Building a Responsible and Resilient Supply Chain at Queen’s

About

Queen’s University Belfast is using its purchasing power to deliver environmental and social value through its “Building a Responsible and Resilient Supply Chain at Queen’s” initiative. Sustainability is embedded at procurement strategy stage using a risk-based approach, where contracts are classified as Gold, Silver or Bronze based on operational criticality and sustainability risk across environmental, social and economic pillars.

This approach influences c.91% of institutional spend, ensuring financial decisions are aligned with Net Zero 2040 and wider sustainability objectives. Staff are required to apply a “Before You Buy: Environmental Checklist” and consider category specific sustainability risks before defining requirements. Sustainability is then designed into procurement through tailored specification guidance, targeted tender questions and measurable KPIs.

Suppliers are required to provide emissions data and develop sustainability action plans, supported by active SME engagement. This drives behavioural change across the supply chain, demonstrating how everyday spend can deliver measurable, scalable impact.

Top 3 learnings

1. Early intervention is critical; sustainability must be designed in, not added later.
2. Practical tools enable behaviour change more effectively than policy alone.
3. Supplier engagement is essential to deliver impact at scale.

What it means to win

Winning a Green Gown Award would be a strong recognition that Queen’s is not just setting sustainability ambitions, but actively delivering them through how we make everyday decisions. It would validate the approach we’ve taken and how we use our purchasing power to influence environmental and social outcomes at scale. For the procurement and sustainability teams, it would be a significant milestone, recognising a shift from compliance-driven activity to something more embedded, practical and impactful. Internally, it would help reinforce momentum and engagement across the university. A key part of this work has been bringing staff and suppliers with us, and external recognition would strengthen confidence that the approach is working and worth continuing to invest in. More broadly, it would position Queen’s as a leader in using institutional spend for good, demonstrating to the wider sector that meaningful change is achievable through a deliberate and sustained approach.

Sustainable Development Goals