Start With the Sustainability Outcome, Not the Familiar Spec
Rewrite a sourcing brief so it names the sustainability outcome before product specifications.
Sustainable procurement starts upstream of the RFP. Frame The Job ISO 20400 pushes procurement to connect each purchase to organizational purpose and material impacts. That means the first draft should answer: what business result must improve, and what environmental or social harm must not be externalized to someone else in the chain? Avoid Spec Lock-In A copied incumbent specification feels efficient because it reduces ambiguity. It also freezes yesterday's assumptions. If the requirement is over-specified too early, suppliers compete on compliance theatre instead of better ways to reduce waste, emissions, labor risk, or whole-life cost. Make Trade-Offs Visible When the…
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