Purchasing

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Contracts & Procurement 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 environmentally or socially preferable products in each category.

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. EPEAT is the leading global ecolabel for the IT sector, providing independent verification of manufacturers’ sustainability claims.  In 2019, although 100% of electronics purchases were EPEAT products, 34% of those purchases achieved EPEAT Gold. Green Seal and Ecologo are third party verification standards for a variety of products. In 2019, 91% of purchased custodial products achieved Green Seal of Ecologo certification. Cal Poly Humboldt’s 100% Recycled Paper Policy requires campus departments to use 100% post-consumer waste, process chlorine free paper for letter size general use white paper for copiers and printers. As an alternative, departments can purchase a tree-free, agricultural residue alternative. In 2019, 80% of office paper purchases (includes envelopes and stationery) was 100% PC recycled or agricultural waste.

Projects

• Staples Business Advantage Auto Sub Program for sustainable products (Contracts & Procurement) – 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 (Contracts & Procurement) - ongoing 

Next Steps

• Implement the CSU Sustainable Procurement Policy (anticipated release in 2020)
• 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 sutainable purchasing practices