For Australian utilities, procurement decisions now carry far more weight than simply sourcing the right equipment for the lowest price. Procurement teams need to look beyond reliability, compliance and cost to evaluate suppliers and products through a broader lens that focuses on social responsibility, environmental impact and alignment with Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals.
But translating this into everyday purchasing decisions can be challenging. Researching products takes time, and reliable information isn’t always easy to find. Claims around sustainability and social impact can be complex and difficult to verify.
Blackwoods has stepped in to help, launching the Conscious Procurement Choice (CPC) program to facilitate easier decision making for your business.
With just one click, your business can now choose products that support in meeting regulatory and stakeholder expectations around ESG principles.
The CPC program brings together thousands of products on our website across four main categories:
Blackwoods works closely with our suppliers to ensure every CPC-labelled product meets key requirements across the categories. A product must be backed by transparent, verifiable documentation of any claims before being included in the program, giving you confidence you are making informed and responsible purchasing decisions.
To maintain these standards, all CPC products undergo an annual review. Any product that no longer meets the program’s requirements is automatically removed.
Procurement teams can find products on the Blackwoods website by applying CPC filters, while the CPC icon highlights eligible products in catalogues. You can also speak with your Blackwoods representative to receive a curated list of CPC products tailored to your specific needs and procurement priorities.
Power companies, renewable energy companies and water utilities will find a range of products suited to their operations in the program - from storage for consumables made from recycled materials to low-toxic cleaning products. The program will continue to expand, with additional product categories and eligible items added over time.
The program makes it easier for you to navigate the complexity of conscious procurement. Instead of spending valuable time researching and validating individual product claims, procurement teams can quickly find options they know will support ESG goals around circularity principles, low-impact materials, renewable energy technologies, social enterprise support and Indigenous procurement.
This not only saves time but also reduces the risk of selecting products that appear to meet expectations, but don’t quite stack up under closer scrutiny.
Emma Mackenzie, Sustainability Manager at Blackwoods says,
“Customers have been asking for a clearer, more reliable way to identify products that align with social and environmental expectations. The CPC program is a positive step forward, bringing transparency to the process and giving customers confidence that the products they choose have been assessed against robust criteria and will continue to meet those standards over time.”
Make informed procurement choices that align with your sustainability goals by choosing Blackwoods.