Buying sustainable goods

Assess what goods you need

The first step to buying sustainably is to carry out an assessment of the goods and services you currently use so you can work out how much you need. Consider key areas such as:

• Materials - what purchases do you make in areas such as raw materials, stock, plant machinery and equipment and office supplies?
• Energy and utilities - what types of energy or fuel do you use, and where do you buy each type? How much water do you use across your business? Does the energy come from renewable sources?
• Packaging and transport - how much packaging do you use, both for raw materials and finished goods? (Remember to include primary, secondary and transport packaging.) How much do you spend on transport, again including both materials and finished products? Which mode(s) of transport do you use? What do you spend on transporting empty packaging, either for first use or reuse?
• Support services - which non-core business processes do third parties handle on your behalf? Examples might include transport, distribution, storage, maintenance, IT support and cleaning, as well as marketing, PR and accountancy.

Could you cut down how much you buy? Often, the most sustainable approach is to avoid or reduce the purchase in the first place. Once you have assessed what goods you need, you can start to consider buying more sustainable goods. Read the page in this guide on how to make your buying more sustainable.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• The benefits of buying sustainable goods
• Assess what goods you need
• How to make your buying more sustainable
• Select suppliers of sustainable goods
• Buying sustainable goods from overseas
• Review your sustainable buying practices

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