094: Where to Start in Integrating Sustainability into the Procurement Process w/ Jason Pearson

Corporate Social Responsibility – or CSR – is a key value lever that procurement can pull to differentiate ourselves from the perceptions of the past, and that can enable us to play a role in revenue generation, not just cost reduction.  Indeed, how companies approach their CSR commitments will play an ever increasing role in the way that they are perceived by their target customers, impacting brand value and ultimately pricing power. In today's Art of Procurement, I am joined by Jason Pearson, the President & CEO of the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC). From my experience, influencing and managing supply chain sustainability – covering both Direct and Indirect spend categories - is something that as a procurement community we have not yet tackled head on.  Examples of success are limited to a few leading edge procurement teams. So in today's episode, I wanted to explore what we – as procurement professionals and leaders – could do to integrate sustainable thinking into the way that our organizations buy. In my conversation with Jason, we discuss: Why is supply chain sustainability so important? What can procurement leaders do to make sustainability a prioritization for their organizations (Jason recommends a number of case studies for further reading). How can we initiate cross-sector collaboration to address sustainability issues that impact all the players in our industry but that require an industry wide response? How can procurement leaders prioritize sustainability initiatives – for example, by supplier or by category? The eight Direct and Indirect spend categories that lend themselves to sustainability initiatives, particularly when you are looking to start a program and are seeking early wins. The impact that legislation is having – and will continue to have – on how we building sustainability into our scoping and sourcing activities. For more information, visit http://artofprocurement.com/SPLC

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