How can we encourage local purchasing and sustainable procurement to encourage a sustainable economic recovery?

Challenge proposed by

Challenge award: $5,000
+ accompaniment from PME MTL experts

Challenge award: $5,000

+ accompaniment from PME MTL experts


This challenge is tied to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals:


This challenge is tied to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals:

Background

The COVID crisis has revealed the fragility of the entrepreneurship ecosystem. Businesses that had already made a commitment to protect the environment and thought about their supply chains seem to have performed better than others.1 Although the current situation, when companies’ very survival is at risk, makes it hard to implement or maintain environmental policies or measures, it could also trigger accelerated implementation of environmental measures and best practices while creating a more stable entrepreneurship ecosystem.2 It’s the perfect opportunity to think about what will make companies resilient after COVID.

One of the 3 objectives of the City of Montreal’s economic recovery plan is to support green and inclusive economic development. Buying and sourcing locally, socially and responsibly can get a variety of communities and stakeholders to engage: consumers could change their habits, businesses could rethink their B2B partnerships and services, manufacturers could transform their supply chains and governments could modify their procurement policies.

Of the 4,000 companies backed by the PME MTL network in 2019, 380 received assistance with industrial and sustainable development and 187 were provided support on sustainable development practices. The pandemic adversely affected all Montreal businesses, many of which reinvented themselves and began to pivot their businesses. PME MTL is proud of the Montreal ecosystem’s efforts and wants to encourage more people and entrepreneurs to continue thinking about the business models we want to see post-COVID.

In the context of Cooperathon 2020, PME MTL is seeking:

innovative solutions to address sustainable purchasing and supply chains in a post-crisis environment. The Montreal organization is asking competitors to focus on solutions that develop one of the following areas:

  • Encouraging sustainable supply chains (production; low-carbon shipping; short supply chains; services, purchasing and consumption) to respond to environmental challenges among companies, governments and consumers.
  • Promoting local and responsible purchasing or socially conscious purchasing, especially through community solidarity and engagement and resilient local food systems with respect to the Quebec’s strategy to encourage local food buying3.
  • Addressing challenges related to public tenders (municipal, provincial and federal) to promote local, social and responsible procurement that looks beyond the lowest bid in an environment where the government has set “buy local” targets.
  • Creating patterns of cooperation and collaboration, including circular economy projects, using innovative and resilient business models, whether within the same industry, between 2 or more existing businesses or through vertical integration.

Your project will help PME MTL and the City of Montreal pursue a green recovery through solutions that promote sustainable supply chains and support buying local. After the Cooperathon, PME MTL wants to support the most promising major projects aimed at meeting this challenge.

3. The new Stratégie nationale d’achat d’aliments québécois : Pour une alimentation locale dans les institutions publiques aims to have 85% of targeted Quebec public institutions set a goal for buying Quebec food products by 2023.
https://cdn-contenu.quebec.ca/cdn-contenu/adm/min/agriculture-pecheries-alimentation/publications-adm/strategie/PO_strategie_achat_aliments_quebecois_MAPAQ.pdf?1600785231

Statistics, Data and articles

Unlock this information on the participants’ platform (global) by registering to Cooperathon 2020

Tackle this challenge and let the adventure begin!

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We connect passion and talent, communities and academics. Together we develop a socially responsible future.

“Cooperathon” is a Trademark of the Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec.

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We connect passion and talent, communities and academics. Together we develop a socially responsible future.

“Cooperathon” is a Trademark of the Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec.

Cooperathon @ FacebookCooperathon @ InstagramCooperathon @ TwitterCooperathon @ YouTubeCooperathon @ Linkedin

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