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Letter from the CEO
 Greetings!
First of all – the 6th annual SPLC Summit was a wonderful gathering of some 500 people from all types and sizes of organizations, meeting to learn, share, recognize and spread the gospel about the power of sustainable purchasing.
If you attended, we hope the power of the presentations and connections that you experienced sent you back home more intent than ever on surmounting the “squiggle” of complexities that you face every day. We hope the gathering creates a tailwind at your back to help you move sustainable purchasing efforts forward at your own organization. And we hope sharing our stories and strategies empowers us all to clearly communicate our shared desire for more sustainable solutions in all markets.
So much is happening at SPLC that this issue of our newsletter is bursting with news! Read on to learn about new program options, staff changes, upcoming webinars, and more. And please be in touch with your suggestions, feedback, and insights – we are all stronger when we work together, and our focus is on designing and developing tools and programs that enable everyone in the purchasing community to go farther faster by leveraging our shared knowledge and expertise.
Sincerely,
Sarah O'Brien
Acting CEO & Director of Programs |
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Welcome New Members
- Bast Sustainability Consulting
- BlackRock
- DuPont
- Oregon Department of Administrative Services
- Orion Contact Center Services
- SAS Institute
- Sustainable Concepts Studio
- Tygabox Systems, Inc.
- University of North Carolina, Charlotte
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SPLC Program Expansion
Over the past six months the SPLC Program team – Kris Spriano, Johanna Anderson and Sarah O’Brien – has been developing new benefits and activities to meet our members’ needs for more active engagement and support.
While SPLC focuses on identifying leadership best practices, we also recognize that many of our members are not quite ready to reach that performance pinnacle. Many are just starting their journey with sustainable purchasing; some have addressed low-hanging fruit and need to develop plans for meaningful next steps; others have developed comprehensive category strategies and now need to start building out their program.
We know that if we aren’t helping you address the work in front of you, you can’t lift your heads to look to the longer term – so we are building program elements to meet the need for more individualized support and collective action, to help members increase their capability, and pool their knowledge to enable all to work better, faster, and more effectively. These elements include:
- A program of individualized coaching on strategic program development, currently in pilot but available over time to any member
- Development of peer support groups for strategic counsel and solidarity in the work
- Convening of short-term sprint teams to design interventions for urgent issues that no one knows how to address yet
- Practical research like the new “How to Make the Case for Investment in your Company’s Sustainable Purchasing Program” , a whitepaper just published this week and available for download now
- Hands-on-Workshops to help members sketch up strategic approaches to tackle big tasks (SPLC members – sign up for the June 19th webinar on internal stakeholder engagement here!)
- And an enhanced directory where members can offer to mentor fellow members on specific topics where they have experience and expertise (Members – take a few minutes to flesh out your profile here.)
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Each year, SPLC recognizes leading organizations and individuals who leverage their purchasing power to advance the long-term health and vitality of society, economies, and the planet. SPLC recognized seven organizations and two individuals at the Council’s annual Summit in Portland this May for their significant leadership in executing and supporting sustainable purchasing initiatives.
The awards and awardees include:
- Leadership Award for Overall Sustainable Purchasing Program: Air Liquide
- Leadership Award for a Special Sustainable Purchasing Initiative: Multnomah County
- Sustainable Purchasing Business Case Leadership Award: Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC)
- Leadership Award for Public Interest Advocacy: Responsible Purchasing Network
- Leadership Award for Supplier Engagement: Alameda County
- Leadership Award for Circular Economy: Rheaply
- Supplier Leadership Award: Vizient
- Individual Leadership Award: Karen Hamilton
- Special Award: Sam Hummel, Departing CEO, SPLC
- Outstanding Case Study Awards: 33 additional organizations (See full list of Outstanding Case Study winners here.)
Congratulations to all our award winners! More details about each one can be found here.
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SPLC Summit Wrap-Up
Last month’s SPLC Summit held in Portland Oregon was our biggest and best yet!
