Green purchasing: the strategy of future companies

In recent years, climate change, new regulations, and consumer demands have pushed the business sector to find ways to integrate sustainability into the core of its values and objectives. While achieving these goals involves many different elements, one of the keys is shifting the focus to the value chain. It's not just about reducing costs and maximizing profits, as this tool was initially conceived, but also about meeting sustainability standards. How? Through green purchases.

The value chain is a model used to analyze all the activities involved in the production of a good or service, from the initial stage to the final result. In this way, value chain analysis can also help identify opportunities for improvement in specific activities, such as process sustainability, across different business units. A green purchase considers various environmental parameters related to one or more stages of the product life cycle.

In other words, green purchasing considers everything from raw material extraction to manufacturing, distribution, use, and even final disposal. For a purchase to be considered green, it must meet the criteria for acquiring goods or services with a reduced environmental impact.

Thus, green purchasing is becoming an excellent tool to help companies achieve their medium- and long-term environmental objectives. In this regard, MAPFRE, in line with its commitments outlined in the Corporate Environmental Footprint Plan for 2030, has defined how it will develop and implement several initiatives in the bidding processes and evaluation of the environmental performance of the goods and services it purchases as a company. These practices can offer the following benefits:

Green purchasing prioritizes recycled or recyclable products over conventional ones, and favors providers that are energy efficient and environmentally responsible. This type of procurement reduces waste and extends the life of materials, giving them a second or even third life. Moreover, this practice not only promotes the circular economy, but also fosters alliances and encourages business between companies or entities with similar standards of environmental commitment.

In general, companies that contract or purchase green goods and services are choosing options with a reduced environmental impact. Let's not forget that this practice underscores the value of providers who are energy efficient, use recycled materials or clean energy, use water responsibly, and meet higher environmental standards. This thus helps to reduce the overall carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions of the contracting company at various stages of its supply chain.

Finally, it's worth mentioning that the image a corporation presents to consumers is critical to its success and to fostering greater customer loyalty. In a society concerned about the future of our planet, a company that demonstrates its commitment to the environment through actions, data, and transparency creates a positive perception. In this context, green purchasing serves not only as a sustainable tool, but also as a powerful strategy to differentiate from competitors and build a solid corporate reputation that adds value.

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