News Home / News / By the end of 2016, Every Avendra Supplier Must Have a Sustainability Policy in Place FEBRUARY 10, 2016 By the end of 2016, Every Avendra Supplier Must Have a Sustainability Policy in Place Published on 12/2/2015 By Glenn Hasek, for greenlodgingnews ROCKVILLE, MD.—Avendra, the leading procurement services provider, fresh off the purchase of BuyEfficient, is stepping up its commitment to sustainability with the hiring of a new sustainability manager, Hamzah Abu-Ragheb. He joins Stacey Dash, Vice President, Marketing, Communications & Sustainability in leading the sustainability team at Avendra. The hiring of Abu-Ragheb comes at a critical time for Avendra. The Rockville, Md.-based company, with 7,000 hospitality customers, has just a little more than one year to go to reach its goal of having 100 percent of its suppliers with a sustainability policy in place. Currently, somewhere north of 84 percent of Avendra’s suppliers have such a policy. Avendra will update that number in early 2016. Avendra’s sustainability policy goal is just part of the company’s five-year sustainability plan launched in 2012. Avendra also has a goal of identifying and championing sustainability in 10 categories by 2016. Categories already addressed, according to the company’s website, include: personal paper, sourcing locally produced foods, LED lighting, and foodservice disposables. Remaining to be addressed are sustainable seafood tracking, packaging audits, uniform supply chain analysis, textile supply chain analysis, local/organic produce tracking (additional work on prior category, and sustainable foodservice disposables tracking (additional work on prior category). It was in 2012 that Avendra brought in a consultant to help it formulate its sustainability goals. “We were hearing that sustainability was becoming increasingly important in the supply chain,” Dash says. The challenge has been working with suppliers of all sizes—from huge to small—and some that are just distributors. That is where things get more complex as a distributor’s suppliers may be outside of Avendra’s contractual control. No matter the number of links down the supply chain, suppliers must still comply with local laws, Dash says, helping to ensure the environmental integrity of products offered through Avendra. Oftentimes smaller companies will have more challenges formulating a sustainability policy. One of Abu-Ragheb’s responsibilities will be to help educate them. Suppliers with a sustainability policy must have a written version with sustainability philosophy in it, have senior level endorsement, and be willing to share the policy with Avendra. CILCK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE Facebook Twitter LinkedIn E-Mail Previous Next IN THIS SECTION Company News Events Leadership Corporate Social Responsibility Careers Community Engagement Job Listings RECENT POSTS Best Practices to Help Improve Short-Term Challenges from MFD Supply Chain Delays September 24, 2021 Road to Recovery: Plan for 6 Major U.S. Supply Chain Impacts to Keep Your Operations on Track June 10, 2021 CURATOR HOTEL & RESORT COLLECTION PARTNERS WITH AVENDRA FOR PROCUREMENT SERVICES April 8, 2021 AAHOA Industry Partners Share Perspectives on Guest Satisfaction February 25, 2021 Top 3 Ways to Manage Food Costs During COVID February 18, 2021 ARCHIVES September 2021 June 2021 April 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 May 2020 March 2020 November 2019 September 2019 June 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 September 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 Building a legacy of industry leadership Avendra is North America’s leading hospitality procurement services provider. Our supply chain management solutions are tailored to our clients’ business strategies and deliver benefits beyond great savings. We combine years of hospitality expertise, purchasing power, services and software to help customers impact the bottom line, improve operational performance, and better serve guests. More than 8,500 customers rely on Avendra as a trusted partner. Avendra is headquartered in Rockville, Maryland and has regional offices throughout North America. Headquarters Avendra, LLC 540 Gaither Road, Suite 200 Rockville, MD 20850 1-866-AVENDRA (283-6372) Follow Us Copyright © 2021 Avendra, LLC. Privacy Policy Terms of Use Part of Avendra Group