Purchasing for small business

As sustainability consultants, we read articles all the time about large companies implementing Green Purchasing. What does this really mean and how can it be easily applied to your small business?

Green purchasing includes the acquisition of environmentally preferable and/or socially responsible goods and services. These responsible purchases can be based on the materials used to produce a product or service, the manner in which they are produced, and the manner in which they are brought to market.

As small business consultants, Taiga Company works with clients to identify both quick hits as well as long-term solutions.

In the area of green purchasing, there are a number of quick hits: green office supplies, carbon neutral travel, or simply buying local to support the community in which your business operates or reduce the impacts of transportation.

However to have a long-term impact, these green purchasing practices must be sustainable within an organization.

As a professional consultant to small businesses, I hear from clients all the time that they would like to do the right thing but just can’t manage to keep these processes going.

At Taiga Company, we believed Category Management to be one of these long-term solutions. By grouping your business’ spend into logical buckets (categories), building long-term purchasing strategy that include eco awareness, and creating supplier alliances that support your eco aware purchasing philosophies, your company can build a sustainability plan with a green supply chain that will last.

Remember business sustainability is about making things last.