The Environment Department (DEFRA), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Office of Government Commerce, Essex County Council, the London Borough of Islington, Leeds City Council and the Victoria and Albert Museum have confirmed they are to work with the CDP to encourage suppliers to reveal key information in relation to climate change.
Each has selected between 20 and 2,000 suppliers to participate. They will have until 31 October 2008 to provide greenhouse gas data, emission reduction targets and climate change strategies. A report on the findings will be published early next year.
The CDP is already working with more than 30 multinational firms including Tesco, Cadbury Schweppes, Dell, L’Oreal and Reckitt Benckiser. As well as assessing the firms’ supply chains, the work is feeding into the development of a standardised approach to asking suppliers for greenhouse gas data.
The CDP says the results will help organisations understand supply chain risks and opportunities in respect to climate change, help with sustainable procurement decision-making and will raise the issue of climate change as a business issue to suppliers. It hopes also to decrease the burden on suppliers that might receive several requests for similar information.