The public concern over environmental issues has increased in recent years. Industrial processes are damaging the ozone layer, water is contaminated, minerals are exhausted and forests are at risk of extinction.
The governments are more concerned with green issues, and carbon footprint legislations are being enacted. Civic society is also pressing panic buttons about environmental issues.
The blame has largely been apportioned to large corporates that are alleged to be pursuing short-term profits at the expense of long-term damage to the environment.
This pressure has led to many organisations taking massive direct action. The stimulus often comes from organisations whose objectives are clearly wider than profit maximisation. Public enterprises, though charged with observing tight financial discipline, have wider obligation in leading the green campaign.
This is so because of the fact that public procurement is the major client of the private sector. It is highly likely that such attitude towards a green environment is spread through the whole supply chain when the public sector takes the initiative.
The minimum green requirements set by the public sector will have a knock-on effect on the whole supply chain demanding that suppliers of suppliers incorporate green management in their systems. This inevitably set the momentum for better environmental policies.
Purchasing staff may lead the process from behind by setting supplier selection policies that support an organisational quest to reduce carbon footprint to reduce contamination of our air, water and noise pollution.
The supplier and product selection policies would need to reflect concerns for conservation and renewal of resources.
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In addition to supplier selection, purchasing staff can insist on products and material that have safe testing mechanism. They can also promote recovery, reuse and recycling of material and waste products in design specifications.
In the case that material or waste cannot be recycled, purchasing staff can insist on suppliers who have safe disposal plans of such kind of waste.
Such policies have a benefit to institutions, apart from doing public good by ensuring that the environment is not damaged for generations to come, money is saved. Non-adherence to environmental issues waste money in a number of ways.
In Zimbabwe, Environmental Management Agency has the responsibility of charging penalties to organisations that damage the environment. Another immediate cost emanates from the cost of mitigating the damage caused to the environment.
In the recent past, a leading oil extraction company spent several millions to clean the sea after its plants leaked oil to the detriment of the environment.
The issue drew a lot of political interest to the extent that the American President had to summon the chief executive to explain. The other long-term challenges are the effects of climate change that are affecting the farming industry and citizens health.
Management of the environment is only effective if all stakeholders are involved. All business disciplines need to pull together if a company environmental policy is to be effective.
Architects, engineers, scientist, accountants, buyers and others need to understand that the action to conserve tomorrow for further generations starts now. All business decisions need to be environmentally friendly for the benefit of all.
