Sustainable Procurement Certification

AENOR's Sustainable Procurement certification, based on the ISO 20400 Standard, helps companies to make responsible purchases and develop a more sustainable supply chain, with all the benefits that this entails both for the company itself and its employees, as well as for the environment and society.

Responsible procurement: towards a more sustainable supply chain

Within the Trust Platform "Responsible commitment to the entire value chain", AENOR includes the "Sustainable Procurement Strategy" certification solution, an effective tool for organisations that want to meet the general (social, environmental and economic) sustainable purchasing challenge while integrating social and environmental responsibility throughout the entire supply chain.

ISO 20400: The ISO for Sustainable Procurement

AENOR offers the Sustainable Procurement certification based on the requirements of ISO 20400:2017.

Under the structure of a management system, the AENOR certification:

• Describes the organisational conditions and management techniques necessary to implement a sustainable procurement policy and strategy.
• Prioritises actions in relation to your supply chain based on risk analysis and according to sustainability criteria.
• Minimises the operational risks of the organisation with regard to its social and economic environment.
  

In addition, it specifically:

• Requests to incorporate the entire value chain into the Sustainability performance aspect.
• It necessarily includes the dual involvement of the value chain. In other words:
• Upstream. By encouraging organisations to establish a supply chain with a more positive environmental and economic impact, creating confidence in their value chain.
• Downstream. By generating a positive environmental, social and economic impact throughout the product life cycle.
• Encourages sustainable finance and responsible consumption.
• Holds companies responsible by looking far beyond obtaining profits at any price.
• Meets the sustainability demands of customers and investors, reducing the risk associated with environmental regulations.
• Turns procurement into a competitive advantage by validating the ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) criteria of companies.
  

Benefits of Sustainable Procurement Certification

Benefits for customers:

• Integrates an action strategy aligned with sustainability into a certificate.
• Highlights the actual execution of ESG commitments to investors or society.
• Minimises risks throughout the value chain.
• Involves the entire business structure within the supply chain.
• Anticipates legal provisions being currently developed, including the Due Diligence Directive, and responds to specific requirements that are beginning to be included in order to be eligible for certain grants (such as the aforementioned Ministerial Order published by the MITECO on 21 March 2022, on aid for the promotion of the circular economy).
  

Course and Standard ISO 20400:

• Course M-77 Sustainable Procurement Management
• UNE-ISO 20400:2017 standard