ISO20400 – the first international guidance standard for sustainable procurement – is in development by ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation), and the latest round of discussions to review the draft of the standard drew to a close earlier this month. GECA was involved in contributing to the development of the standard as part of the Australian mirror committee and also as a member of the Australian delegation to the ISO meeting in Sydney.
Representatives from 14 countries and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) took part in five days of discussions to finalise changes in the draft standard. The standard will undergo one final round of reviews of the changes made before being ready for publication and release by mid next year.
The standard is designed to provide guidance for organisations seeking to incorporate sustainability principles in their procurement policies and practices. GECA’s standards and technical manager, Shaila Divakarla, said: “I think the timing of the standard is perfect given the serious environmental and social risks in supply chains that organisations are currently facing.”
GECA was also heavily involved in the Global Forum on Sustainable Procurement, an event that formed part of the ISO meeting on the standard. The forum featured a series of TED talks-style presentations about the standard and the trends in sustainable procurement around the world.