Attendees engaged, collaborated, strategized and learned together in a warm, supportive atmosphere, inspired by speakers, workshops and award winning programs to take their sustainable purchasing initiatives to the next level.
And behind the scenes, the gathering met SPLC’s strict sustainability requirements, in service of our shared goal of ensuring that “the production, use, and disposal of goods and services enhances the long-term health and vitality of people and the planet.”
The numbers speak for themselves:
- 80+ speakers in 40+ sessions
- 480 attendees – 17% local, 75% national, 8% international
- Sustainable Purchasing Leadership awards presented to 7 organizations and 2 individuals, with 35 additional submissions recognized as Outstanding Case Studies
- 27 sponsors
- 100% renewable materials used for exhibit hall construction
- 95% waste diversion rate
Missed it this year? Mark your calendars for May 2020 to experience the fun and learning for yourself! And get ready to submit presentations of and apply for recognition for your work this fall, to make attending even more rewarding!
Presenter slides are posted now to the Summit 2019 session pages – accessed from the schedule here – to let you share an inspiring or informative discussion with colleagues. |
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Check out SPLC's new enhanced directory, launched at the Summit! The new detailed search capability will enable members to quickly connect with colleagues who can provide guidance or share experiences with specific topic areas and strategies.
But the enhanced directory’s success is reliant on everyone entering their information! So please take a moment to add or update your profile if you haven't already done so, to help make community connections and support easier and more effective for all! |
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SPLC Staff Transitions
Sam Hummel has stepped down as CEO of SPLC after serving the organization in multiple roles with dedication, insight, and inventiveness for the past six years. While the Board conducts a search for Sam’s replacement over the next six to twelve months, Sarah O’Brien, SPLC’s current Director of Programs, has moved into the role of Acting CEO. We are grateful to Sam for all of his contributions to developing SPLC as the powerhouse that it has become in the world of sustainable procurement – and we wish him the very best in whatever new role he takes up after a well-deserved break!
Cuchulain Kelly is also departing his role as Communications Manager, to pursue his first love – performing! We wish him the best of luck with his next steps – and encourage you all to find him online – “Handsome Hound” – and at a house concert or theater near you!
Here's Cuchulain receiving an Individual Award at the recent Summit, in recognition of his many contributions to our success and community!
In addition to the CEO search, we are hiring immediately for two positions:
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Member Recruitment and Member Services Lead
SPLC is looking for a new Member Recruitment and Member Services Lead with 5-10 years experience with member recruitment for an association or other membership based organization, as well as familiarity with sustainability and/or sustainable procurement topics and communities. Full job description here.
Administrative Coordinator
This is a part-time position in support of all our many staff activities – including CRM management, invoicing and coordinating with outside accountants, web updates and more. Schedule is flexible, 15+ hours per week. Full job description here
If you or someone you know would be perfect for either position, apply today! Deadline for applications is June 30, 2019.
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In the meantime, here are each staff member’s areas of focus:
Sarah O'Brien
Acting CEO & Director of Programs
sarah@sustainablepurchasing.org
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Contact Sarah to invite her to speak on sustainable purchasing, and to propose strategic initiatives or alliances that you think will increase our community’s positive impact on the procurement profession and the world.
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Johanna Anderson
Member Success Manager
johanna@sustainablepurchasing.org
(202) 607-2600 ext. 110
Kris Spriano
Member Success Manager
kris@sustainablepurchasing.org
(202) 607-2600 ext. 302
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Contact Johanna and Kris, our Member Success Managers, to talk about individual coaching engagements or other resources, program support and benchmarking opportunities to help members succeed.
