Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can “excel and lead” the recruitment industry when it comes to developing innovative practices that benefit the community as well as their business, according to Sarah Gordon, associate director of the multi-sector recruiter Sammons Group.

The 41-employee Sammons Group recently achieved ’silver signatory’ status in the Mayor of London’s Green Procurement Programme, which gives the firm a boost when applying for public sector business. “Green procurement is seen as a growth area,” Gordon told Recruiter. “It’s all about sustainable procedures.”

Environmentally-focused initiatives the Sammons Group adopted included “switching things off, reducing paper usage by sending out email shots, increasing recycling”, Gordon said. The firm also compared available waste management services in London to ensure that they were working with the company most suited to Sammons’ environmental and cost-savings requirements and switched to the most environmentally friendly printer cartridges, among other steps. The company collates a variety of statistics to monitor its progress. “There’s nothing more satisfying than comparing where you were a year ago and where you are now,” Gordon said.

To obtain one of the four Green Procurement Levels, organisations undergo audits and are assessed on performance against pre-set management questions which cover people, policy, strategy and communication; procurement processes; engaging suppliers; and measurement and results.

An SME’s agility helps making significant changes to the business easier and quicker such as those that emerge when adapting business practices to those preferred under green procurement programmes, Gordon pointed out. “SMEs can excel and lead,” she said