Sustainable Procurement

"Sustainable procurement is the process by which organizations buy supplies and services, taking into consideration the best value for money and the environmental and social aspects that the product/service has over its whole life cycle."
—From the Environmentally and Socially Responsible Procurement Working Group, 2007

Beyond the immediate and obvious consequences of their purchases, concerned consumers, retailers, investors, communities and other groups want to know how their buying decisions affect the environment. They also want to know whether the products they buy are produced sustainably.

At Weyerhaeuser, we view our suppliers as critical to our success. Therefore, we strive to select suppliers who maintain a commitment to strong ethical standards. Our Supplier Code of Ethics provides a foundation for Weyerhaeuser and our suppliers to build and maintain relationships based on fairness, trust, respect for the rights of individuals, compliance with the law, and sustainable business practices. View our Supplier Code of Ethics.

Questions about sustainable procurement have led organizations that buy wood and paper-based products to consider factors beyond the traditional attributes of price, service, quality and availability when making purchasing decisions. The environmental and social aspects of wood, pulp and paper products are becoming part of the purchasing decision.

Weyerhaeuser supports the work of The World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the World Resources Institute who partnered to publish “Sustainable Procurement of Wood and Paper-based Products: An Introduction.” This information—which addresses sourcing, environmental and social aspects of sustainable procurement of wood and paper-based products—helps purchasing managers by:

• Identifying the central issues around sustainable procurement of wood and paper-based products
• Providing a general overview on these issues
• Providing an overview of resources to assist sustainable procurement

Find out more at http://www.sustainableforestprods.org/