Product purchasing

Purchasing from local, certified and ethical companies is one of the easiest ways to reduce your environmental footprint and that of your customers.

Top five tips

1. Purchase items that are made out of recycled material, are recyclable, reusable or have a guarantee that they are made to last. 
   
2. Purchase locally made products (low carbon miles).
   
3. Avoid products with excessive packaging or buy in bulk (for example, swap single-serve packaged products with loose or bulk pack​aged items).
   
4. Purchase products with an environmental or social certification, such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), fair trade or carbon neutral.
   
5. Support sharing goods and services (hiring or leasing), rather than buying.
   

You could also:

6. Check the companies you purchase from have a clear understanding of their supply chain – where things come from and how they are made, including awareness of key environmental and social risks their products may be contributing to.
7. Provide staff with reusable bottles (or ask them to bring their own) and provide or sell reusable bottles or cups to your customers. 
8. Reward customers for bringing their reusable cups, bags and bottles with discounts or opportunities to enter competitions via social media. 
9. Add extra cost to single use items to encourage reusable items. For example, make coffees or alcoholic beverages 50 cents extra in takeaway cups. 
10. Prioritise catering that uses fair trade, local, seasonal, carbon neutral and any other sustainable food options. 
11. Engage a social enterprise to do your catering. 
    

See also: Food and drinks, Waste management

Planning template

To help you plan for responsible purchasing for your business, we’ve created a template: