The Socially Responsible Procurement Practice: Moving Beyond Social Consciousness (enterprising non-profits Profile)

“The question this raises is quite simply what set of circumstances will elevate green procurement from a nice to do “boutique” status to a more meaningful (and essential) element of a sound purchasing strategy? At the risk of answering my own question, I do not think that green procurement in and of itself will achieve this status, nor do I believe that it is a reasonable goal.

Factors such as the ever expanding talent vacuum combined with the continuing high rate of e-procurement initiative failures will likely dampen organizational enthusiasm for going green.”

From The Greening of Procurement Revisited (Part 1); Procurement Insights post from June 9, 2008 (Refer to Web Resources Section for URL Link to article)

The very same question regarding socially responsible procurement can and is being asked of a market where increased awareness does not necessarily translate into practicle, ...

As a follow-up to my post from earlier this week, I am pleased to present Part 2 of the 2 part Greening of Procurement Series: It’s Not Easy Being Green!

For those of you who would like to delve even deeper into the factors that are shaping both public and private sector sustainability strategies, including case studies on companies such as Kodak and Ford, you can purchase ($100) my white paper titled The Greening of Procurement: How Social Consciousness is Re-Shaping Procurement Practices (http://www.hansencsi.ca/cgi-bin/online/storepro.php).

You will also find my seminar, Sustainability Facts and Fiction: Linking Green Idealism and Practical Business Application, to be quite beneficial in mapping out a strategy for your own organization. Contact your regional or national purchasing association for details, or contact me directly at jwhansen@sympatico.ca.



The Greening of Procurement (Part 2) – Reprinted from July 26, 2007



Are environmental considerations truly the central element of ...

The Greening of Procurement: How Social Consciousness is Re-Shaping Procurement Practices (White Paper)

Who Can Benefit from this Paper?

Anyone and everyone who has an interest in the issues organizations as well as individuals face in terms of implementing a sustainable purchasing program within their company.

White Paper Excerpt from The Greening of Procurement

Cannibals with Forks?

“In our rapidly evolving capitalist economies, where it is in the natural order of things for corporations to devour competing corporations, for industries to carve up and digest other industries, one emerging form of capitalism with a fork – sustainable capitalism – would certainly constitute real progress.”

From Cannibals With Forks – The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business, By John Elkington (Capstone Publishing, Oxford, 1997)

Do Cannibals With Forks Constitute Progress?

Taking his cue from Polish poet and aphorist Stanislaw Jerzy Lec, John Elkington’s book titled Cannibals With Forks: The Triple ...

Sustainability Facts and Fiction: Linking Green Idealism and Practical Business Application

“In our rapidly evolving capitalist economies, where it is in the natural order of things for corporations to devour competing corporations, for industries to carve up and digest other industries, one emerging form of capitalism with a fork – sustainable capitalism – would certainly constitute real progress.”

From Cannibals With Forks – The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business, By John Elkington (Capstone Publishing, Oxford, 1997)

Do Cannibals With Forks Constitute Progress?

So started the introduction to one of my most popular white papers titled, The Greening of Procurement: How Social Consciousness is Re-Shaping Procurement Practices.

When I first wrote about green or sustainable procurement (the latter extends beyond the realms of eco-friendly considerations to include socio-economic factors) last summer, I had no idea of how voracious an appetite the business community had for information ...

“In our rapidly evolving capitalist economies, where it is in the natural order of things for corporations to devour competing corporations, for industries to carve up and digest other industries, one emerging form of capitalism with a fork – sustainable capitalism – would certainly constitute real progress.”

From Cannibals With Forks – The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business, By John Elkington (Capstone Publishing, Oxford, 1997)

Do Cannibals With Forks Constitute Progress?

So started the introduction to one of my most popular white papers titled, The Greening of Procurement: How Social Consciousness is Re-Shaping Procurement Practices.

When I first wrote about green or sustainable procurement (the latter extends beyond the realms of eco-friendly considerations to include socio-economic factors) last summer, I had no idea of how voracious an appetite the business community had for information on this subject.

However much the interest in my papers and research material was unexpected, the ...