Sustainable procurement

Sustainable Sourcing Code

Initiative description: Reviewing and if needed, enhancing FIFA, Q22 and the SC’s procurement, licensing and sponsorship policies to clearly articulate the commitments to sustainability applicable across the primary delivery partners’ procurement, licensing and sponsorship activities related to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. Developing and implementing a Sustainable Sourcing Code setting out minimum standards and requirements for suppliers, licensees and sponsors and their subcontractors to manage the sustainability impacts of their activities in the context of any products or services supplied for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.

The tournament organisers committed to requesting and reasonably ensuring sustainable practices from its suppliers, licensees and commercial affiliates. To facilitate this commitment, the tournament organisers issued the FIFA World Cup 2022™ Sustainable Sourcing Code (SSC). The SSC sets out minimum standards and requirements for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ suppliers and licensees to manage the sustainability impacts of their direct activities and supply chains. It includes a ‘heat map’ that identifies sustainability risks across different procurement areas, as well as guidelines for its implementation.

The SSC was developed in consultation with experts in sustainable procurement for mega-sporting events and in alignment with ISO 20400 Sustainable Procurement guidelines and with reference to best practice standards in sustainability and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The Code requests business partners to take effective measures to contribute to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, to respect all internationally recognised human rights in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and to comply with internationally recognised standards of best practice in areas of sustainability applicable to their industry.

The Code was published in 2020 and has since been part of FIFA, Q22 and SC procurement policies and procedures as detailed in the sustainable procurement procedures and procurement control & enforcement mechanisms web pages of this report. While the SSC did not apply to commercial affiliates contracted before its release, it was part of agreements with new regional sponsors contracted before the tournament.

Awareness raising sessions were organised across the three tournament organisers with select functional areas that were considered key for the implementation of the Code.