Is Ethical Procurement also Responsible Procurement?

I have been asked the question of whether ethical procurement is also responsible procurement. To me the answer is a clear: YES!

04.12.2014

Alis Sindbjerg Hemmingsen - Thought Leader, CSR.dk

In this blogpost I will explain why Ethical Procurement is also Responsible Procurement and give you some ideas to what ethical procurement is.

WHAT DOES YOUR FOOTPRINT LOOK LIKE?
In order to understand what ethical procurement is all about it is essential to understand what responsible procurement is.

The typical challenge for procurement professionals is to understand the impact procurement decisions have on local communities, workers, and the environment, and then take action to ensure a positive impact. Kind of like asking the question: Where did and do you put your foot and what does the footprint look like? At the end of the day, that’s what Responsible Procurement is all about. If you plan well, it can promote sustainability, provide you with cost savings, and protect and enhance your brand. It’s as simple as that.

Responsible Procurement is a new dimension for many procurement organizations. Typically they have based their decisions upon price, quality, and delivery time. Responsible Procurement means taking into account the economical, environmental, and social impact of purchasing choices.

Practically speaking, Responsible Procurement is about defining a set of mutually compatible requirements, specifications, and criteria that favor protection of the environment, social progress, and economic development. You do this by identifying resource efficiency, improving the quality of products and ultimately by optimizing costs.

BALANCING THE 3 PILLARS
Responsible Procurement is about balancing what is called the three pillars: social, economic and environmental. So why is there a need to balance these three pillars?

From an environmental point of view, we have to ensure that natural resources that are extracted and processed into goods and services are consumed in a more efficient way – getting more out of less. And by changing the way we produce and consume, we can still limit the impact that climate change is bringing about. From an economic and social perspective, we have to ensure basic human rights and economic development, regardless of age, gender, nationality, religious belief or economic status.

ETHICAL PROCUREMENT
To me ethical procurement is a combination of the two pillars: social and economic. As an example - if procurement professionals for instance accept bribery or corruption - then they do not treat their suppliers fairly. They prevent unhealthy economic development and put up barriers to trade. At the end of the day it does not create a transparent company either.

From a social perspective I think it is essential to consider how procurement professionals should act on behalf of the company in terms of recognizing equality and diversity, observing core labor standards, ensuring fair working conditions, and increasing employment and skills. To support them in doing that I believe guiding documents or policies is a great way to show your stand.

One of the companies which I think you can learn from in terms of policies is Tesco. Check them out here. Do especially check their Code of Business Conduct. Great inspiration to how you can define your expectations towards your procurement professionals.

Learn more about Responsible Procurement Excellence Download our free stuff, participate in our webinars or simply dive into our articles and blog posts for more inspiration.

Responsible Procurement Excellence has specialized in helping companies around the world develop and integrate an actionable approach to Responsible Procurement. An actionable approach goes beyond compliance, has a positive effect on the reputation, raises efficiency and generates revenue. 

Sign up for the newsletter right here.

Vestforbrænding

Sponseret

Vi går i dybden med CO2

CSR.dk

Jobopslag: Fagmedie eller jobportal – hvad virker bedst?

Relateret indhold

01.07.2025Fristads Kansas

Sponseret

Tager ansvar for mere bæredygtig produktion: Sådan oplærer Fristads sine leverandører

27.06.2025Schneider Electric

Sponseret

Nøglen til fremtidens energisystem ligger i effektiv skalering

23.06.2025Schneider Electric

Sponseret

Schneider Electric sætter turbo på udvikling og udrulning af AI-fabrikker i stor skala med NVIDIA

18.06.2025Daka Denmark A/S

Sponseret

Nye boller på suppen i Nordhavn

12.06.2025Schneider Electric

Sponseret

Ny SCARA-robot med kompakt design og nem integration

10.06.2025Schneider Electric

Sponseret

Nye lystårne er mere synlige og hurtigere at

09.06.2025Schneider Electric

Sponseret

Hvad holder dig fast i en 50 år gammel automationsmodel?

02.06.2025Schneider Electric

Sponseret

Strømskinner sikrer kritisk forsyning på Mary Elizabeths Hospital

Jobmarked

Se alle

Hold dig opdateret med CSR.dk

Tilmeld dig nyhedsbrevet og følg med i alt som rører sig indenfor ESG og bæredygtig udvikling Nyhedsbrevet kommer kun to gange ugentligt. Herudover sender vi dig relevante temaer og spændede events.

Se flere temaer

Events

Se alle
DTU
Webinar
Master in Sustainable Leadership Information Session

Discover how you can elevate your career and bring significant value to your company with a Master in Sustainable Leadership.

Dato

03.07.2025

Tid

09:00

Sted

Online

TANIA ELLIS - The Social Business Company
Webinar
Q&A webinar 8. august: Sustainable Business Change Manager

Overvejer du at tage en uddannelse inden for ESG og bæredygtighed, kan Sustainable Business Change Manager være rigtig for dig. Er du interesseret, men har spørgsmål eller brug for fif til, hvordan du kan sælge uddannelsen ind internt? Deltag i et uforpligtende webinar om uddannelsen.

Dato

04.08.2025

Tid

12:30

Sted

Zoom

TANIA ELLIS - The Social Business Company
Webinar
Q&A webinar August 5, 2025: Sustainable Business Change Manager (Intl/Online)

Are you considering an education in ESG and sustainability? The Sustainable Business Change Manager programme might be the perfect fit for you. If you’re interested but have questions or need tips on how to present the programme’s value internally, join our Q&A webinar to learn more.

Dato

05.08.2025

Tid

14:00

Sted

Zoom

Dansk Standard
Kursus
ISO 14001 kursus: Diplomkursus i miljøledelse

På to dage præsenteres du for det grundlæggende indhold i ledelsesstandarden ISO 14001:2015 Miljøledelse, og lærer hvordan de enkelte krav efterleves i praksis. Der vil undervejs i kurset være praktiske øvelser, der kan inspirere dig til at arbejdet til i din egen organisation efterfølgende. Som afslutning følger en multiple choice eksamen, som måler på dine erhvervede viden og færdigheder.

Dato

18.08.2025

Tid

08:00

Sted

Dansk Standard, Nordhavn

Bureau Veritas
Kursus
FSMS ISO 22000:2018 Lead Auditor Fødevaresikkerhed (CQI IRCA-certificeret)

Ved succesfuld gennemførelse af vores CQI and IRCA-certificeret FSMS ISO 22000:2018 Lead Auditor Fødevaresikkerhedskursus vil du være i stand til at planlægge, gennemføre og afrapportere effektive 1., 2. og 3. parts audits af ledelsessystemer i henhold til kravene i ISO 22000:2018.

Dato

18.08.2025

Tid

08:30

Sted

Vejle

TANIA ELLIS - The Social Business Company
Uddannelse
Sustainable Business Change Manager – Praktisk Mini MBA med certificering (DK) start 18. aug. 2025

Tid til at forbedre ESG og sustainability-indsatsen I virksomheden – eller til at tage næste karriereskridt? Få nyeste viden og praktiske værktøjer til at opgradere din virksomheds ESG- og bæredygtighedsindsats, din egen faglighed og dit CV. Næste holdstart i aug 2025

Dato

18.08.2025

Tid

09:00

Sted

Kosmopol v. DEA, Fiolstræde 44, 1171 København K