Accountability: State of being answerable for decisions and activities to the organization's governing bodies, legal authorities and, more broadly, its stakeholders.

Source: ISO 26000

Acquisition cost: Total expenses a company incurs to acquire a new asset, customer, or business. It encompasses all costs associated with the purchase, including direct and indirect expenses, and is used to measure the overall investment required to acquire the asset or resource.

Source: ECPAR

Approach: Method, strategy, or way of addressing a specific problem, goal, or process within an organization.

Source: ECPAR

Circular economy: Economy that is restorative and regenerative by design, and which aims to keep products, components and materials at their highest utility and value at all times, distinguishing between technical and biological cycles.

Source: ISO 20400

Code of Conduct: Set of guidelines and ethical standards that outlines the expected behaviors, values, and responsibilities for individuals or groups within an organization or community. It serves as a framework for how members should conduct themselves in various situations, ensuring alignment with the organization's principles, legal obligations, and ethical practices.

Source: ECPAR

Customer: Person or organization that could or does receive a product or a service that is intended for or required by this person or organization.

Source: ISO 9000

Direct cost: Expenses that can be directly attributed to the production of a specific good or service, or to a specific project or activity within an organization. These costs are incurred as a direct result of the creation or provision of a product or service and can be traced easily and specifically to a particular cost object (such as a product, department, or project).

Source: ECPAR

End-of-life costs: Expenses related to the disposal, recycling, or decommissioning of a product or asset once it is no longer in use.

Source: ECPAR

Environment: Natural surroundings in which an organization operates, including air, water, land, natural resources, flora, fauna, people, outer space and their interrelationships.

Source: ISO 26000

Equity-seeking group: A group of people who, because of systemic discrimination, face barriers that prevent them from having the same access to the resources and opportunities that are available to other members of society, and that are necessary for them to attain just outcomes.

Source: Government of Canada

Goods: Items or materials that, upon the placement of a purchase order, are being manufactured, processed, handled or transported within the supply chain for usage or consumption by the organization.

Source: ISO 28001

Indicator: Measurable representation of the condition or status of operations, management, or conditions.

Source: ISO 14031

Indirect cost: Expenses that are not directly attributable to a specific product, service, or project but are necessary for the overall operation of a business or organization. These costs support the production or delivery of goods and services but cannot be traced directly to a single cost object (such as a product, department, or project).

Source: ECPAR

International norms of behaviour: Expectations of socially responsible organizational behaviour derived from customary international law, generally accepted principles of international law, or intergovernmental agreements that are universally or nearly universally recognized.

Source: ISO 37000

Investment cost: Total amount of money spent by an individual, company, or organization to acquire an asset or make an investment with the expectation of generating future returns. This can include a wide range of costs, such as purchase price, transaction fees, financing costs, and other associated expenditures directly linked to the acquisition of an asset or the initiation of a project.

Source: ECPAR

Life Cycle Analysis (LCA): Compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle.

Source: ISO 14050

Local supplier: Supplier to the organization that is based in the same geographic market. The term “local” can refer to the surrounding community operations, to a region within a country, or a country.

Source: ISO 20400

Organization: Person or group of people that has its own functions with responsibilities, authorities and relationships to achieve its objectives.

Source: ISO 9000

Organizational governance: System by which an organization makes and implements decisions in pursuit of its objectives.

Source: ISO 26000

Policy document: Official written statement that outlines the principles, guidelines, and rules governing specific actions or decisions within an organization, government, or institution. It serves as a framework for consistent decision-making and behavior, addressing issues such as procedures, objectives, and responsibilities.

Source: ECPAR

Recyclable: Characteristic of a product, including packaging and associated components, that can be diverted from the waste stream through available processes and programs, and can be collected, processed and returned to use in the form of raw materials.

Source: ISO 14050

Requestor: Individual or department within an organization that initiates the need for a product, service, or procurement action. The requestor is responsible for identifying the requirement, specifying the details of the goods or services needed, and formally submitting a request for procurement to the purchasing or procurement team.

Source: ECPAR

Risk: Effect of uncertainty. An effect is a deviation from the expected — positive or negative. Uncertainty is the state, even partial, of deficiency of information related to, understanding or knowledge of, an event, its consequence, or likelihood.

Source: ISO 9000

Risk Analysis: Process of identifying, assessing, and evaluating potential risks that could negatively impact a project, organization, or system.

Source: ECPAR

Service: Results generated by activities at the interface between a supplier and a customer and by supplier internal activities to meet customer needs.

Source: ISO 5127

Servitization: Process by which companies evolve from selling products alone to offering integrated products and services, often with a focus on value-added services. This business model transformation involves providing ongoing support, maintenance, upgrades, or other services that enhance the product's value and customer experience.

Source: ECPAR

Small and medium-sized organization (SMO): Organization defined by a number of employees or size of financial activities that fall under certain thresholds, which vary from country to country.

Source: ISO 20400

Social Economy Enterprise: Organization that operates with the primary goal of generating social, environmental, or community benefits, rather than maximizing profits for shareholders.

Source: ECPAR

Social responsibility: Responsibility of an organization for the impacts of its decisions and activities on society and the environment, through transparent and ethical behaviour that 1) contributes to sustainable development, including health and the welfare of society; 2) takes into account the expectations of stakeholders ; 3) is in compliance with applicable law and consistent with international norms of behaviour; and 4) is integrated throughout the organization and practised in its relationships.

Source: ISO 26000

Stakeholder: Person or organization that can affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision or activity.

Source: ISO 9000

Supplier: Organization that provides goods or services.

Source: ISO 9000

Supply chain: Sequence of activities or parties that provide goods or services to the organization.

Source: ISO 26000

Supply Chain Mapping: Process of visualizing and documenting the entire flow of goods, services, and information from the raw materials stage to the end consumer. It involves identifying and analyzing all the entities, processes, and activities involved in the supply chain, including suppliers, manufacturers, logistics providers, and distributors.

Source: ECPAR

Sustainable development: Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development is about integrating the goals of a high quality of life, health and prosperity with social justice and maintaining the earth's capacity to support life in all its diversity. These social, economic and environmental goals are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. Sustainable development can be treated as a way of expressing the broader expectations of society as a whole.

Source: ISO 26000

Sustainable procurement: Procurement that has the most positive environmental, social and economic impacts possible over the entire life cycle.

Source: ISO 24000

Tier 1 supplier: Supplier providing goods or services directly to the procuring entity.

Source: ISO 20400

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): Comprehensive calculation of all the costs associated with acquiring, operating, maintaining, and disposing of a product or service over its entire lifecycle. TCO includes not only the initial purchase price but also indirect costs such as installation, training, maintenance, support, energy consumption, upgrades, and eventual disposal or recycling.

Source: ECPAR

Vision: Aspiration of what an organization would like to become as expressed by top management.

Source: ISO 9000