Are you a Sustainable Procurement Leader?

The story behind our food is as important as the flavor. Institutions, cities, and companies are adopting procurement strategies that look beyond cost and flavor profiles. They are prioritizing environmental and social sustainability, and shifting to nourish their communities with food representing values like local economies, equity and diversity, climate, and health.

Employees and customers seek out companies that care about sustainable sourcing and want proof of the impact. You need measurable actions that positively impact the climate and our communities. From goals around carbon neutrality to commitments to increasing plant-based options, sustainable procurement has found a place among our institutions.

Measuring those impacts can be challenging without data. Our conventional food system lacks transparency. When you source with The Common Market, you are supporting localized supply chains, regenerative farming practices, and farmers of color—and we are here to provide the data—to help your community illustrate the impact of its purchases.

Sustainable sourcing is simple when you partner with The Common Market!

Sustainable Procurement Leader Esg Goals

ESG Procurement Simplified

At The Common Market, we share your commitment to sustainability and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies. We want to help you to meet your institution's goals. Here's how we make it simple:

  • Every invoice from The Common Market comes detailed with farm, city, and state of origin, making it easy to track progress towards local sourcing goals.
  • Data from our Farm Impact Assessment provides you detailed impact reporting that aligns with your external commitments. The assessment engages our supply chain partners in four Impact Categories: local economies, community health, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability.
  • We provide annual impact data and impact certificates that let you identify exactly how your sourcing aligns with your goals and share that story with your stakeholders.

Our Commitment to Local and Sustainable Sourcing

Our mission is to connect communities with good food from sustainable family farms. We strive to improve food security, farm viability, and community and ecological health. We accomplish these goals by prioritizing support of climate friendly practices and diverse farmers.

Climate Friendly Practices

We work with farmers, ranchers, and producers committed to sustainability and principles of regenerative agriculture that help mitigate the effects of climate change. They keep our soil, air, and water health top of mind, as they work to grow and harvest the cleanest, most nutritious food possible.

Additionally, we adopt the following sustainable practices across our organization:

  • We source 100% renewable energy at our warehouses in the Mid-Atlantic and Houston.
  • As part of our efforts to minimize food waste and maximize food access, we crop plan with our farmer partners to target food waste upstream. Forecasts and input from partners allows for minimized food waste on farm. We also work with hunger relief organizations, churches, and local communities to donate excess food that is slightly aged, yet still edible and nutritious.
  • Our composting partner in the Southeast turns produce gone bad into organic material that can then be used to fertilize and condition soil.
  • We use route optimization software to ensure we are making the most efficient use of our trucks and fuel on the roads.

Support for Diverse Farmers

The Common Market purposely invests in farms with diverse leadership. In 2021, more than 30% of our farm partners had 50-100% of their leadership positions held by people of color. Over 50% of the leadership positions in our supply chain partners are held by women. Through these partnerships, we are increasing equity across the food system and creating economic opportunities for farmers that are otherwise excluded. Increasingly, our institutional and city partners are stepping up to make forward commitments to Black and brown farming communities. The consistent purchasing minimizes risk, builds wealth, and champions equity within our diverse farming communities.

Sustainable Procurement Leader Our Commitment To Local And Sustainable Sourcing
How To Sustainably Source Through The Common Market

How to Sustainably Source through The Common Market

There are just a few simple steps to follow to align your sourcing with your values. Here’s how it works:

  1. Connect with our team–simply fill out our interest form below!
  2. Create a partnership between your organization and The Common Market
  3. Have your buyers browse our local availability list and delivery plan for your region
  4. Place an order of healthy, local food
  5. Get the order delivered directly to your site
  6. Use The Common Market impact data to track progress towards your ESG goals

Sustainable Sourcing Possibilities

Sustainable sourcing looks different depending on your specific values and goals. The Common Market is flexible and able to support a variety of procurement possibilities, including but not limited to:

  • Forward Commitments to Farmers of Color - Place advance, long term orders with farmers of color to demonstrate your commitment to equity and diversity and reach social impact goals. These commitments lessen the risks faced by farms as they decide whether to scale up by providing a guaranteed market.
  • Support for Farms using Regenerative Agriculture Practices - Use our Impact Category tags to identify farms using regenerative agricultural production processes (ways to produce food that improve the health of the soil, water, and overall ecosystem). Purchasing from these farms helps you meet environmental sustainability goals.
Sustainable Sourcing Possibilities
Our Sustainable Sourcing Partners

Our Sustainable Sourcing Partners

These cities and institutions committed to purchasing through The Common Market in alignment with community values including supplier diversity, sustainability and regenerative agriculture:

  • Aramark at Agnes Scott College and Oglethorpe University (GA)
  • Aramark at Fort Worth Independent School District (TX)
  • Baltimore City Food Policy and Planning Division (MD)
  • Bon Appétit Management Company at Emory University (GA)
  • City of Atlanta (GA)
  • Morrison Healthcare (GA)
  • Morrison Healthcare at Hackensack Meridian Health (NJ)
  • Sodexo at Lehigh University (PA)

Helping municipalities prioritize high-quality, equitable food relief during a global pandemic

In response to COVID-19, The Common Market partnered with city government agencies across three major metropolitan areas—Baltimore, MD; New York City, NY; and Atlanta, GA—to help them meet the emergent food access needs of their most vulnerable constituents.

The contracts demonstrate how local governments can partner with nonprofits and mission-oriented vendors to address constituent needs in times of crisis.

The study provides equitable solutions for addressing food insecurity during times of crises, and considerations for long-term food system change.

Read Case Study

Using Public Food Procurement to Advance Racial Equity

"Recognizing base line, for us to advance racial equity as part of public procurement—and any other value as well—it is a deviation from the system and the way that it is today. It is a shift from a low-cost procurement model to one where we are embedding values and reconsidering the way that our procurement processes occur."

Watch to hear more from The Common Market's National Partnerships Director Rachel Terry in "Using Public Food Procurement to Advance Racial Equity" hosted by City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH).

Watch Webinar

Let’s Work Together

The Common Market is committed to your sustainable sourcing success. Our friendly and educated team is here to partner with you every step of the way. Connect with us today to learn how to use local sourcing to meet your ESG goals.