Karen Bowman
Director of Procurement,
The University of Edinburgh
Scotland’s first Fairtrade University
Strategic sustainable procurement
We aim to meet our needs for goods, services
and works in a way that achieves value for
money on a whole life basis and generates
benefits not only to the organisation, but also to
society, the economy and the environment.
We aim to offer procurement excellence to deliver the University of
Edinburgh’s Strategic Plan as a ‘truly international university firmly rooted in
Scotland’ and assist us ‘to increase our global impact and our contribution
to society’.
• Urbanisation • Energy demand • Food demand
• Population
• Climate change • Biodiversity
• Alleviating poverty
• Water demand • Infectious diseases
Global Challenges (Beddington 2009)
…an overarching theme for
this Plan is to increase our
global impact and our
contribution to society.”
University Strategic Plan
2012 -2016
p31
in partnership with EUSA,
consolidating our longstanding commitment to
contribute to meeting the
global poverty challenge
through fair trade.
Prof. Sir Timothy O’Shea
Principal & Vice-Chancellor,
The University of Edinburgh
UN global compact – the principles
1. support and respect human rights;
2. make sure not complicit in human rights
abuses.
3. uphold freedom of association, collective
bargaining;
4. no form of forced and compulsory labour;
5. effective abolition of child labour;
6. no discrimination : employment/occupation.
10. work against corruption, extortion, bribery.
UN global compact – the principles
7. adopt precautionary approach to
environmental challenges;
8. promote greater environmental
responsibility;
9. encourage the development and diffusion of
environmentally friendly technologies.
Operational ethical procurement
Operational plans with Members of CIPS (ethical code of conduct)
• involve consultation with user intelligence groups & with our
collaborators
• encourage procurement journeys
• adequate publicity for small and medium enterprises, third
sector & university spin‐out or start‐up companies
• enhance our social responsibility and sustainability, and
equalities duties, where this is appropriate and proportionate
• use electronic commerce such as eTender & eProcurement
Making changes in procurement
Fairtrade University status from Fairtrade Foundation UK
Sustainable Procurement Action Plan
International Womens’ Day - fair trade conference
Workers Rights Consortium
APUC sustainable supply chain code of conduct
2004
2009
2009
2012
2013
Legal obligations for social responsibility:
- Equality duties
- Environmental/sustainable/social specifications into whole life costing
- Waste regulations/WEEE/disposal and reuse eg research asset listings
- Health & Safety
- Bribery Act Risk
Staff and student engagement in the policy decisions:
- Research-led - fair trade, ethical investment, prison labour, electronics
- Social issues – fair trade, workers rights, community benefits
- Reputation – excellence, ethical investment, student experience
Fair trade procurement progress
Flexible Framework – for assessing progress on sustainable procurement
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People
Policy and communications
Process
Suppliers
Measures
Edinburgh Sustainability Awards – assessed by students including fair trade
Updated Fair Trade policy – not just a ‘brand’ but principles of ethical trade
Employed a Fair Trade Coordinator – full time engagement/research post
Established a fair trade academic network, website, Facebook and Twitter
Engaged fair trade student volunteers and UK wide community of practice
UN (Marrakech) - Social Issues
Social Responsibility and Sustainability Strategy
Health (& safety)
Education
Employment
Community
Developing world supply chains
Equalities - Accessibility
Equalities - Equality Group Needs
Equalities - Cultural
Equalities - Appropriate Communication
Equalities - Poverty
Bribery Act Risk
Students’ fair trade café wins Lord Provost
award - best fair trade community 2010
OUR FAIR TRADE OBJECTIVES
Embed fair trade principles in University and EUSA procurement practices
Inform and engage students, staff alumni and the wider community
Encourage academic research and teaching on fair trade
Collaborate with policy makers, business, NGOs and other institutions
UN (Marrakech) - Environmental
Social Responsibility and Sustainability Strategy
CO2 and other greenhouse gases
Other air emissions
Emissions to water
Waste to landfill
Hazardous substances
Raw materials
Energy
Other natural resources
Water
Biodiversity
Local environment
Tomy Mathew Vadakkancheriil 2013 from
Kerala, India new versus traditional
water conservation for fair trade cashews
Good examples of fair trade
56 children attend schools in Malawi each year – Just Trading fair trade rice
1.5 million cups of fair trade
tea & coffee throughout the University - the
default option
Bulk fairtrade
orange / pineapple
juice in Halls
50,000 litres
a year.
Taking fair trade further
APUC Sustainable Procurement
Code of Conduct and Marrakech
Gaps identified:
http://www.apuc-scot.ac.uk/code.htm
Research, Teaching and Knowledge Exchange
Practical Procurement Guide - reassurance and guidance to those making public sector
procurement decisions and also to offer a clearer insight into the process of public procurement to
Fair Trade activists. Martin Rhodes, Director Scottish Fair Trade Forum
What is fair trade – the basics?
http://www.ed.ac.uk/about/sustainability/fairtrade/guide-to-fair-trade
Scope – new legislation from Procurement Reform (Scotland) Bill
Influence – legislation, more collaborative procurement, find supply chains
Communications – what are the key messages for our different audiences
Measures? – what does excellent ethical procurement or fair trade look like
Informed by research
• MSc PPP project on our engagement – presented to Scottish Parliament
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See http://www.docs.csg.ed.ac.uk/Procurement/FairTrade/EgagementStrategy2011.pdf
• Individual dissertations and PhD students looking at ethical trade issues
• Summer Internship – fair trade research - what is in the University?
• Fair Trade Coordinator - Liz Cooper - in staff Bulletin
• Increasingly taking steps to link with academic staff, for research to
inform best practice in fair trade procurement
• Fair Trade Academic Network – interdisciplinary, seminar series,
dissertation prize, website and blog
• Looking at establishing work-based placements for MSc students to
carry out research on fair trade and procurement
Conclusion/future goals?
Use the procurement law to its fullest extent – tech. specification, criteria.
Consider ethics of the organisation – can your suppliers harm reputation?
Engage with their supply chains - who decides what is fair - electronics?
Empower students/ colleagues to improve, challenge, question, influence.
Buying with learning – global influence, global challenges - seek solutions
Meet the producers and hear their stories