30 October 2009 | Allie Anderson

London-based organisations have this week been recognised for their contributions to sustainable purchasing at the Mayor of London's 2009 Green Procurement Code (GPC) awards.

The "people award", which acknowledges organisations that have excelled in training staff in green procurement, went to property management firm Mapeley Estates. The "policy, strategy and communication" gong recognises organisations with exceptional environmental policies in place to support their green purchasing and for promoting the cause. This accolade went to the Metropolitan Police Service. London Fire Brigade picked up the "procurement process" honour, while the London Borough of Lambeth won in the "engaging suppliers" category. The "measurements and results" award for high volume and range of green purchases made throughout the year went to Transport for London. Sustainable development charity Forum for the Future walked away with the award for "best-performing SME", a new category in this year's awards to recognise smaller organisations that have signed up to the GPC.

Seven award entrants were highly commended across all categories. The GPC is a free support service for London organisations that provides practical advice and support for members. Signatories to the code include those from across the public, private and third sectors. Held on Monday, the 2009 awards celebrated the achievements of the GPC's 500 members between April 2008 and March 2009. In that time, members purchased from more than 680 suppliers, creating an estimated 831 jobs. The total amount spent on sustainable procurement exceeded £436 million, a 42.5 per cent increase on the previous year. This combined spend diverted 118,641 tonnes of waste from landfill, representing a saving of more than 56,000 tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of flying from London to Sydney more than 14,000 times.

SMoct2009