Supplier Guidelines for Procurement Contracts
“We include standard language in our Request for Proposal to encourage suppliers to inform us about alternatives to environmentally hazardous products. By leveraging our purchasing volume, we help guide the business strategies of our suppliers and manufacturers.”
Businesses can influence the market for clean products through both the products and services they produce, as well as the products and services they purchase. Many product manufacturers often have little to no awareness about the environmental attributes of the components they buy from their suppliers for their product lines. This makes it virtually impossible to determine what materials or environmental attributes are associated with the final product. Now that there is some pressure in countries such as Europe and Asia to manage products throughout their life cycle, many manufacturers are beginning to hold suppliers accountable to guidelines that specifically address environmental issues, such as material content, energy usage, and manufacturer standards. Several multinational companies, like Volvo, Electrolux, and IKEA have developed a list of restricted materials that suppliers need to avoid.