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Bob Jarboe
Senior Advisor, Business Partnerships
bob@sustainablepurchasing.org |
Contact Bob to talk about partnerships between SPLC and businesses that wish to engage the Council’s unique audience of procurement professionals focused on sustainability. |
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News You Can Use
SPLC White Paper: Making the Case for Investment in Your Company’s Sustainable Purchasing Program
SPLC published a new white paper that discusses how you can make the case for sustainable purchasing program investment. Gaining the budgetary resources to support sustainable purchasing coordination and embedding of best practices can be a challenge, even within companies where the big-picture benefits of sustainability initiatives are well understood by senior executives. We asked the sustainable purchasing champions at eight U.S. and international companies in a range of industries and sizes to share how they’ve made the case for investment in their company’s sustainable purchasing program. Download the white paper here.
Research Survey: Cal-OP ACE ("California Opportunities for Accelerating Clean Energy") Program
This effort, funded by the California Energy Commission, aims to increase the uptake of distributed energy resources (DER) technologies among California organizations. This survey seeks to better understand how commercial, industrial, government, and healthcare organizations are purchasing cost-effective energy-related products. The results of this survey will inform the development of a series of resources and initiatives that address the procurement needs of California organizations. If you are interested in assisting in this effort, please take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CalOpBuyerSurvey Should you have any further questions about the Cal-OP ACE Program or the survey, feel free to reach out to me or the rest of the research team at CalOP-Survey@lbl.gov.
Have a news item you'd like to pass along to SPLC's readership? Let us know.
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Upcoming Events
19 June 2019, 1:30-3:00 pm Eastern Time - SPLC Hands-on Learning Session: Staff Engagement and Accountability (Webinar) 
Join SPLC’s Program Team for our next Hands-On Learning Workshop focused on staff engagement and accountability! Achieving buy-in from key stakeholders is critically important to achieving your goals. This workshop focuses on one particular stakeholder group that is vital to success – the STAFF responsible for implementing sustainable purchasing strategies. During this workshop you’ll hear about the ways SPLC members have supported their sustainable purchasing efforts through a variety of engagement and accountability methods – from recognition programs, listening sessions, and education and training, to tying sustainable purchasing success to performance reviews and employee compensation.
17 July 2019, Time TBD - Making the Case for Sustainable Procurement Program Investment (Webinar)
Growing a strategic sustainable procurement program takes resources – funds to grow your team, invest in tools for supplier assessment and training, and perform impact assessment to help target your efforts. We asked leading sustainable procurement professionals how they successfully demonstrated value and obtained resources from upper management– and summarized their responses in a recently released whitepaper. This webinar will focus on the proven strategies they shared, and how you can leverage them to successfully increase internal recognition and solicit new investments that help maximize your external impact.
18 June 2019 - Global Sustainability Standards Symposium (The Hague, Netherlands)
Understand the state of the art about measuring how the world’s leading sustainability certification programs deliver social and environmental impacts. The ISEAL Alliance welcomes leaders from supply  chain sustainability initiatives, business, government and civil society at the Global Sustainability Standards Symposium. The symposium will put impacts at the centre of the discussion as we explore how credible market-driven solutions can work for sustainable procurement and beyond.
17 June 2019 – Monitoring and Evaluation and Research Methods (The Hague, Netherlands)
Arrive a day before the ISEAL symposium to join an in-depth training workshop on understanding how credible sustainability standards design systems to measure and report on their sustainability impacts. Suitable for anyone who wants to know the ins and outs of measuring social and environmental impacts as part of a corporate sustainability initiative or in the sustainability standards you reference to achieve sustainability results.
27-30 October, 2019 - AASHE Conference & Expo (Spokane, WA)
Expected to draw approximately 2,000 participants, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s (AASHE’s) annual conference is the largest stage in North America to exchange effective models, policies, research, collaborations and transformative actions that advance sustainability in higher education and surrounding communities. With a theme of CoCreating a Sustainable Economy, AASHE 2019 is of particular relevance to the SPLC community. The conference seeks to showcase and strengthen higher education’s contributions to the movement for a sustainable economy.
Are you an SPLC member and have an event item you'd like to pass along to SPLC's readership? Let us know.
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