LGP Sustainable Choice Newsletter
September 2018

" Incorporate economic, environmental and social considerations in your procurement process."

Annual Sustainable Procurement Survey

It is time again for the Annual Sustainable Procurement Survey. Those councils who participated in 2017's Annual Survey noticed the survey had largely been reworked to be in line with the ISO 20400 standard guidance on sustainable procurement. The Performance Report and Scorecard provided act as a health check against the standard.

For councils who participated in 2017's survey a progress comparison will also be provided.

The Scorecard can be used to market Council's commitment to and progress in sustainable procurement to key stakeholders. These stakeholders can include rate payers and the community. The Performance report provides Council with recommendations where improvements can be made.

Feedback from participants in 2017's survey was very positive and the recommendations provided have resulted in discussions and actions taken within Council.

The Annual Survey is open to all Councils. The cost for the Performance Report and Scorecard is:

Sustainable Choice members: FREE

Non-members: $1,000 + GST

The survey will be sent to all general managers in early September and will remain open until: 5 PM Friday 28 September 2018. If you have any questions please contact us.

Growing the Market for Recycled Content - why is it so important?

How can councils best address the National recycling crisis? One of the most important ways is to increase procurement of products made of recycled content, and preferably recycled content from Australia. If we don't purchase products made of recycled content, we don't really recycle as we are not closing the loop. So, how can councils best source these products? Below are some tools, guides and tips that can help with this.

The Sustainable Choice Database is a great tool to use to find products made of recycled content, just filter your search based on the Sustainability Indicator ''Contains Recycled Content''. Sustainable Choice is continuously working on increasing the number of suppliers who offer these type of products.
Sustainable Choice has recently added a new online resource on ''example tender questions for recycled content''.
PlanetArk provides a number of great resources, one of them is the Recycled Products Directory which aims at educating and making consumers and councils aware of the wide range of products available that are made of recycled content. PlanetArk has also put together a guide called What Goes Around - Why Buying Recycled Matters.
- National Recycling Week 2018 is coming up on 12-18 November, Sustainable Choice will be taking part this year so watch this space for more information.
- Another great initiative is the ''Buy it Back Day'' which is held on Saturday 18 November 2018. It is a celebration of National Recycling Week and a chance for the wider community to get involved. The idea is to buy something second hand or a product made of recycled content. If you want to know more, please see.

There is also some great work done by some of our councils. Lake Macquarie City Council is demonstrating leadership, innovation and regional collaboration using recycled glass sand as a civil construction material. The full case study has been uploaded to our member online resources, access it here.

Global Slavery Index

The Global Slavery Index provides a country by country ranking on the number of people in modern slavery, as well as an analysis of the actions governments are taking to respond, and the factors that make people vulnerable.

In Australia, the 2018 index estimates that on any given day in 2016, there were 15,000 living in conditions of modern slavery in Australia. This equates to around 0.6 victims of modern slavery for every thousand people in the country.

Government engagement with business on modern slavery has increased dramatically since the 2016 Global Slavery Index. in 2018, 36 countries are taking steps to address forced labour in business or public supply chains, compared to only four countries in 2016. However, these steps are often to establish the bare minimum of reporting requirements; individual governments can do much more than they are doing to proactively engage with business to prevent forced labour in supply chains and public procurement.

To find out more visit The Global Slavery Index.

Local Government Procurement Awards

Sustainable Procurement Achievement

The Local Government Procurement Awards celebrate those procurement professionals or groups who are making a difference in local government and their community. We are looking for nominations for the below award:

Sustainable Procurement Achievement - This award is for either an individual or organisations that has demonstrated exceptional sustainable procurement work.

The awarded recipients will receive a personalised plaque and professional development training of the winner's choice to the value of $2,500. The awards will be presented at the annual Local Government Procurement Conference dinner on 18 October 2018 at Sydney.

Please don't be shy, and recognise your own hard work by nominating yourself or nominate a colleague. The closing date for nominations is 21 September. For more information or to download the nomination form visit the LGP website.

Strengthening Sustainability in LGP Contracts

Sustainability criteria has been incorporated into all LGP contracts renewed in 2017 and 2018. The criteria for each RFT was tailored to address those sustainability risks and opportunities specific to each contract and was mandatory and weighted. Supplier responses to sustainability criteria are included in the 'Buyer's Guide' associated with each contract, enabling councils to make better informed decisions and purchase more sustainable products and services.

Playgrounds, Open Spaces, Modular Structures, Exterior Lighting, Recreational and Associated Infrastructure (LGP308-3)
Bitumen, Emulsions and Asphalt Materials and Services (LGP213-2)
Traffic Management Services (LGP113-2)
Waste Audit Management Services (LGP118)
RFT10.07-3 Office Supplies and Janitorial (including; Heavy Duty Cleaning) and Associated Products

Online Resources

Sustainable Choice has a comprehensive range of online resources for Sustainable Choice members. These resources include guides, fact sheets, case studies, example documents and useful links. Recently added online resources and links for Sustainable Choice members include:

Case Study - Recycling Bin expansion and upgrade - Byron Shire Council

Paper calculator (calculate the impact of paper use)

Cleaning Accountability Framework Standards for Tender/Scope specifications

Example tender questions addressing recycled content and waste reduction

Case study - Glass Sand - Lake Macquarie City Council

2018 Global Slavery Index

Sustainable Choice Database

The Sustainable Choice Database makes the search for sustainable products and services easier for you. The expansive online database lists sustainable products and services, from energy-efficient lighting to recycled furniture and infrastructure products, paper and printing, road base, catering and events supplies. Sustainability indicators have been incorporated into the database to help you identify why a product is considered to be more sustainable than another in order for you to choose the most appropriate for your needs and budget. You can access the database at www.sustainablechoice.lgp.org.au

If you know of a sustainable supplier that isn’t listed on the database please let us know and we will contact them. Similarly if there is a particular product you are looking for and cannot find it on the database please let us know.

Suppliers new to the database:

Waterwix PL - Innovative watering systems

Repeat Plastics Australia Pty Ltd - Recycled plastic products

Tredwell Management - Sport and Recreation Project Management

Winc Australia Pty Ltd - Stationery

Quantum Libraries - Library designs, fittings and furniture

New product alerts:

Enretech - NoBlu, an environmentally friendly and residue free option for cleaning up AdBlue spills.

ISO 20400 Sustainable Procurement Training

Sustainable Choice continue to deliver the very successful ISO 20400 training for local government. The training was launched in February 2018 and a number of councils have already taken it up. The feedback received has been very positive and some of the comments include:

''Good discussions and engagement, good real case studies''

''Very interactive and thinking outside the box''

''Well presented and easy to understand''

If you are interested in finding out more, please see or contact us.