We want our buying power to make a difference beyond the financial value of the goods and services we purchase. We want to contribute to a fair, inclusive and environmentally and socially sustainable community for all, via our suppliers and supply chains.
The Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Procurement Framework aligns City of Melbourne's procurement decisions with our sustainability commitments, goals, targets and objectives by:
- defining our key sustainability areas and priorities, as decided by the Council
- assisting purchasing decisions to ensure sustainable procurement is our business-as-usual
- ensuring the whole organisation consistently prioritises sustainable procurement
- encouraging buyers to think strategically about environmental and societal risks and opportunities and work more closely with suppliers.
Our ESG priorities are:
We aim to promote environmentally sustainable business practices by:
- reducing carbon emissions in our supply chain
- stimulating a circular economy by collaborating with existing and new suppliers to improve environmental management to deliver long-term circular economy practices
- ensuring suppliers carry out practices that support biodiversity and climate resilience.
We aim to elevate the inherent social value of doing business by:
- increasing opportunities for Aboriginal businesses and peoples to address inequality and strengthen their role in the Melbourne economy
- increasing the inclusion of people experiencing social or economic exclusion or disadvantage.
We aim to work with suppliers whose business practices meet legislative requirements and whose principles align with ours by:
- ensuring suppliers support safe workplaces that comply with occupational health and safety, modern slavery and child safe legislation
- ensuring suppliers support a fair workplace, including gender equality and diversity, equal opportunities and National Employment Standards.
Our ESG procurement framework has been designed to support us to achieve these sustainability priorities through procurement process. It explains what we mean by sustainability and details how we guide staff to embed it in their decision-making when we buy goods and services. The framework is iterative: we regularly update it to ensure it remains current with our priorities and the expectations of our community.
Alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. Achieving sustainable development is the most critical challenge facing our generation. Our procurement policy and ESG framework directly promote many of the goals.
