If responsibly applied, sustainable procurement has the potential to help reduce poverty while offering added value to suppliers in developing countries and buyers in Europe. In many sectors, sustainability is still in its infancy, and only minor progress has been made in making purchasing practices sustainable. There are several international initiatives to promote sustainable procurement but few practical business experiences. Most companies, small and medium enterprises in particular, simply don't know how to bring it about.
This book is intended for readers in businesses and support organizations interested in promoting sustainable procurement in developing countries. It documents three examples of companies that procure their supplies (ginger, mango and citrus) from countries in the South – Sierra Leone, Mali and South Africa. Drawing on lessons from these cases, the book discusses the challenges to making sustainable procurement more mainstream and suggests ways in which buyers, suppliers, the public sector and support agencies can encourage it.
Ordering information
Boomsma, Marije J (2008) Sustainable procurement from developing countries: Practices and challenges for businesses and support agencies. Bulletin 385. Amsterdam: KIT Publishers.
This book can be ordered through the KIT website: http://tinyurl.com/5rnl8z
The PDF is free to download from the site.
Download pdf: http://tinyurl.com/5rnl8z