Reeve Consulting

This is a favourite time of year for us in English Bay – so we wanted to invite you to a special event on Friday, September 25th in the afternoon for the TD Shoreline Clean-up and evening party with food and drink.

The English Bay Nature Club, formed by my daughter Olivia as an outgrowth of her desire to “help nature”, is in its second year. Last year we kicked off the years activities with a shoreline clean-up followed by a festive social gathering. Fun was had by all and the goal of “helping nature” was achieved so we are gearing up for a repeat performance.

Part One – TD Shoreline Clean-up
We (Olivia, me and the gang at my firm Reeve Consulting) are inviting any interested parents, kids and friends to join with us in participating in the TD Shoreline Clean-up on September 25th starting at 4:00 pm at the Granville Island lagoons. This is a cool event where on the same day folks all across Canada pick-up litter along shorelines. Our group is being led jointly by Olivia and some of her Grade 2 chums from L’Ecole Bilingue along with the team from Reeve Consulting. Our goal is to leave the lagoons and shoreline around Granville Island pristine for all to enjoy.

Part Two – Nature Club Festivities
Around 6 pm we’ll be heading indoors and Reeve Consulting will be hosting a casual reception with further drinks, food and festivities. The location is being finalized at a nearby location on Granville Island.

Both Olivia and I would be thrilled if you joined us. It’s been ages since we have seen many of you – and others of you we are just getting to know. We’re taking care of all the details in terms of gear and coordination for the clean-up, as well as food and drinks for the after-party. You just need to come!

Come for Part One if you’re keen (we’ll send you a map of where to meet and details on the clean-up) – but definitely come for Part Two if you’re free for part of the evening. All we need to know is if you’re planning on coming. Please RSVP for the Clean-up, the festivities or both by September 21, 2009 by calling my colleague Amanda at 778-989-1545 or emailing Amanda@reeveconsulting.com

The Responsible Purchasing Network (RPN) recently published their annual Responsible Purchasing Trends 2009 report. This report summarizes socially responsible and environmentally sustainable purchasing practices and trends in 2008.

The RPN’s membership of 211 procurement and sustainability professionals was surveyed and 135 responded. Respondents included government agencies, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, religious congregations and corporations. Ninety-five percent of the respondents were from the United States and the remaining five percent were from Canada, Italy, Mexico and Spain.

It is interesting to note that the RPN’s membership more than doubled in 2008, and as result, responsible purchasing is on the rise! From January 2008 to January 2009 their membership grew from 97 to 211 members. Of the $53 billion dollars that is collectively spent annually by the 135 respondents, it is estimated that $4 – 10 billion of this was spent on socially and environmentally preferable goods and services in 2008.

Key Findings of the Responsible Purchasing Trends 2009 Report

The key findings of this survey are summarized in the Executive Summary of this report as follows:

Responsible Purchasing Policy & Criteria
Two out of three respondents have a responsible purchasing policy and two thirds of the rest say they expect to adopt one. Social and environmental concerns (e.g. energy efficiency, recycled content) are considered by many to be nearly as important as conventional procurement considerations such as cost, quality and supply.

Responsible Purchasing in Practice
The majority of respondents say they “actually consider” social and environmental criteria in most of their purchasing. Sustainability standards and certifications (e.g. eco-labels) are widely recognized and used. Many respondents report actually considering social or environmental issues even when they do not have a policy that specifically requires it.

New Members Bring Great Potential
While all but 11 respondents to the 2008 survey already had a formal or informal responsible purchasing policy, 43 of the 2009 respondents reported lacking such a policy – though 28 of those plan to adopt one. This show there is great potential to shift far more spending in a responsible direction.

Measuring & Reporting Impact
Respondents report minimal use of calculators that measure social, environmental or cost benefits related to their responsible purchasing. Similarly, fewer than one in four claim to publish an annual report summarizing their responsible purchasing activities.

Forecasting Future Trends & Opportunities
Nearly all respondents expect to do more responsible purchasing in the next two years. Factors they claim would increase their responsible purchasing include: more competitive pricing and better selection of responsible goods and services, and more training and education in responsible purchasing.

How Does this Compare to our Trend Research?

Reeve Consulting continuously conducts best practices and trends research related to responsible purchasing. The key findings of the RPN Responsible Purchasing Trends 2009 report are very similar to what we are identifying in our research. We agree that responsible purchasing is a rapidly growing trend and has moved to the forefront for many organizations as a strategy to help improve operational efficiency and reduce environmental impacts.

As stated in the RPN report, sustainability standards and certifications (e.g. eco-labels) are widely recognized and used. We have found that many organizations are using eco-logos to overcome the common challenge of identifying “green” products and services. This has lead to a boom in the development of eco-labels across North America, which is presenting a new layer of complexity. With the rapid influx of eco-labels in the marketplace, many purchasers are finding it difficult to sort through them all and identify the more trustworthy labels.

We have also discovered there is significant demand for more training and education in relation to responsible purchasing. Many purchasers would like a formal, accredited training program they could turn to in order to gain the knowledge they need to advance responsible purchasing within their organizations.

The RPN trends report is an important contribution to the field of responsible purchasing and Reeve looks forward to seeing how these trends advance overtime. By identifying and monitoring trends we can better understand how to support and advance responsible purchasing. For example, we see Reeve playing an important role in helping to meet the current demand that exists for training and education across North America.

Download this report:
www.ResponsiblePurchasing.org

Love your job, make a difference, contribute to a greener world! Reeve Consulting creates exceptional results in ethical and sustainable purchasing through helping clients enhance their brand, their profitability and their social license by working with them to strategically re-think their supply chains. Clients include businesses, government and non-profit organizations in BC and across North America.

