The final version of a standard to help organisations integrate sustainability into their procurement processes has been published by British standards body BSI.
ISO 20400 defines the principles of sustainable procurement such as accountability, transparency, respect for human rights and ethical behaviour.
It will complement ISO 26000, the international guidance on social responsibility, which was published in 2010.
Jacques Schramm, chair of ISO/PC 277, the project committee that developed 20400, said businesses could no longer rely on suppliers to provide them with what they want without asking questions.
‘Organisations benefit greatly from getting to know their suppliers and understanding what their requirements are to ensure their demands are not unrealistic and that the suppliers they work with have good, ethical practices,’ he said.
Businesses that do not understand or manage practices throughout their supply chain risk at best poor quality products, or at worst disasters such as the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh in 2013, he added.