ISO 20400:2017 Sustainable procurement — Guidance is a standard by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that provides guidance to organizations, independent of their activity or size, on integrating sustainability within procurement.[1] It is intended for stakeholders involved in, or impacted by, procurement decisions and processes, complementing ISO 26000, Guidance on social responsibility, by "focusing specifically on the purchasing function".[2]
History
The standard was developed by ISO project committee ISO/PC 277 under the leadership of Jacques Schramm, a French management consultant.[3] Work started in 2013 and the first edition of ISO 20400 was published on 21 April 2017.[4]
Main features of the standard
The ISO 20400:2017 standard is structured as follows:
- Scope
- Normative references
- Terms and definitions
- Understanding the fundamentals
- Integrating sustainability into the organization's procurement policy and strategy
- Organizing the procurement function toward sustainability
- Integrating sustainability into the procurement process
Researcher Anne Staal notes that within supply chain management, the guidance "necessitates a change in ... buyer-seller relationships",[5] reinforcing the finding of Rentizelas et al. that coercive pressure can “quickly force an industrial sector” to attain a level of sustainable procurement ... but it is not sufficient to develop sustainable practices in suppliers if these organisations themselves do not show initiative".[6]
Adoption
Construction company Balfour Beatty has been identified as the first organisation to undertake a full evaluation using the standard.[7]
See also
References
- ↑ "ISO 20400:2017 - Sustainable procurement -- Guidance". www.iso.org. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- ↑ ISO (2017), ISO 20400 - Sustainable Procurement (overview), accessed 27 August 2020
- ↑ ISO 20400.org, Jacques Schramm, accessed 8 November 2020
- ↑ ISO, You are what you buy – the first International Standard for sustainable procurement just published, 21 April 2017
- ↑ Staal, A., Measuring & Improving Sustainable Procurement with ISO 20400, published 2 May 2018, accessed 27 August 2020
- ↑ Rentizelas, A., Jabbour, A., Balushi, A. and Tuni, A., Social sustainability in the oil and gas industry: institutional pressure and the management of sustainable supply chains, Annals of Operation Research, 290, pages 279–300, published 27 March 2018
- ↑ Action Sustainability, ISO 20400 - So what's it all about?, accessed 27 August 2020
External links
- ISO 20400 — Sustainable procurement — Guidance
- ISO PC 277 — Sustainable procurement
- iso20400.org - not for profit self-assessment website