28 October 2005
Sustainable purchasing – jump on board now
Businesses can improve their bottom line result by purchasing sustainable goods and services, according to international
experts who will speak on the conference ‘Smarter buying: better future’ in Wellington early November.
“Companies that jump on board now will reap the rewards of the marketplace. The ones that don't will either be left
behind or be punished by the marketplace. The only question remaining is how long this will take”, says John Polak,
chairman of TerraChoice Environmental Marketing Inc. TerraChoice is a Canadian agency that helps companies convert
environmental and social investment into market success.
“What we are witnessing right now is a world-altering revolutionary change that is every bit as dramatic as the
transition from horse and buggy to the automobile. The transition to safer, more resource-efficient technologies will
alter everything – from the products available for us to buy to the supply chains necessary to provide them,” says Scot
Case, an American expert who is internationally renowned for his work on sustainable procurement.
The conference ‘Smarter buying: better future’ is organised by the Ministry for the Environment. As well as several
international speakers, the conference will showcase innovative purchase strategies of organisations like Honda New
Zealand, insurance company IAG, Transit New Zealand, Accident Compensation Corporation and Griffins Food.
The key message of the conference is that every organisation can benefit from sustainable purchasing - with improvements
in reputation, increasing competitive advantages and better access to investors and funding.
The conference coincides with a meeting in Wellington of the Global Eco-labelling Network (GEN). This is the
international eco-labelling organisation to which Environmental Choice New Zealand belongs. Information about the
conference can be found on http://spc.mfe.govt.nz
ENDS