The RMIT Sustainable Procurement Disclosure Index
With growing public awareness of sustainable development, businesses face increased scrutiny regarding their approach to and performance in sustainable procurement. Many large corporations publish sustainability procurement statements to communicate their commitment to sustainable sourcing. However, these statements often lack alignment with other indicators or disclosures on sustainability. This index aims to provide a systematic and objective assessment of businesses' transparency in reporting sustainable procurement practices, based on globally accepted ethical norms and standards. The goal is to empower the Australian public to make informed sustainability-conscious decisions.
This could be attributed to increasing awareness of Global Reporting Initiative indicators, or that reporting is becoming a norm
Ie. Larger companies do not necessarily disclose more than smaller companies, or vice versa
Within the Global Reporting Initiative reporting framework
6 companies (3%) were given a 1-star rating
Read about our research method, study approach, SPDI and the 5 star rating and find references.
Find out about the project background, rationale, key research questions, framework and how we define key terms.
Delve into the index and see how companies in the ASX 200 performance.
Beyond the key findings, find out more about the results and impacts of the SPDI
The RMIT SPDI is constructed based on a framework derived from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) definition of sustainable procurement, the MSCI Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Index Framework, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards, and the United Nation’s SP indicators. The index is presented using a numeric value, indicating the extent of disclosure, and a 5-star rating scale, reflecting the comprehensiveness of disclosure. Initially, it is applied to evaluate the level of sustainable procurement disclosure among the top 200 companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange top 200 companies (ASX 200) in 2023 based on their market capitalisation.
Since the composition of the ASX200 list can change over time and the number of companies included in the annual SPDI analysis may vary, the project team will consistently analyse the top ASX-listed companies while maintaining a year-by-year comparison using the same set of companies included in the original 2023 dataset.
The SPD Index is supported on an ongoing basis by RMIT's College of Business and Law. For Australia, year-on-year data will be released in February of each year. However, information may also be published ad hoc, as new data becomes available. The project team aims to replicate the SPD Index and SPDI methodology in other countries in the future.
For general enquiries please email the SPDI Project Team at: SPDI@rmit.edu.au
For media enquiries please contact news@rmit.edu.au
RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.
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