SPLC Announces 2024 Leadership Award Winners

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 11, 2025 – The Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC) has announced the winners of its prestigious 2024 Leadership Awards. The SPLC Leadership Awards recognize organizations and individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and innovation in sustainable purchasing practices, driving positive environmental, social, and economic impacts.

The 2024 SPLC Leadership Award winners are:

Overall Program
Ontario Education Collaborative Marketplace (OECM)
OECM's Supplier Recognition Program (SRP) has been instrumental in fostering greater supplier engagement, encouraging sustainable procurement practices, and creating long-term value for Broader Public Sector customers in both education and non-education sectors. By integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles into its SRP evaluations, OECM recognizes suppliers that demonstrate excellence in sustainability and social impact. Through this program, OECM provides education, recognition, and practical tools to support suppliers in implementing ESG initiatives. With a growing focus on supplier engagement and sustainability, the SRP has become a key platform for driving innovation and accountability within OECM’s procurement ecosystem.

Special Initiative 
Hilton Supply Management
In 2022, Hilton identified towel quality as its #1 opportunity to improve guest experience. Hilton Supply Management (HSM) leveraged this opportunity to reevaluate its legacy terry product and supplier, moving to consolidate sourcing, procure raw materials and labor as responsibly as possible, and develop consistent brand standards around towel specifications, quality and quantity. In partnership with its terry supplier, HSM nearshored production and upgraded all Hilton brands to thicker, plusher, more absorbent towels made of 100% U.S. cotton and engineered to last up to 50% longer than legacy products. Program upgrades represent a category-wide savings across all brands and reflect a reduction in SKUs. HSM also launched a nationwide terry donation program to repurpose retired terry products.
 
Supplier Engagement
Allstate

Business Case 
Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
The PAHO Carbon Emission Reduction Project aims for a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions intensity factor by 2030. A strategic partnership with GSK has introduced innovative transportation methods, allowing vaccines to be shipped by sea while maintaining cold chain protocols, cost savings and reductions in CO2 emissions for initial shipments. This groundbreaking approach sets a precedent for the pharmaceutical industry, demonstrating that sustainable solutions can be both effective and cost-efficient, encouraging broader collaboration and innovation in supply chain practices. Lessons learned emphasize that sustainability does not equate to higher costs and that effective partnerships with the private sector can yield significant benefits for health systems in resource-limited settings.

Supplier Leadership
Boston University, CERO Cooperative, Inc.
Boston University’s (BU) Zero Waste Plan calls for the institution to reach 90% waste diversion by 2030. BU partners with CERO, a local, small, certified minority- and woman-owned business, to divert food waste on campus. CERO diverts BU’s food waste to its highest and best use and supports the local community and CERO’s worker-owners. The partnership is in its fourth year of operation and continues to expand compost collection sites on campus.

Public Interest Advocate
Action Sustainability CIC
Established in 2017 after publication of the ISO 20400 standard, ISO20400.org has built a global community of practice around sustainable procurement using the standard as a focal point. This non-profit initiative is totally free of charge and provides a platform for informative resources, an interactive self-assessment tool with additional guidance and action planning to enable any organization, any size anywhere to make progress in their sustainable procurement journey. Directed by a Steering Group of 23 sustainable procurement experts from 19 countries, this truly global initiative is established as a “go to” resource for sustainable procurement best practice.

Circular Economy
Closing the Loop & Vodafone
Since 2022, Vodafone Germany has been working with Dutch social enterprise Closing the Loop (CTL) to offer its customers an innovative circular business model called One for One. One for One means that for one new phone sold (by Vodafone), one scrap phone is responsibly recycled in countries without proper recycling facilities (done by CTL). This initiative bridges the gap between high-tech consumption in the Global North and e-waste challenges in the Global South, proving that circularity can be scalable, actionable, inclusive and consumer-friendly. So far, 1.5 million scrap phones (80 tonnes of e-waste) have been collected, and this number is increasing. Beyond reducing waste, One for One also creates income opportunities for local collection networks, showing how sustainable business models drive economic progress. Vodafone positions One for One next trade-in and repair services, offering customers a full suite of circular solutions. Meanwhile, Closing the Loop is expanding the service globally and advancing plans to establish Africa’s first e-waste smelter, a key step in urban mining and material reuse.

Individual Leadership 
Shawn Postera, Multnomah County
Shawn fosters systemic change in procurement by championing practical tools and processes that integrate sustainability, equity, and measurable positive impacts. She cultivates collaborative relationships, both internally and externally, to drive transformative change, emphasizing community ROI over solely monetary metrics. Her leadership in developing and implementing inclusive sustainable procurement policies, including a focus on environmental justice, has positioned Multnomah County to create a value chain that prioritizes the health of people, planet, and prosperity.

Outstanding Case Study Awards
12 additional organizations earned Outstanding Case Study recognition and inclusion in the SPLC Case Study Library. Outstanding Case Study designation recognizes organizations that have documented successful and impactful sustainable purchasing efforts in detailed case studies that enable others to follow their lead. Winning case studies are published in SPLC’s Case Study Library. (See full list of Outstanding Case Study winners below.)

"We are incredibly inspired by the achievements of this year's SPLC Leadership Award recipients," said Marc Heisterkamp, SPLC CEO. "These organizations and individuals are demonstrating the transformative power of sustainable procurement. They are not only minimizing their environmental footprint and promoting social responsibility, but also driving innovation and creating long-term value. Their commitment to sustainable purchasing sets a powerful example for businesses and governments around the world, proving that it is possible to create a thriving economy while protecting our planet and its people."

The SPLC Leadership Awards ceremony will be held virtually on Monday, April 14 at 2:00 pm EDT. Attendees will witness the announcement of the award winners, hear their inspiring stories, and dive deeper into their winning case studies during interactive breakout sessions. Visit the SPLC Calendar of Events to register.

Media Contact 
Kristy Pickurel, Director of Marketing & Communications, SPLC 
kristyp@sustainablepurchasing.org 

About SPLC 
The Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC) is a global community of purchasers, suppliers, advocates, and experts dedicated to driving positive impact through the power of procurement. Visit SPLC at www.sustainablepurchasing.org.  

Outstanding Case Study Winners
The following organizations received an Outstanding Case Study Certificate in recognition of their contribution of a valuable case study to the online library of case studies in SPLC’s online Member Community.