Green Living: Sustainable procurement

Sometimes the results can be comical, sometimes infuriating, but in general the bar for events in London is set very high.

This Monday is a double treat as not only are we attending the Mayor's Green Procurement Awards at RIBA, but we've also been awarded silver level status in this year's scheme. A fantastic opportunity to meet and mingle with other figures in the green industries in London as well as celebrating our own achievements.

The Mayor's Green Procurement Code was launched in 2001 and exists to encourage businesses to use their purchasing power to tackle the capital's waste problem, reduce carbon emissions and contribute to the Mayor of London's target of cutting the capital's carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2025.

The code also hands out awards every year to those organisations which can demonstrate they've gone the extra mile when making procurement decisions.

Organisations can attain gold, silver or bronze level awards depending on the level of engagement they can show with sustainable procurement issues.

There are also individual awards in five categories including people, policy and best performing SME. Who knows, perhaps we will have something to decorate the office with when we get in on Tuesday morning.

Regardless of the gongs and glad rags, the Mayor's Green Procurement Code is an excellent opportunity for local businesses to demonstrate a real commitment to sustainable issues.

In 2008, the combined purchases of Green Procurement Code signatories diverted the equivalent of 187 Olympic sized swimming pools of waste from landfill, representing a saving of 22,643 tonnes of CO2.

- Do you or your company have an environmentally friendly product or service you'd like featured in this column? Let us know by contacting Seventeen, a sustainable alternative for your event management needs, at andrew@seventeenevents.co.uk.