Sustainable procurement - purchasing policy

Purchases of products and services account for a major share of Centrale Nantes' GHG emissions, see carbon footprinting.
 

A new purchasing policy was adopted by the Board of Directors in March 2024, including measures for sustainable development and corporate social responsibility.

It is structured around 4 key areas:

• Efficient purchasing:
  • upstream questioning of actual needs,
  • analysis of the possibilities for pooling or leasing,
  • taking LCC criterion (life cycle cost) and not just financial cost into account
• Sustainable procurement:
  • Taking the Climate and Resilience Act provisions, transposed into the Public Procurement Code into account
  • Invitation to draw inspiration from the AGEC law to give priority to re-used goods and avoid purchasing new goods. As a result, the IT Department has been using reconditioned equipment since 2022, and from 2024 onwards will be using office furniture sourced from re-use or recycling,
  • Stop buying plastic cups and bottles,
  • Stop buying auxiliary heaters,
  • A business travel policy requiring the use of the train if the journey takes less than 4 hours and 30 minutes,
  • Taking social aspects (social inclusion and diversity criteria) into account and, in particular, evaluation of the possibility of using integration or adapted structures. For example, since 2023, the green spaces contract has been awarded to an adapted company.
• Purchasing from SMEs;
• Innovation procurement.

This policy, which was drawn up including proposals made by the Sustainable Development Officers in 2023, was reviewed by the Sustainable Development Department before being submitted to the Board of Directors for approval in 2024.

• Procurement policy (in French)