Fairfax County’s supply chain is large and complex - $1 billion is spent annually with thousands of suppliers across hundreds of sectors.  The corresponding environmental and social impacts are also large.  Responsibility is not solely about how Fairfax operates, such as buying and using energy efficient technology, it is also about addressing the upstream impacts of a large supply chain.

Impacts from an organization's purchasing decisions include the extraction of raw materials, manufacturing, transportation, supplier labor practices, supplier diversity, etc. And they can be significant. According to World Resources Institute, for every can of garbage at the curb, there are 87 cans' of garbage generated in the extraction industries that produce the finished products.  Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the group that sets standards for measuring climate-warming emissions, has developed an entire reporting methodology for organizations to track upstream or 'value chain' impacts (called Scope 3 emissions).  Organizations that publicly disclose climate-warming emissions often document more emissions from their 'value chain' than from direct or indirect emissions.

DPMM is committed to developing responsible and sustainable sourcing strategies to realize the County’s Environmental Vision, Energy Strategy, One Fairfax Policy on racial and social equity and future climate action plans. Responsible and sustainable sourcing strategies will deliver improved performance in Fairfax County and throughout the County's supply chain - with benefits shared between Fairfax, our suppliers and all stakeholders in between.

Responsible and sustainable sourcing is a priority.  Current and prospective suppliers – we welcome your partnership to achieve these goals.