Council leads on sustainable spending

Leicester City Council (LCC) is forging ahead with an ambitious new approach to procurement: making sure that everything bought is sustainably sourced. The policy will impact on some £190 million worth of spend.

Since February, all goods and services – from paper clips, vending machines and uniforms to transport, energy and construction works – are now subject to a dazzling array of ethical and environmental criteria. These include using low-carbon technologies, favouring locally sourced products, and working only with suppliers and contractors adhering to International Labour Organisation rules on child labour.

LCC is also phasing out GM produce and bringing in fairtrade products. Plans are currently in the pipeline to introduce fairtrade bananas and fruit juices in all council-run school canteens.

Fiona Dowson, a procurement expert at Forum for the Future, says we shouldn’t underestimate what’s involved in implementing a completely ethical approach to sourcing in a public sector organisation: “Lots of organisations have policies…but don’t really follow up with practical actions beyond fairtrade tea and coffee. It’s great that Leicester are taking a joined-up approach to sustainable procurement, considering environmental, ethical and community issues together.”

LCC’s sustainability officer Helen Landsdown stresses that given the scale of the task, implementation will not happen overnight, but rather on a "case-by-case basis". Each big spending area will be targeted, with LCC “working with procurers to find ways to make necessary changes”.

Although the council “won’t have the same level of influence as Tesco or Gap”, says Dowson, the fact that it is prioritising its efforts where “there’s most scope to create change” is encouraging.

And with a collective purchasing power of £40 billion a year, the UK’s local authorities could start a hefty ball rolling. – Rebecca Schischa

14 May 2009

Rebecca Schischa