Responsible and practical green procurement

Green Public Procurement is increasingly regarded as a means of improving the environment and sustaining local communities. Hampshire County Council has established a Sustainable Development Strategy with a focus on the way services are delivered and operated whilst promoting and leading sustainable development among Hampshire people. The Hampshire County Council strategy can be viewed at www.hants.gov.uk/sustainability The Corporate Procurement & County Supplies strategy can be viewed on our Corporate Social Responsibility web pages.

The Green Guide looks at:

Local Issues
Hampshire's Waste Minimisation and Environmental Purchasing Principles

The Green Buyers' Companion
Processes, symbols, technicalities: explained

Advice on hand!
Who can help you

 

County Supplies recognises its position as a purchaser of goods and services for all parts of the County Council, as one in which it is able to contribute and influence environmental awareness. For many years now, we have researched markets and sourced products which have improved the overall environmental credentials of the Council. Our green purchasing objectives are clearly set out in the latest version of our catalogue.

Each year we feature in our Business Plan, a Sustainable Action Plan which sets out the practical steps we intend to take during the next year to advance the benefits of green issues. To date, we have achieved many benefits including the use of non-ozone depleting solvents in the manufacturing of furniture, use of timbers from well managed forests, use of recycled paper, a switch to hand-powered trigger bottles instead of aerosols, highly efficient white goods and lighting, use of electricity from low emission generators and the production of a Green Buying Guide.

The value of this guide

The Guide was first published in 1988. It recognises that green purchasing is a developing field and is intended to help all County Supplies' customers make informed purchasing decisions. Whilst decisions may appear to have a small impact, collectively they can add up to a significant influence which can affect the whole supply chain. Experience shows that success is more achievable by taking an ongoing series of small steps whilst ensuring we remain in step with both our customers and suppliers.

We have produced this updated version of the original Green Buying Guide and placed it here on Hantsweb to facilitate easy access for customers and easy updating in the future. It is intended that wherever possible the Guide will cross refer to the County Supplies catalogue. The symbols shown in the guide also appear in the catalogue with the aim of achieving a consistent message.