Breadcrumb
Purchasing
Financial Services seeks to increase awareness and enable the purchase of products with a reduced or minimal environmental impact as compared to other similar products/services that serve the same purpose. Suppliers are encouraged to include products that promote environmental stewardship in their online product catalog. Faculty and staff members are empowered to select environmentally friendly products for their purchase requirements. The chart above depicts percent of total annual expenditure on products meeting sustainability criteria for electronics, custodial cleaning products and office paper.
Goals
- Campuses will promote use of suppliers and/or vendors who reduce waste, re-purpose recycled material, or support other environmentally friendly practices in the provision of goods or services to the CSU under contract. This may include additional evaluation points in solicitation evaluations for suppliers integrating sustainable practices (CSU Sustainability Policy)
- To move towards zero waste, campus practices should (1) encourage use of products that minimize volume of trash sent to landfill, (2) participate in the CalRecycle Buy-Recycled program, and (3) increase recycled content purchases in all Buy-Recycled program product categories (CSU Sustainability Policy)
Status
Electronics, custodial products and office paper purchases are utilized as indicators for sustainable procurement, per AASHE STARS criteria. The CSU Sustainability Policy includes a section titled, "Sustainable Procurement," which directs the promotion of suppliers and vendors that "...reduce waste, re-purpose recycled material, or support other environmentally friendly practices in the provision of goods or services to the CSU under contract. This may include additional evaluation points in solicitation evaluations for suppliers integrating sustainable and socially responsible practices." This section of the CSU Policy also details other requirements on minimizing waste in procurement, reporting on recycled content products, reporting on environmental product declarations, and promoting circular economies, considerations that apply to all vendors, products, and business transactions.
Projects
- Staples Business Advantage Auto Sub Program for sustainable products (Financial Services) – COMPLETED
- Participate in the State Agency Buy Recycled Campaign (SABRC) and adhere to Recycle Content Requirements (Contracts & Procurement) - COMPLETED
- Educate campus buyers on green purchasing best practices (Financial Services) - ongoing
Next Steps
- Institute a bid evaluation preference for sustainable criteria when procuring supplies and equipment
- Require packaging for all products procured by the campuses be designed, produced, and distributed to the end user in a sustainable manner, and in coordination with campus waste hauler capabilities
- Compare the Total Cost of Ownership when evaluating costs for goods and services in the selection of suppliers in order to implement whenever feasible
Learn More and Get Involved
- Check out the Sustainable Procurement webpage to learn about current practices
- Seek out alternatives to purchasing new products
- Help educate buyers in your department about sustainable purchasing practices
Explore Sustainability Dashboard Categories
The Humboldt Sustainability Dashboard makes visible our progress towards meeting our sustainability goals, by featuring updated metrics for key sustainability performance areas, along with project descriptions, next steps and information on how you can learn more and get involved. Click through the sustainability categories and join the movement!
This dashboard is brought to you by the Humboldt Advisory Committee on Sustainability (HACS), a group of students, faculty and staff who believe that continual improvement in sustainability can be achieved with transparency and accountability.