An international ISO standard for sustainable procurement is currently under development, involving the input of over 40 nations. Countries from Europe, Africa, North, Central and South America, Asia and Australia have all contributed to the discussions, which have been going on for the last two years. The standard will likely be published in 2017.

Building on the basis laid down by similar standards, the new standard will be separated into four key sections. The first will look at the scope of sustainable procurement, putting an emphasis on social issues and human rights. Under it, not knowing that abuses are occurring in the supply chain is no longer an acceptable excuse. The second section looks at integrating sustainability into an organisation’s procurement policy.

Ensuring that the procurement process is open to sustainability forms the third section, which covers stakeholder engagement, setting priorities and improving performance. The final section focuses on integrating sustainability into procurement, and includes concepts such as life cycle analysis, due diligence and global cost.

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