2Sustain

BSR and Hilton Worldwide have launched the Center for Sustainable Procurement to help global business procurement managers integrate sustainability into their purchasing decisions. Funded in full by Hilton Worldwide with day-to-day management by BSR, the Center will develop:

• Research, case studies, and surveys on topics such as incentives for category managers, key issues for buyers to consider at the product level, the efficacy of third-party labels and certification, and more
• Metrics analysis that focuses on integrating sustainability into existing approaches such as “total cost of ownership”
• Educational guidelines, webinars, and web content for companies to share with internal sourcing teams
• One-on-one and collaborative consulting projects for a small group of BSR members to examine current purchasing processes, develop solutions for integrating sustainability into decisions, and share lessons collectively

The idea for the Center originated with the procurement and supply chain work BSR supported over a two-year period with Hilton Worldwide during which the company developed an analysis and comparison tool focused on quantifying product sustainability to help inform buying decisions. The criteria looked at nearly 100 different measures, including core lifecycle-assessment components such as inputs, manufacturing, packaging, logistics, use, and end-of-life. In total, the company collected and assessed nearly 1,700 SKUs across multiple product categories such as food and beverage, property operations, and rooms representing over US$165 million in spend.

Hopefully programs like this one will help companies of all sizes to incorporate sustainability goals and objectives into their procurement strategies.