Replace a broad sustainability promise with a documented purchasing requirement. Specify what evidence is needed, what it covers and how progress will be checked.
Practical frameworks are editorial recommendations. All worked examples are hypothetical, not client results. Confirm transaction-specific legal, tax and safety requirements with a qualified professional.
Ask for verifiable evidence
Request documentation that supports environmental and labor claims. Check the scope, issuer and validity of certificates instead of accepting broad marketing statements.
- OECD guidance treats responsible-business due diligence as a risk-based process, not a certificate collection exercise. Identify potential adverse impacts, prioritise severity and likelihood, and document preventive actions and follow-up with accountable suppliers.
Measure specific activities
Track packaging use, waste and transport activity with consistent boundaries. Record the method and limitations before comparing suppliers or making public claims.
- Define the site, product, reporting period and measurement boundary before comparing claims. Check issuer, scope and expiry of supporting evidence. Do not treat a factory certificate as proof that every product or transport route has the same performance.
Worked example
Hypothetical packaging trial: compare packaging mass per delivered unit for the same product and damage rate. A lighter pack that increases breakage may not be an improvement. Record both outcomes; this test alone does not establish the product’s full environmental footprint.
Build improvement into purchasing
Agree measurable actions with suppliers, such as reducing unnecessary packaging. Review progress alongside quality and delivery rather than treating sustainability as a separate checklist.
- Put the improvement, owner, evidence and review date in the purchasing plan. Track corrective actions alongside quality and delivery. Explain measurement limits in public claims and escalate unresolved adverse impacts rather than hiding them behind a supplier score.