The Role of Green Procurement in Sustainable Waste Management in Ghana: A Case Study of Accra Brewery Limited

ABSTRACT

Some environmental impacts such as pollution and widespread of biodiversity loss can be related to the activities of an organisation supply chain. Manufacturing companies such as breweries, instead of investing in environmentally friendly technologies which can help in the prevention of waste at the source, generate large amounts of unnecessary emissions and wastes. The Accra Brewery Limited (ABL) uses a lot of raw materials; it is energy-intensive and generates a lot of waste and emissions. For more sustainable use of products and services, the best environmental tool to be used as a waste prevention strategy could be green procurement. Through a qualitative research approach and a case study, this study attempts to (i) identify waste generated in the brewery (ii) explore sustainable waste management practices adopted by the brewery (iii) examine the role green procurement plays in the sustainable management of waste in the brewery. The study purposively sampled 18 participants from ABL consisting of management and frontline staff. From a thematic analysis of both primary and secondary data, the study found that the solid and liquid waste generated in the brewery are mainly from the brewing and packaging process. The study shows that the brewery uses a wide range of sustainable waste management practices. It also observed that green procurement plays an important role in solid waste, liquid waste and emission level reduction and waste prevention in the brewery. The results indicate that green procurement can help the brewery to achieve sustainable waste management. The study recommends that the organisations in the brewery industry need to adopt green procurement practices in all their operations and processes as green procurement has a role in the prevention and elimination of waste.