Sustainability: Have our professional associations made the commitment?
Procurement professionals and organisations are pledging their support to drive change in sustainability around the world. But have the Professional Associations followed suit?
At the beginning of August, Procurious highlighted The Sustainable Procurement Pledge, an industry-led initiative aimed at providing global procurement professionals with the tools and knowledge required to embed sustainability in their day-to-day work.
The founders of the Sustainable Procurement Pledge (SPP) spotted a gap in the procurement profession for such an initiative in 2017. From then, support from the profession and global industries have provided the foundation for the SPP to go from strength to strength.
However the Sustainability Pledge needs greater levels of support to continue to grow and reach an even wider audience. This support is no longer just from individual members, but from global organisations who can help to provide new frameworks and ideas, share a greater breadth and depth of knowledge and, most importantly, enable collaboration through connections in a worldwide network.
As part of this, we would expect procurement’s professional associations to step up, not only signing the Sustainability Pledge themselves, but also promoting the aims and work of the SPP through their own networks. The question is – have they done this?
Spreading the word about the Sustainability Pledge
Well, they may not have signed the Pledge, but CIPS are leading the way in terms of promoting the work the SPP are doing to their members, as well as other professionals around the world.
In recent months, content on the CIPS website and via ‘Supply Management’ has included an article written by Thomas Udesen, CPO at Bayer and co-founder of the Sustainable Procurement Pledge, providing an introduction to the Pledge for any readers who were not already familiar with it.
Another article on Supply Management introduced the SPP as part of an ‘A-Z of Sustainable Procurement’, highlighting collaboration as a key success factor for sustainability initiatives. This is a concept that the SPP is founded upon and will be aided by working with Associations like CIPS.
Looking further afield, there are a number of Professional Associations and networks that have also linked up with the SPP directly. This includes the Global Sourcing Association (GSA), an industry association and professional body for strategic sourcing based in the UK, has held ‘Lunch and Learn’ sessions to promote and support the SPP.
Unfortunately, and perhaps due to its stronger European base initially, the SPP hasn’t had the same traction with other Associations around the world. However, with a strong USA chapter led by some industry thought-leaders, this is sure to change soon.
Bringing people together for sustainability
What is even better is that this year, CIPS has taken its commitment a step further and has collaborated with the SPP to create the ‘CIPS Sustainable Procurement Summit 2022’. The organisers brought together industry and thought leaders in May in London, and created a fascinating and thought-provoking agenda for procurement leaders and professionals alike.
Being a both in-person and virtual event, it enabled global professionals to attend live, even if they weren’t able to be in the room. This approach has helped to enable a more widespread attendance, as well as increasing the global collaboration that the SPP is promoting.
And, if you weren’t fortunate enough to be able to attend, then CIPS has shared some valuable nuggets from a couple of the keynote addresses on its website and YouTube channel too. You can see one of these below:
Prioritising a Sustainable Future
Though it is surprising that CIPS as a procurement organisation hasn’t signed up to the Pledge, there is clearly a huge amount of support from them as a Professional Association. This support helps promote the Pledge and its activities, creates more awareness within the profession and drives more people to sign up.
The support from the collaborative nature of professional networks is key to the success of the SPP now and in the future. It’s now crucial for other Associations, such as ISM, to prioritise supporting this initiative and promoting it to its members. This helps provide greater credibility for the SPP within procurement, but also provides the global coverage required to make lasting change a reality.
Find more Sustainability news, insights, and best practises at Procurious.com.
