Nonprofit procurement group recognizes the Department for exemplary special initiative
LOS ANGELES (January 14, 2022) – The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) recently received the 2021 Sustainable Purchasing Award in the Special Initiatives Category by nonprofit procurement group, the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC). LADWP was recognized for its exceptional leadership in improving the environmental, social, and economic performance of its supply chain; specifically, the procurement of supplies and services related to the City’s growing electric vehicle infrastructure.
“We are so honored to receive this award from a jury of our peers,” says Nancy Sutley, Senior Assistant General Manager of External and Regulatory Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer. “We know that procurement must integrate environmental and social sustainability. Requiring greenhouse gas reduction and grid support through electrification of vehicles and working with our suppliers to ensure they can support our initiatives, enables us to contribute to a safer, more equitable, and environmentally sustainable world.”
SPLC is the leading space for procurement collaboration and innovation. The organization connects purchasers, suppliers, and advocates to work across industries, sectors, and roles to aggregate purchaser demand for more environmentally and socially sustainable product and service choices, produced in fair and safe working conditions. The SPLC Leadership Awards recognize purchasers and suppliers who have gone beyond the norm to drive sustainability through core procurement for significant impact on their own organization and on the world.
“Sustainable procurement is no longer on the margins. Transformational change requires that every organization, regardless of size or sector, harness the power of its procurement to raise market demand for products and services with positive social and environmental impact,” said Sarah O’Brien, SPLC’s CEO. “The organizations we recognize today are blazing the trail for the procurement community with strategic, impactful initiatives that drive concrete results. This includes LADWP’s pioneering purchase and testing of electric vehicles and charging options with the goal of achieving 100% carbon-free energy by 2035 through full electrification of LA’s transportation sector.”
As LADWP continues to meet its sustainability goals in all corners of its Department, efforts specifically in supply chain have seen a steady increase in reaching its target milestones. In fiscal year (FY) 2019-2020, LADWP spent over $218 million on contracts containing Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) products which accounts for approximately 25 percent of material spend. This represents a 4% increase in the EPP percentage of material spend from the previous fiscal year.
In compliance with the City of Los Angeles Ordinance No. 180751, which was adopted by the LADWP Board of Commissioners on October 2014, LADWP has accomplished the following since 2019:
- LADWP installed over 10,000 commercial electric vehicle (EV) charging stations throughout Los Angeles, meeting Los Angeles’ goal two years ahead of schedule and giving L.A. the most charging stations of any city in the United States.
- LADWP’s Information Technologies (IT) Department was awarded a 2021 Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) Purchaser Award by the Green Electronics Council (GEC). In FY 2019-2020, the IT Department purchased nearly 3,200 pieces of EPEAT Certified equipment. This resulted in an annual savings of approximately $120,000 in power use savings while also avoiding 620 metric tons of CO2 emissions.
- LADWP continues to use 10 percent recycled paper for customer bills. This paper is specially sourced for LADWP and is produced by paper mills that are Forest Stewardship certified. Customer participation in paperless billing in FY 2019-2020 is at 21 percent.
- Durable steel reels were returned to suppliers rather than salvaged for scrap. This year the practice resulted in a savings of over $547,500 to LADWP while preventing 94 metric tons of steel from being scrapped. This represents approximately 173 metric tons of CO2e emissions avoided.
Established in 2014, LADWP has its own EPP Taskforce, a group of LADWP managers from various divisions within the Department, that meet quarterly in order to receive the most up-to-date information on sustainable purchasing practices and policies. The group also ensures cohesive strategies for sustainable purchasing at the Department while also informing Sustainability Programs of upcoming issues specific to their areas of expertise.
The 2021 Leadership in Sustainable Procurement winners were selected by a prestigious jury from the public and private sector, and civil society which included: Karl Bruskotter (City of Santa Monica), Rex Hardaway (Emory University), Sanjay Kumar (Government of India), Brad Molotsky (Duane Morris), Nora Neibergall (ISM), Judy Panayos (Sodexo), Adam Rubenfield (World Bank), Julia Salant (Ecovadis), and Rekha Menon-Varma (Vertaeon). The awards were presented in a Zoom ceremony on December 16th, which also recognized SPLC’s Strategic Program Coaching Cohort for their completion of the organization’s rigorous sustainable procurement strategy development program.
For more information on LADWP’s commitment to sustainability, please visit www.ladwp.com/greenla.
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