Buying Better: How Student Groups Can Avoid Unsustainable Suppliers

When student groups make purchasing decisions, whether it’s ordering T‑shirts, buying equipment, or planning events, those choices have impacts far beyond simple cost and convenience. Every purchase sits within a global supply chain, and many supply chains unfortunately hide practices that harm people, communities, and the planet.

For many organisations, their biggest environmental and ethical footprint comes from procurement. That’s why your Students’ Union is working to support student groups to move away from suppliers with poor sustainability records and towards more ethical, transparent, and responsible businesses.

Why Ethical Purchasing Matters

Supply chains can be complex and, at times, deliberately opaque. Unsustainable or unethical practices may be hidden behind low prices or fast delivery. The key issues that might sit behind common suppliers include:

1. Workers’ Rights Abuses

• Poor working conditions
• Widespread use of zero‑hours contracts
• Child or forced labour
• Union busting

2. High Carbon Footprints

Products shipped long distances, especially by air, carry a high carbon and pollution cost.

3. Resource Depletion & Biodiversity Impacts

Items made from virgin materials rather than recycled ones, or resources taken from fragile ecosystems, cause long-term environmental damage.

4. Tax Avoidance & Monopoly Practices

Some large suppliers avoid tax payments or use anti‑competitive practices that undermine local economies.

5. Animal Welfare Concerns

Including animal testing or unsustainable treatment of animals within supply chains.

Typically, larger suppliers with complex supply chains are more likely to have these issues. Websites like Ethical Consumer offer independent, accessible guides to help you check a company’s sustainability and ethical track record.

What Student Group Committees Can Do

Here are simple actions you can take:

1. Check the ethical record of a supplier before purchasing
   Use tools like Ethical Consumer to research.
2. Avoid suppliers known for poor sustainability practices
    Where possible, choose alternatives.
3. Prioritise local, ethical, or sustainable businesses
    These often have shorter supply chains and better transparency.
4. Ask SU staff for guidance and support
    We can help point you toward recommended suppliers.
5. Encourage other students to buy ethically too
    Your choices influence your community.