In our two most recent articles, we have introduced Luca Guzzabocca, one of the leading statesmen for Italian procurement and the Director of Procurement, Logistics, HSE, Security Management (or “Chief Procurement Officer”) at Banca Monte Dei Paschi Di Siena (“Banca MPS”). The first article shared Luca’s story as a leader “rising to become CPO;” while the second article focused on what he has done since as becoming the Chief Procurement Officer of Italy’s third-largest bank and the world’s oldest bank and “a CPO that is rising!” Today we will focus on the intersection of his primary interests – Procurement and Corporate Social Responsibility – and the organization he co-founded to support them.
Sostenibilità (Sustainability)
Luca’s interest in Corporate Social Responsibility (“CSR”) started early in his career but began to take real shape when he became involved in CSR reporting at GlaxoSmithKline. Since that time, Luca has focused on implementing supplier selection strategies that benefit his employers’ sustainability objectives. Now, in the role of CPO, Luca is better positioned to be much more influential in driving a formal sustainable procurement program.
Luca has three full-time resources dedicated to managing all aspects of Banca MPS’ Sustainable Supply Chain Management program (which is part of Banca MPS’s larger CSR program) and has provided training and awareness to all Procurement and Logistics staff. Luca’s organization formally incorporates its sustainability criteria in the evaluation of supplier bids and monitors and reports on their ongoing CSR performance. Last year his team began assessing the CSR performance of its top 50 suppliers using the EcoVadis supplier rating solution and plans to have 650 suppliers rated by 2012.
According to Luca, “The approach we choose for Sustainable Procurement is really pragmatic: our Sustainable Procurement program is not only geared towards buying environmentally-friendly products, but the program also takes into account the cost savings and benefits that the company can gain from the Sustainable Procurement process. We look at the proper trade-off between sustainability and competitiveness.” This is evidenced by the nearly €13 million in savings attributed to this program and the other benefits seen in the Energy, Printing, Office Supply, and Logistics categories
Clearly the results are paying off as Banca MPS’s sustainable procurement program has begun to receive external recognition with nominations for several Italian and European awards for excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility.
Acquisti & Sostenibilità (Sustainable Procurement)
In March of 2007, Luca joined with Angelo Spina, a seasoned procurement executive who shared Luca’s interests in sustainable procurement, to found the non-profit organization, Acquisti & Sostenibilità (“A&S”).
In Luca’s words, the two “saw a great opportunity to increase the awareness of sustainability in the buying process by providing information, tools and case studies to show the total value that a sustainable procurement program can deliver.” A&S became the vehicle for that vision.
More than three years later, the Acquisti & Sostenibilità organization has grown by leaps and bounds with a thriving community of professional and corporate members, a board of directors that draws from the senior procurement ranks across all of Italy, and an impressive partner ecosystem comprised of groups that are focused on promoting the awareness and growth of sustainable principles across the procurement and supply chain community in Italy.
One interesting (and freely accessible) benefit provided by A&S to the marketplace is the first Triennial Report from the Association. The English version, which can be downloaded from this page, provides a comprehensive overview of the group’s mission and objectives and provides suggestions on how to start and/or improve your sustainability program. The organization also has a bilingual LinkedIn group found here.
As Luca looks to the future he feels that “the A&S ‘challenge’ is to boost our efforts in changing the mind-set of procurement leaders in Italy until CSR is firmly embedded in their strategic plans and in their day-to-day activities.” There’s a long road ahead, but with Luca at the helm, I’m sure that A&S will go far.
On behalf of CPO Rising and its readership, I’d like to thank Luca for his time and effort with this series. I am certain that our readers have found his work and experience to be very valuable and helpful.
Luca – godetevi il resto della tua estate e parliamo al più presto. Ciao!
