Procurement policy
Procurement policy
1. Population Matters conducts business in a fair open and transparent manner. In achieving
our goals the procurement of goods and services can have an impact on the environment.
These activities must occur in line with our environmental policy.
2. Procurement of products and services must also be value for money to respect the
purpose of our donations. Purchasing must not compromise the future of Population
Matters or the quality of our activities.
3. Population Matters procures goods and services in line with EU Procurement Regulation
Act 2006, irrespective of the source of funds, to obtain supplies, equipment and services at
the lowest possible cost consistent with quality, health, safety and environmental
requirements, delivery requirements, sustainability and in accordance with Financial
Regulations, the Bribery Act 2010 and in accordance with sound business practice.
4. The scales of our procurement means our suppliers and products we use may not always
have formal policies. We strive to work only with those that have the same values as
Population Matters towards ethical, sustainable and mindful production and consumption.
This ideally comes in the form of internal codes of conduct or external accreditation.
5. Examples of External Accreditation
5.1 WRAP (Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production) is the world's largest facility
certification programme and whilst it is supported by the global apparel industry, it is totally
independent. WRAP is dedicated to ensuring lawful, humane and ethical manufacturing
throughout the world. In order to receive certification for all our facilities and those of our
suppliers we are regularly audited and must comply with the 12 WRAP principles. These
relate to areas such as workplace regulations, child labour, hours of work, health and safety,
discrimination and security.
5.2 The Supplier of Ethical Data Exchange is a membership organisation for businesses
committed to continuous improvement of the ethical performance of their supply chains.
5.3 Oeko-Tex is an internationally renowned testing certification system for textiles. Test
criteria are standardised across the world and include tests for pH-value, pesticides and
heavy metals. Only when a garment is proved to contain no harmful substances is it granted
Oeko-Tex approval.
6. We seek to avoid the use of:
 Heavily polluting products, including non-biodegradable plastics
 Products of services with unethical or questionable labour practices
 Animal products
 Non-renewable materials
7. The decision as to the ethics of particular procurement decisions ultimately lies with the
Board or the Chief Executive. Any issues with Population Matters selection process may be
raised via our complaints or whistleblowing policies.
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