Learn how impact-led procurement enables enterprises to compete fairly in procurement processes based on cost, quality, and ability to deliver on buyer needs.
Impact-led procurement is not about charity or prioritizing one supplier over another purely because of its mission. It is about creating awareness for enterprises to compete fairly in procurement processes based on cost, quality, and ability to deliver what a buyer needs.
This September, the world will turn its attention to New York City for Climate Week and the United Nations General Assembly . These gatherings come at a critical time, following an unsuccessful UN Global Plastics Treaty and a soberingfrom the UN Secretary-General that only 35% of the Sustainable Development Goals are on track to be met by 2030. Business as usual is no longer an option in a world shaped by AI, regulatory shifts, and supply chain disruptions. But amid these global challenges, there is a powerful reason for hope, and it is rooted right here in the United States. Afrom Purchasing with Purpose reveals that the US is home to over 1.1 million enterprises that deliberately put people and the planet first. These are not just businesses; they are companies dedicated to solving urgent challenges for communities like reducing poverty, creating jobs, and combating single use plastics. This groundbreaking study builds onshowing that these enterprises are a powerful force for good, employing 200 million people and generating an estimated $2 trillion in annual revenue worldwide. “These agile, impact-driven organizations are building resilient local economies by offering quality goods and services to the market,” shares Rebecca Dray, Executive Director of Purchasing with Purpose. “However, their full potential remains largely untapped by the very institutions—corporations and governments—that could help them scale through procurement. With this new research, we now have a roadmap for how public and private sector buyers can accelerate positive change using a powerful tool they already have: their purchasing power.”Corporate leaders often think of social and environmental impact in terms of philanthropic giving. While vital, philanthropy is just one piece of the puzzle. A look at the numbers reveals a massive, untapped opportunity:In contrast, Fortune 500 companies' external supplierin the U.S. federal government alone reached approximatelyThe sheer scale of these numbers shows that the greatest lever for creating positive impact is not in giving, but in spending. This is the core of impact-led procurement—the strategic practice of creating opportunities for directing existing procurement budgets toward enterprises that can deliver the goods and services needed and align with your company's values. It is a scalable and financially sustainable strategy that aligns profit with purpose.Imagine your company's procurement strategy as a force for good. Instead of a single, massive contract, you can engage with multiple, smaller, local enterprises. For example, the city of Phoenix transformed its landscaping contract, breaking one large, recurring contract into 20 smaller ones, which allowed local businesses to compete and win many of the projects. By fairly awarding a competitive contract to a company that prioritizes people and planet, your procurement dollars help create jobs and reinvest funding into solving local issues.outlines examples including Compass Diversified, a publicly traded holding company, pioneering impact-led procurement within its industry, too. They have developed their own guidelines for impact-led purchasing, are measuring their impact, and are leading the Purchasing with Purpose corporate advisory group to share this knowledge with the private sector. You can start small. Your facilities team could switch the coffee in your breakroom to a brand like Change Please USA, which trains and employs people experiencing homelessness. Or, your marketing department could close the employment gap for people on the Autism Spectrum by sourcing custom apparel or promotional items from Spectrum Designs. Your HR department could work to fill staffing shortages like 1-800-Flowers did, with suppliers like , an organization removing barriers to employment for potential workers who have fallen through the cracks. The opportunities are everywhere, in every sector.shows that the roadmap for this transformation exists. It's a collaborative effort that requires companies and agencies to think differently about their purchasing power. If you are looking for a new way to generate positive impact in your community, I encourage you to check out the US mapping research and consider how you might purchase with purpose. Rebecca Dray and the team at Purchasing with Purpose also invite you to join their local
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