achievable: Improving Wellbeing through Reduced Absolute Resource Use. Potočnik, J., Teixeira, I. A think piece of the International Resource Panel Co-Chairs https://www.resourcepanel.org/reports/making-climate-tar gets-achievable
[3] Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2023, 'What is a circular economy?'. https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overview