Purchasing
Buying local is good for the environment and supports local economies. Often, local produce is fresher tastier food.
Vancouver Farmers Markets organizes four summer markets:
- East Vancouver - Saturdays, 9am - 2pm
- West End - Saturdays, 9am - 2pm
- Main Street Station - Wednesdays, 3 - 7pm
- Kitsilano - Sundays, 10am - 2pm
Their Winter Farmers Market is located at Wise Hall, every other Saturday, 10am -2pm, from November to April.
Sustainable Purchasing
The City of Vancouver buys many things - from paper, pens and photocopiers to uniforms, cell phones and vehicles. And because our purchases have a powerful impact on the market place, we implemented, in Feb 2005, an ethical purchasing policy. The goal of Vancouver's Ethical Purchasing Policy (EPP) 
is to ensure that all suppliers to the City meet, at a minimum, the performance standards outlined in the Supplier Code of Conduct.
Vancouver's Supplier Code of Conduct (SCC) ensures safe and healthy workplaces for the people who supply products to the City. The City applies its SCC as one of the criteria used in its selection of business partners and suppliers for apparel and certified fair trade agricultural products. It is a requirement that all City suppliers and their subcontractors follow this code.
Sustainable and ethical purchasing = smart buying
Our buying is smart buying. And smart buying is ethical and sustainable buying. It means finding quality products that are produced without harm to individuals or the environment. Our employees are ethical buyers who research the product, its lifecycle and its vendors. We determine who makes the best value products and where we can buy them.
We are part of the Sustainable Purchasing Network to keep our practices current and to be part of a community addressing sustainability purchasing challenges.
Reusing, recycling and disposing
The Purchasing Policy also acknowledges that the Earth can take only so much trash. We examine the life cycle of items we buy to ensure that it can be reused, recycled or sent back to the manufacturer once it is no longer needed. This is a "cradle-to-cradle" approach. We manage corporate waste by diverting used materials towards reuse or recycling.
When choosing a product, we look for best value, not just the lowest price. Products that are better made last longer. Items made with replaceable components often need fewer parts changed, not the whole item. Thus, life cycle management points us towards products that can be maintained for a long time. It also determines what we do with an item when it's ready to be replaced.
EPP Values
The City recognizes that to meet its objectives, the Ethical Purchasing Policy must be based on:
- Collaboration: We work with suppliers and stakeholders to improve purchasing and workplace practices. Credible verification: We reference recognized agencies and standards.
- Fiscal responsibility: We ensure that the EPP's implementation and management is in line with the City's budget.
- Fairness and Transparency: We insist that our decision-making is open, transparent and respect the rights of all stakeholders to a fair process.
