Better Buying Institute
United States
Research has shown that buyer purchasing practices can prevent supplier compliance with company codes of conduct and put at risk the lives and dignity of workers in supply chains. While poor purchasing practices have led to many problems, including child labor and employee retrenchment, many of their negative effects fall into four categories.
- Failure to pay wages and benefits required by law and buyers’ codes of conduct
- Use of excessive overtime, some of which may be forced
- Unauthorized subcontracting to unsafe facilities with poor working conditions
- Increase use of temporary labor making employment more precarious
Better BuyingTM sheds light on purchasing practices so that they can be improved and suppliers will be better supported in providing safe and fair conditions for workers.
Suppliers rate seven areas of their buyers’ purchasing practices, including:
- Planning and forecasting
- Design and development
- Cost and cost negotiation
- Sourcing and order placement
- Payment and terms
- Managing the purchasing process
- Win-win sustainable partnership (formerly CSR harmonization)
Better BuyingTM’s VISION
- Buyers and suppliers work together with responsible purchasing practices to achieve shared goals of profitability and social and environmental sustainability.
Better BuyingTM’s MISSION is to support
- Buyers in treating their suppliers as trusted and respected partners whose insights are critical to building resilient supply chains, using feedback data to fully understand the impact of their actions, and making continuous improvements to their purchasing practices
- Suppliers in feeling safe and confident engaging with buyers, providing feedback, and co-creating solutions to shared business challenges.