Assign roles and responsibilities

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Embedding responsible purchasing into your organisation’s core ways of working requires more than commitment—it needs clear governance. This includes senior-level oversight and clarity around roles, responsibilities, and decision-making across departments.

In this video: Wendy Savage, Senior Director of Social Impact and Transparency at Patagonia

Wendy shares how the company ensures accountability through cross-functional communication and structured decision-making. She explains that at Patagonia:

  • The responsible purchasing programme is owned across multiple commercial functions, reflecting its importance throughout the business.
  • Each function considers how its decisions impact suppliers and workers.
  • Patagonia uses a four-fold approach to evaluate suppliers—covering social responsibility, environmental standards, quality, and sourcing.
  • Quarterly meetings review purchasing behaviour using this structure, creating space to reflect on impacts and identify solutions.
  • Strong internal communication supports a dynamic, responsive approach to addressing issues as they arise.
  • Regular, interactive training has been essential to securing the support of commercial teams.
  • Expectations to collaborate on responsible purchasing are written into job descriptions, reinforcing accountability and making responsible practice part of everyday roles.

This approach helps ensure that responsible purchasing is not just a policy, but a shared responsibility embedded throughout the organisation.

At Patagonia, responsible purchasing practices (RPP) are not managed by a single team — they’re jointly owned by a cross-functional taskforce that includes leaders from sourcing, planning, product development, and social impact. This case study explores the practical steps Patagonia takes to embed RPP into everyday decision-making and ensure that responsibility is shared across the business.