SPECIAL FOCUS
sure sustainability-related information and data is readily available at the point where purchasing decisions are made.
“Supply Chain can help sustainably minded suppliers make the case as to why one product may be preferable to another. A great example of this is the decision to buy reusable versus disposable products. Reusable items can some- times bring a bigger price tag, but they are often economically favorable over their lifetime as compared to buying and disposing of a new item for each use. Supply Chain can be criti- cal in helping educate purchasers and enable environmentally conscious decision making. “Supply Chain should work collaboratively
with healthcare systems’ subject matter ex- perts. Premier maintains an Environmentally Preferred Purchasing Advisory Council made up of specialists in this area from a cross-section of our membership. The Council’s input is vital to ensuring that our sustainability efforts reflect their goals and that the documentation sent to suppliers is fit for purpose.”
Cristina Indiveri, Senior Director, Strategic Programs, Vizient
“We believe that a critical step toward incorpo- rating sustainability into their contracting work is adopting a set of environmentally preferred attributes and requesting that this information
be included in all requests for proposals (RFPs). They can also incentivize suppliers to submit environmentally preferred information by of- fering additional points within the RFP process. We also encourage supply chains to directly communicate their organization’s preference and use of environmentally preferred items via public reports and public, organizational mission statements. “Vizient took this step in 2017 and we now
have 81 percent compliance from suppliers, and it has resulted in increased engagement and adoption of environmentally preferred products in our contact portfolio.”
Hannah Anderson, Sustainability Specialist, Medline Industries
“When working with a supplier, I think the top priority is to create a roadmap for sustain- ability efforts and have a conversation with suppliers and service companies so they under- stand the organization’s goals/priorities. This will help them guide your contracting efforts and most importantly, help determine if that supplier is a right fit. To help guide success, I recommend that healthcare providers work with suppliers who are operationally energy efficient and consider certifications like LEED, BCI, ISO14001 and more. A few other things to consider:
• Be clear about the chemicals your organiza- tion allows and the chemicals of concern the organization is trying to eliminate. Some of the chemicals we’ve heard that customers are trying to eliminate include formaldehyde, flame retardants, and polyvinyl chloride. I suggest that healthcare organizations develop a standards document that they can have as a reference to share with suppliers.
• Incorporate a recycled content standard for your packaging. Determine a threshold, based on your product offering that makes sense for your organization, and include those percentages in your documentation. At Medline, we reference the EPA’s procurement guidelines, the Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides, and industry leadership for direction on best practice.”
Stacey Winston, Vice President, Program Management, Intalere
“It’s important to ensure that you have vis- ibility to your entire supply chain and that you map it out from the context of sustainability, understanding social, economic and environ- mental challenges they face and how they are addressing. You can then better understand potential opportunities for those suppliers to respond to those challenges and improve their sustainability footprint. “In addition, as an organization adopts sustainability goals internally, it’s critical that those very same goals, metrics, and KPIs are extended to supplier partners so they can bet- ter align to those enterprise goals. In addition, these should be included in RFPs to ensure that any new or prospective suppliers are evalu- ated in the context of how they will assist the enterprise in achieving these goals. A supplier is much more likely to adopt those goals and standards in order to win the business as op- posed to simply maintaining existing business. “Finally, it’s important that sustainability
goals are captured in a contractual document, either explicitly or as part of a supplier perfor- mance management program. This could also include sustainability goals for the supplier to implement with their supply base. On an agreed upon frequency, at least annually, the supply chain team and the supplier should meet to discuss mutual actions and perfor- mance on sustainability initiatives.”
Editor’s Note: For additional tips and tech- niques, be sure to visit “Environmental Sustainability: More process than progress?” November 2019 HPN, https://www.hpnonline. com/21114109 and “Embarking on environ- mental sustainability,” November 2019 HPN,
https://www.hpnonline.com/21114251.
Visit
https://hpnonline.com/21158595 for the sidebar: Placing sustainability projects in proper order
Visit
www.ksrleads.com/?011hp-035 2011HPN_NewGenSurgical 1 14 November 2020 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
hpnonline.com 10/13/20 8:53 AM
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