
Sustainable Procurement & Major Events: Life cycle assessment as a tool for consumer choices
The publication of the book “Sustainable Procurement & Major Events: Life Cycle Assessment as a tool for consumer choices” was developed based on a historical scenario that was particularly signifi cant for Brazil. As host for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, which the country is currently preparing itself for, the country must call on a vast gamut of learning experiences capable of giving scale to social and environmental practices integrated within a new approach to managing mega events which leave behind a legacy for society.
This theme is directly related to the global debate on sustainable consumption and production, as well as the limits to using the planet’s natural resources, as noted in chapter one. From rock’n’roll concerts to major sporting and cultural events, take the opportunity to move foward on sustainable procurement is imperative for public authorities, and is becoming enforced through the creation of legal regulations, voluntary practices and the decision of governing bodies that are concerned about the impacts of government procurement on the environment and on society.
The debate is strategic for the business sector, which has seen exponential growth in the instruments of self-regulation related to their roles both as suppliers and as consumers of products, goods and labour which have sustainable attributes, one of the key points highlighted in this book.
Furthermore, this book represents a major contribution to society by introducing, in a didactic and accessible manner, a technical tool designed to assist the decision-making processes of public and private buyers: the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), focused on the carbon footprint - the measurement of levels of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions.
This tool assists decision makers who are looking for information about where their acquisitions impact, helping them to opt for an alternative in line with environmental considerations. In response to demands made by the National Policy for Climate Change and Solid Waste, the carbon footprint allows for the identifi cation of the peak incidences of greenhouse gas emissions at every stage in a product’s life cycle, from the extraction of raw material, via production, distribution, and use, all the way up to the product’s end-of-life. As such, it is a power ful tool, not only in the management of consumer choices, but also as a means of developing the market in the search for productive practices that are less “carbon intensive”.
Moreover, it is possible to verify the benefi ts that movements such as these provide for the end consumer, who will have products and services better attuned to their choices, contributing to a virtuous circle which makes sustainability integral to consumption.
The reader will also encounter a mapping out of social and environmental practices adopted by major global events which gives dimension to the potential and the force of this activity as a catalyst for change in patterns of production and consumption, within the perspective of a more sustainable and inclusive future for humanity. Through its innovative approach thanks to the inclusion of infographics and illustrative didactic diagrams, this work presents the theme of sustainable procurement in a way which will guide administrators and contribute to public and private initiatives, revealing the necessity for investments in technical tools such as the LCA in the decision-making process.