We seek an experienced, highly organized and motivated person to provide top notch administrative assistance to the team. Key responsibilities include:

• Scheduling meetings and booking travel for firm’s president, consultants and associates
• Designing and formatting corporate reports, proposals, executive briefings and documents
• Preparing and editing meeting presentations in PowerPoint or similar formats
• Desktop publishing of corporate brochures, fact sheet and related collateral materials
• Completing expense reports, timesheet reports, producing invoices, and managing payables
• Administering employee benefits and payroll
• Managing accounts with suppliers for ethical and socially responsible office supplies / services
• Handling corporate mail / filing / project file maintenance
• Maintenance of a corporate library in both electronic and hard-copy format
• Conducting basic internet research and information interviewing via phone and email
• Coordinating website / blog updates with web-hosting company
• Preparing electronic and hard copy mail distributions and coordinating print jobs

Qualifications include:

• At least 3 years’ experience as an Executive Assistant or 5 years of related experience
• Highly organized and able to multi-task efficiently while maintaining attention to fine details
• Extremely proficient in MS Office including Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint
• Exceptional technical abilities including knowledge of specialized software applications (E.g.: Alisar Charting, Adobe PDF Review, Webex/GoToMeeting, Skype, Online Calendars)
• Excellent error-free written communication skills (familiar and formal voice)
• Excellent verbal communication skills (knowledge of French an asset)
• Strong familiarity with QuickBooks (bookkeeping a highly desirable asset)
• Comfort interacting with all types of clients and stakeholders from CEOs to volunteers
• Professional and cooperative demeanour
• A passion for sustainability issues
• A valid BC Drivers License

We are an innovative, exciting and growing firm, which provides a great opportunity to learn and grow. You are motivated, enthusiastic and driven to make a positive contribution. Ethics and commitment will embody your every action. If you have a track-record of delivering and are known for exceeding expectations then send your resume and a cover letter to info@reeveconsulting.com, quoting “EA Posting Application from your name” in the subject line. For more information about our firm, visit www.reeveconsulting.com

We thank all applicants, however only those selected for interviews will be contacted. Resumes without cover letters will not be given priority.

Firms who wish to do business with the London 2012 Organizing Committee (LOCOG http://www.london-2012.co.uk/) will have to meet relatively strict performance standards as outlined in its ‘Sustainable Procurement Code of Conduct’.

Similar to Vancouver 2010’s ground breaking ‘Supplier Code of Conduct for Social and Environmental Compliance,’ LOCOG has set requirements based on the following 4 principles:

1. Responsible sourcing
2. Use of secondary materials
3. Minimising embodied impacts
4. Healthy materials

Under each of these principles, the Code lays out preferences related to sustainable product specifications. Examples include requesting that a given product hold a third party eco-certification (see http://ecolabelling.org/).

The Code will be used by internal buyers as well as prospective suppliers and licensees to guide the procurement process in a way that will help to ensure the sustainability of the 2012 Games and set precedence for future games.

The initial priority categories on which the Code will focus include:

• branded products;
• products sourced from overseas, and;
• labour providers

Procurement’s approach to sustainable sourcing will be based on the following questions:

1. Where does it come from?

2. Who made it?

3. What is it made of?

4. What is it wrapped in?

5. What will happen to it after the Games?

The answers to these questions will help the organizing committee determine how it will source specific products and sources. A trend is emerging in the Olympic Games in terms of sustainable purchasing and it will be interesting to see if other Olympic organizing committees will integrate similar questions into their approach to sustainable sourcing.

Related to verification of compliance to the Code, no specific action will be required on the part of suppliers and licensees beyond reading and understanding the Code. However, once a contract has been awarded, LOCOG may use various methods to ensure practices are aligned with the requirements of the tendering process.  Methods may include using ‘Supplier Ethical Data Exchange’ (https://www.sedex.org.uk) to disclose supply chain information as well as independent audits.

Thanks in large part to the work at VANOC, sustainable procurement has become an embedded component of the Games’ overall sustainability strategy. The LOCOG Code has definitely built upon this good work. VANOC, however, requires all
of its Licensees to be audited on a regular basis. LOCOG’s approach to verification seems somewhat less stringent. Reeve
Consulting will be interested to see how this all plays out and how it will influence other Olympic organizing committees in years to come.

For more information and to review the LOCOG Code, please go to:
http://www.london2012.com/news/archive/2008-11/london-2012-publishes-sustainable-sourcing-code.php

For moreinformation and to review the VANOC Code, please go to:http://www.vancouver2010.com/dl/00/55/84/-/55842/prop=data/3o3aaq/55842.pdf

Here are a couple of interesting links we’ve come accross in the past few weeks:

Motorola Releases Eco- Cell: A cell phone made of 100% post consumer water bottles has been certified the first carbon free phone. Motorola will also offset the amount of energy required to manufacture, ship and operate the phone. A postage paid envelope will also be included for return/recycling of the phone. It will sell for about $60 US. Check out their link for more infromation:  http://www.motorola.com/consumers/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=3bd6df420e68e110VgnVCM1000008406b00aRCRD

An interview with Chris Geiger, Manager of Green Purchasing and Integrated Pest Management from the City of San Francisco. See this website for the podcast: http://audio.aworldofpossibilities.com/audio/cohen_edwards64kb20081021.mp3

New York’s Green Purchasing Policy

http://www.greenerdesign.com/news/2008/12/15/new-york-green-purchasing

12 Step program for greening your supply chain.

http://www.2sustain.com/2008/12/20-steps-towards-sustainability.html

2012 Olympics publish sustainable procurement code.

http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2231451/london-2012-pub