Taiga Company

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is quickly becoming a business sustainability requirement.  Leading businesses are being more strategic about community affairs by aligning their core processes with business sustainably activities.  This is most evident in European companies now including CSR as a primary procurement consideration.
 
The Sustainable Procurement Benchmark Report, released by education body HEC Paris and sustainable procurement experts EcoVadis, questioned procurement executives at 95 of Europe's largest companies about their corporate social responsibility (CSR) and business sustainability practices.  The study found that:

•    Sustainable Procurement is considered an "important" or "critical" objective by 90% of procurement directors at comparable levels to 2007.
•    Brand protection and cost management are still the driving factors behind Sustainable Procurement initiatives, but compliance with environmental regulations has taken on increased importance.
•    The vast majority of respondents have moved toward operational implementation of sustainability programs, with over 80% citing that they had initiated a program in 2008.
•    35% of companies surveyed intend to increase their investments in Sustainable Procurement despite budget cuts prompted by the recession.
•    37% of companies have put in place a Sustainable Procurement department and half have raised buyer awareness through training on Sustainable Procurement concerns and practices.
•    Usage of tools specific to Sustainable Procurement has significantly evolved, with a special focus on solutions for supplier evaluation and risk analysis across procurement categories.
•    75% of companies interviewed are now integrating CSR into their sourcing process, with 30% allocating significant weight to these criteria in the grading and selection system.
•    75% of companies use Sustainable Procurement criteria to measure the performance of their suppliers on an ongoing basis.

At Taiga Company, we seek to align community interests with business sustainability strategies.  Our small business resources encourage sustainable businesses to recognize and engage with the community as a key stakeholder in all aspects of business, including procurement. 

Our professional consulting works with clients to recognize the value of integrating business sustainability concepts and transparent reporting as a common business practice.