Land confiscated from the mafia and now farmed by social enterprises is helping deliver over 1 million organic school meals a day in Italy. A consortium of social enterprises have won a contract to supply furniture to North Lanarkshire Council. Just two examples of how public procurement is already being used to deliver multiple environment, social and economic benefits.

Greener, more ethical and more local economies are a real possibility if public procurement — how governments spend our money on goods and services — can deliver its potential of contributing to sustainable development. There will be significant opportunities for social enterprises, fair trade and organic businesses, and for small and medium sized enterprises that can demonstrate excellent environmental and social performance.

But such ‘ethical enterprises’ should not think they will have this market to themselves. Retailers like Tesco and Marks & Spencer are appealing to mainstream ethical consumers with new environmental and social initiatives. The corporations supplying the public sector have the resources to invest in skills and systems to become ‘green giants’ if that is what the market demands.

To compete successfully in a sustainability-driven public procurement market, social and other ethical enterprises will need to keep innovating; deliver multiple benefits: social, environmental and economic; demonstrate performance; provide good and services that do the job to a high standard — and of course be profitable.

Resources:

School meals in Italy: see Roberta Sonnino’s presentation at the Soil Association’s Food for Life Conference 14 June 07. Transcripts and podcasts here

Furniture in North Lanarkshire; conference Public Service Partnership: A Model for Social Enterprise Procurement 29 Aug 07. Details here

The potential of public procurement: report Public spending for public benefit from New Economics Foundation. Report here

Professional development course in Ethical Enterprise. Flyer here