Lesley Le Roux, senior ICT procurement manager at Amsterdam City Council, said: “Amsterdam may encounter initiatives such as Electronics Watch as a “Mission Impossible”. That kind of attitude will bring us no good. Making the difference is what we want!”

Björn Claeson, director of Electronics Watch said: “Electronics Watch is encouraged by Amsterdam’s commitment to responsible public procurement and look forward to our collaboration. These steps make Amsterdam stand out as a global model for public procurement that respects and protects communities, workers, and the environment.”

The Electronics Watch Annual Conference 2018, a sustainable conference, will take place on December 11 at the impressive Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), an independent centre of expertise, education and intercultural cooperation dedicated to sustainable development. London Universities Purchasing Consortium and the Good Electronics Network are also co-hosting the conference.

This is the only conference in Europe that focuses on connecting leading practioners of socially responsible public procurement with labour rights monitoring partners from electronics production regions globally. Public buyers hear directly from these monitors about workers’ experiences and conditions in their own supply chains. This immediate connection to the reality on the ground is vital to improving social responsibility in supply chains and to making a difference for workers and their communities.

Electronics Watch is currently looking for sponsorship for this conference (see different levels available). If your organisation might be interested, please contact Martina.