London mayor offers businesses green purchasing advice

Businesses in London looking to reduce their environmental impact through responsible purchasing can now seek advice from a revamped web site provided by City Hall.

Launched yestereday, Greenprocurementcode.co.uk aims to provide businesses with guidance on how to develop a sustainable purchasing policy, as well as a list of approved green products and suppliers.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said that the new site would make it easier for firms to make "eco-friendly purchasing decisions", adding that green procurement policies "can not only be kinder to the planet, but can also save money in tough economic times".

The new web site is accompanied by a Green Procurement Code, which companies are invited to sign up to. The code requires signatories to secure management support for efforts to improve green purchasing, implement a green procurement plan in the workplace, and complete an online progress review between April and June each year.

Those firms that commit to complying with the code will be given access to a "members-only" toolkit on the website, providing them with further advice on green purchasing.

Green Procurement Code programme manager Graham Randles said that the site should make it simple for firms to draw up the green purchasing criteria that underpin sustainable procurement plans.

"In the current financial climate companies don't want to waste valuable time and resources searching for information. The new web site is an easy-to-navigate, one-stop-shop for organisations looking to make smart green procurement decisions," he said.