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)

University Strategic Plan2012 -2016 p31

…an overarching theme for this Plan is to increase our global impact and our contribution to society.”

Prof. Sir Timothy O’SheaPrincipal & Vice-Chancellor, The University of Edinburghin partnership with EUSA,

consolidating our long-standing commitment tocontribute to meeting the global poverty challenge through fair trade.

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 procurementOperational 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 procurementFairtrade University status from Fairtrade Foundation UK 2004Sustainable Procurement Action Plan 2009International Womens’ Day - fair trade conference 2009Workers Rights Consortium 2012APUC sustainable supply chain code of conduct 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 progressFlexible Framework – for assessing progress on sustainable procurement

• 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 IssuesSocial Responsibility and Sustainability Strategy

Health (& safety)EducationEmploymentCommunityDeveloping world supply chainsEqualities - AccessibilityEqualities - Equality Group NeedsEqualities - CulturalEqualities - Appropriate CommunicationEqualities - PovertyBribery 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) - EnvironmentalSocial Responsibility and Sustainability Strategy

CO2 and other greenhouse gasesOther air emissionsEmissions to waterWaste to landfillHazardous substancesRaw materialsEnergyOther natural resourcesWaterBiodiversityLocal environment

Tomy Mathew Vadakkancheriil 2013 from Kerala, India new versus traditional water conservation for fair trade cashews

Good examples of fair trade56 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

Fairtrade winesBulk fairtrade orange / pineapple juice in Halls 50,000 litres

a year.

Harry Hill Fairtr

ade Nuts

Taking fair trade furtherAPUC Sustainable Procurement Code of Conduct and Marrakech http://www.apuc-scot.ac.uk/code.htm

Gaps identified: 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) BillInfluence – legislation, more collaborative procurement, find supply chainsCommunications – what are the key messages for our different audiencesMeasures? – what does excellent ethical procurement or fair trade look like

Informed by research• MSc PPP project on our engagement – presented to Scottish Parliament• 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