Grand Rapids, MI –The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) has announced that it has joined the Sustainable Purchasing Council (SPC) as a strategic partner. The SPC is a new organization developed as a collaborative effort to harness the power of institutional purchasing for greater sustainability achievements.

The SPC will interface regularly with its partners to identify opportunities for collaboration and added value. It does not seek to duplicate any of the functions of existing groups and will inform a systemic approach to institutional and corporate sustainable purchasing practices.

“We have high hopes for the clarity that the SPC will bring to the marketplace,” said Brad Miller, BIFMA’s Director of Advocacy and Communications. “BIFMA is proud to see this entity emerge as the outgrowth of work done in prior years by the Keystone Group and Green Products Roundtable. The SPC will help everyone trying to make the best choices with their purchasing decisions.”

Miller served on the Green Products Roundtable and believes that the time is right to coordinate and stabilize the sustainability frontier.

“As organizations find it necessary to spend their limited dollars wisely, it is critical to bring all of the great environmental and sustainability assessment systems together for a better understanding of each program’s strengths.” Miller stated. He encouraged membership by leaders in this field and said, “The Sustainable Purchasing Council is emblematic of the need for transparency today. The furniture industry’s level® Certification Program will be scrutinized along with all other programs to ensure that institutional purchasers get the biggest bang for their buck in terms of sustainability achievements.”

The Sustainable Purchasing Council will publicly launch during a webcast event on July 23, 2013, followed by a Founding Summit in late August or early September, in Washington, D.C. The Summit will be an in-person, decision-making meeting open to founders and partners. BIFMA will participate at the Summit as a founding partner.

About BIFMA

BIFMA is the trade association for business and institutional furniture manufacturers. Since 1973, BIFMA’s role has been to sponsor the development and refining of current and future standards, educate on their importance and application, and translate their necessary complexity into more easily understood and implemented formats. BIFMA also monitors the state of the industry, serves as a forum for member cooperation and collaboration, interacts with international counterparts, and advocates for regulatory conditions that foster value and innovation.

Source: BIFMA