Responsible purchasing, what does it mean?

A purchase is considered responsible when it maximises its positive environmental, social and economic impacts. This must apply throughout its life cycle, while minimising negative effects. This definition corresponds to the ISO 20400 standard on responsible purchasing.

In practical terms, several criteria are taken into account when making a purchase. Price is often the top priority, followed by quality, availability and, in some cases, the service provider’s experience. For responsible purchasing, it is essential to add environmental and social criteria.

Why is it so important for our purchases to be more responsible?

The act of purchasing is not a trivial action. To better understand this, let’s look at a telling example. According to a report by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), 40% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are generated, or influenced, by companies through their purchasing activities.

Added to this are challenges related to supply chain security. These include ensuring the availability of the resources needed to meet demand. But also resolving social issues that may arise within the supply chain, such as fair trade and respect for human rights.

Furthermore, responsible purchasing has also become a regulatory requirement. Since 2019, it has been mandatory to take environmental, social, and economic dimensions into account when defining purchasing needs.

In this context, implementing a responsible purchasing policy is central to achieving our commitment to the ecological transition. The procurement and public contracts department (direction des achats et des marchés publics – DAMP), and the Real Estate and Facilities Department (direction du patrimoine immobilier – DPI), are actively engaged in this approach on a daily basis.

Université de Lorraine is committed through its purchasing policy

Université de Lorraine has set a strong objective: to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 6% per year.

To contribute to this, the university has adopted a Scheme for the Promotion of Socially and Environmentally Responsible Public Procurement (SPASER).

In order to better integrate social and environmental considerations, this framework is designed to structure the responsible purchasing policy and support changes. The SPASER can be summarized into three main areas:

CONSUME BETTER

To reduce the environmental impact of our purchases, it is essential to question our actual needs. The university aims to implement purchasing and consumption policies across five main areas: digital technology, food, scientific equipment, buildings, and travel, in order to guide behaviors towards more sustainable and resource-conscious practices.

TRAIN & RAISE AWARENESS

Sustainable purchasing is everyone’s responsibility. That is why, by 2026, all professional buyers will have completed a certified training program on the subject. At the same time, all staff involved in purchasing activities will be able to attend awareness workshops to develop a genuine culture of responsible purchasing.

PURCHASE BETTER

In 2024, the goal is to include an environmental clause in all public contracts launched by the DAMP, and a social clause in 25% of cases. Over the past two years, consideration of environmental issues in our procurement processes has become the norm, while its absence is now the exception.

In 2023, 50% of contracts (lots) notified by the DAMP include environmental considerations. Although this is below the target of 60%, it represents a 12% increase compared to 2022. In order to improve, the DAMP is working in particular to develop standard environmental clauses for service contracts. It also study the inclusion of appropriate social clauses (disability, integration, diversity).