ISO 20400 Sustainable procurement (guidance)
ISO 20400 is the international guidance standard for sustainable procurement. It helps organisations build environmental, social and economic considerations into how they buy. It is not certifiable; ICFC assesses your alignment and helps you put it into practice.
Sustainability and Supply Chain
- Standard or scheme
- ISO 20400
- International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
- Type
- Guidance
- Guidance standard, not intended for certification
- Funding
- Not on the EDGE Standards list
- Non-grant engagement
What is ISO 20400?
ISO 20400 gives guidance on integrating sustainability into procurement policy, strategy and processes.
Who is ISO 20400 for?
Procurement teams, public sector suppliers and organisations managing supplier sustainability risk.
No grant found when checked - Non-grant engagement
We did not find this standard on the EDGE Standards list when we checked. Ask us about non-grant options or other schemes that may apply.
Impartiality
Impartiality comes first. Every engagement begins with a conflict-of-interest check. We keep consulting and auditing roles separate, and our auditors never audit, on behalf of a certification body, an organisation that ICFC has consulted on the same scope within the period set by that body.
Our certification role
We do not certify organisations ourselves; certificates are issued by accredited certification bodies or scheme owners.
How we help
No certification
ISO 20400 is a guidance document and is not intended for certification.
Alignment assessment
First-party and second-party assessments that score how well your practices align with the guidance, with a practical gap report.
Supplier checks
Second-party reviews of suppliers or partners against the guidance where your customers expect it.
Funding
We explain which scheme, if any, applies and what it requires before you commit.
Non-grant
A fixed-scope engagement: gap assessment, documentation, implementation coaching, internal audit and management review, and support through the formal audit or assessment.
How we work
Practical, proportionate systems that your staff can run after we leave.
Classroom
Public and in-house classroom courses on ISO 20400: awareness, implementation and internal auditor levels.
Online LMS
Self-paced and live-online courses on the ICFC Digital LMS, with progress tracking and certificates of completion.
Funding
Funding depends on each course's approval status, shown on the course page in the LMS.