Hyderabad: FTCCI with the support of Jeedimetla Effluent Treatment Limited organised a programme on Sustainable Procurement as per ISO 20400 at FTCCI Pokarna Skill Centre, Federation House, Red Hills Hyderabad.
Ms. Keerthi D Souza, Managing Director, Life Giver Professional Service LLP; Mr. G Bala Subramanyam, Chair, Environment Committee, FTCCI and Mr. P. Bakka Reddy, Executive Director, Jeedimetla Effluent Treatment Limited where the experts spoke on how organisations can integrate sustainability seamlessly into their procurement strategies.
The program aimed to equip the participants with insights into ISO 20400’s principles and their practical application. It helped them understand and explore how organisations can integrate sustainability seamlessly into their procurement strategies.
Mr. Suresh Kumar Singhal, President, FTCCI said in today’s world, sustainability is not just a buzzword; it is a necessity—a critical responsibility that businesses must embrace to thrive in a changing global landscape. Sustainable procurement, as guided by ISO 20400, offers a structured framework to ensure that our purchasing decisions respect financial priorities and environmental, social, and economic dimensions.
For businesses, adopting sustainable procurement is a game-changer. It strengthens supply chains, reduces risks, and enhances long-term profitability. For the environment, it helps conserve resources and mitigate climate change by encouraging greener practices across industries. And for society, it ensures fairness, equity, and respect for human rights throughout the value chain he added.
Let us not view sustainability as a challenge but as an opportunity—a chance to differentiate our businesses, to lead with a purpose, and to contribute to a better future for generations to come, Mr Singhal said. Together, let us lead the way in building a sustainable tomorrow, he told the participants.
Sustainable procurement is the process of integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria into an organization’s procurement processes, said Mr. G Bala Subramanyam.
Giving an example Bala Subrahmanyam said a paper straw can replace a plastic straw which takes 200 years to decompose.
The coffee cost is valued at Rs 15/ and above and may go even in hundreds in places like Star Bucks. That is what is known to us. But if you consider the water footprint, the cost could be Rs 700/- and above taking into consideration that it takes 140 litres (assuming the cost of each litre of water costs Rs 5/-) of water to make one cup of coffee, Bala Subrahmanyam revealed an eye-opening fact about coffee.
He added that sustainable procurement aims to Protect the environment, support social progress, promote economic development, Improve the quality of products and services, and Optimize costs.
