Governance

The Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council is a not-for-profit organization incorporated as the Sustainable Purchasing Council in the State of Delaware. The Council has applied to the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for recognition as a public charity under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), and this application is under review by the IRS.

The Council is governed and operates according to Bylaws adopted by the SPLC Board of Directors. All SPLC Members must adhere to the policies outlined in the Membership Policies and Procedures.

SPLC recognizes that the success of multi-stakeholder collaborative initiatives is due in large part to having a transparent, rigorous operations and development process. The SPLC strives to align efforts resulting in standards or rating system requirements with the principles of respected organizations such as the American National Standards Institute Essential Requirements and the ISEAL Credibility Principles. The SPLC Operating Policies & Procedures define the scope, establishment, operation, and dissolution of SPLC Committees and Working Groups and outline the rating system development and appeals processes.

All SPLC governing documents are available here:

Standing Council committees include:

Board of Directors

A founding Board of Directors for the SPLC took office on February 12, 2014. As stated in the Bylaws, the Founding Board includes:

  • 6 appointed Directors
  • 3 elected Directors (one from each Member Role)
  • 1 staff Director (elected by staff)
  • 1 ex-officio Director (President/CEO)

Over the next two years, the Board will grow to 14 members, and the balance will shift to a majority of elected Directors. Individuals interested in serving on the Board may use the following form to submit an application:

Selection of Elected Directors

Elections are held annually for elected Directorships, and all current members are eligible to participate in these elections.  Candidates who are not elected by the Membership may, at the discretion of the Board, be considered for selection as an appointed Director.

Selection of Appointed Directors

In addition to elected Directors, the Board appoints additional Directs as described in the Bylaws. In selecting appointed Directors, the Board recommends that every Director should bring the following to the Board:

  • Commitment to the mission of the SPLC
  • Credibility among Members

Additionally, the Board recommends that the following individual strengths be represented on the Board by at least one Director, if possible:

  • Program expertise, including the following subject areas:
    • Marketplace understanding
    • Institutional purchasing
    • Environmental sustainability
    • Social sustainability, remote (e.g., supply chain fair trade)
    • Social sustainability, local (e.g., community prosperity)
    • Corporate sustainability (ROI)
    • Supplier diversity (size; culture)
    • Standards development and conformity assessment
  • Management expertise, including:
    • Organizational development (e.g. startup dynamics)
    • Financial management
    • Fundraising
    • Legal (e.g., non-profit; anti-trust)
    • Marketing
  • Stakeholder engagement ability, including:
    • A network of contacts that can be leveraged to support the SPLC’s work
    • Ability to engage the Membership

These recommendations are used as the basis of selection of appointed Directors.