City to Collaborate on Sustainable Procurement

City Joins Collaboration for Sustainable Procurement
Posted on 02/10/2021
The City of Charlottetown has taken an important step towards procuring goods and services more sustainably by joining the Canadian Collaboration for Sustainable Procurement (CCSP).

The CCSP is a member-based network of more than 30 Canadian public-sector institutions working together to align their spending with their values and commitments on sustainability. The idea behind sustainable procurement is to consider environmental, ethical, and social pillars during the procurement process, alongside traditional considerations such as price, quality, and technical specifications.

“We have a responsibility to the citizens of Charlottetown to look at everything we do through a sustainability lens and that includes the tendering or competitive bidding process through which we acquire goods or services,” said Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown. “Not only does this CCSP partnership align with the goals in our Integrated Community Sustainability Plan and Community Energy Plan, but there many great things that can come from sustainable procurement, such as reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and waste, and ensuring money is spent to promote fair labour standards, equitable economic development and community building.”

CCSP members meet virtually to network, share information and co-create tools to better address green, social and ethical opportunities and risks in their supply chains. Some of the other CCSP municipal members include the cities of Vancouver, Victoria, Yellowknife, Ottawa, Halifax and Kelowna – to name a few.

By joining this collaboration, Charlottetown will gain access to peer-exchange webinars, facilitated working groups, consulting services, an online repository of established tools, procedures, and training modules, as well as benchmarking services.

“Membership with CCSP will allow the City to draw on the experiences of other municipalities, furthering our efforts in a way that wouldn’t be possible working in isolation,” said Councillor Mitchell Tweel, Chair of the City’s Environment and Sustainability Committee. “This partnership is also helpful in identifying where we can make the greatest positive environment and social impacts with the municipal budget. It’s important to note though that sustainable procurement does not mean spending more money; it’s often possible to yield environmental and social benefits while also saving money.”

For more information about the City’s sustainability initiatives, visit: www.charlottetown.ca

For more information about the CCSP, visit: https://www.reeveconsulting.com/about-ccsp/