Procurement
Emissions associated with procurement can be significant, and also represent a great opportunity for campuses to reduce emissions associated with activities beyond the border of their institution in a way that is competitive and financially attractive. A proactive sustainable procurement plan can be a powerful leverage point for reducing not only a school’s carbon footprint, but also that of the school’s suppliers. Actions that institutions can take to reduce and eventually eliminate emissions associated with their procurement policies include:
- buying locally produced goods and services to reduce emissions associated with transport
- buying lower impact products, such as those made from recycled materials, thereby reducing the lifecycle emissions associated with extraction and processing of materials
- supporting ‘cradle-to-cradle’ sustainable product design by purchasing goods deliberately designed to be recycled and/or composted
- promoting education around the concepts and practices of climate neutrality and sustainability by engaging with suppliers throughout the supply chain
- encourage suppliers to use alternative fuels in transportation of goods
Model Initiatives
Rutgers University has developed competitive, economically sound ‘green’ contracts, and a comprehensive sustainability policy for purchasing. They have established contract development criteria, green contract specifications, green RFPs, and are in the process of establishing the Green Purchasing Institute at Rutgers. Instead of dictating terms to suppliers, the university’s approach has been to set out social and environmental criteria for potential vendors, encouraging them to compete and continuously raise the bar in order to win contracts. The university has worked with Staples, Inc. encouraging them to use a bio-diesel blend made of 20% soybean oil in trucks making deliveries to Rutgers campuses.
