Sustainability

Green procurement means choosing products or services that “have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with the competing products or services that serve the same purpose (EPA website).”

Green procurement is important because the university makes large and frequent purchases that contribute to waste generation on campus. Strategic purchases can reduce the level of toxicity in products and in the raw materials used to create them and model these choices for its constituents.

CSUMB currently directs over 55% of its procurement spending to recycled content choices, including paper products, paint, tires, motor oil, pens, plastic products, and printer cartridges. Most computers and other electronic appliances are Energy Star compliant. Cleaning products are Green Seal certified.

The Facilities Department maintains a pool of used office equipment which can be re-used rather than purchasing new. Even the graduation gowns in May 2012 were made of recycled plastic bottles!

Green cleaning

Look for these attributes to identify green cleaning products:

• Minimizes exposure to concentrates
• No ozone depleting substances
• Recyclable packaging
• Recycled content in packaging
• Reduced bioconcentration factor
• Reduced flammability
• Reduced or no added dyes, except when added for safety purposes
• Reduced or no added fragrances
• Reduced or no skin irritants
• Reduced or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
• Reduced packaging

• Create a “Green List” of sustainable products, and transition the top 10 most commonly purchased office supply items to sustainable alternatives by 2025.
• Incorporate sustainability criteria into all vendor and contract decisions for State and Corporation.
• Explore opportunities to better identify metrics and track sustainable supply chains (software).
• Identify strategies for gathering sustainable procurement related data from non-prefered vendor purchases.
• Complete “pre-waste” audits to identify ways to eliminate unnecessary purchases, identify conscientious alternatives and evaluate potential cost savings.
• Complete an audit of packaging waste generated by large or frequently purchased items (food, technology equipment, etc.) and advocate for zero-waste packaging at the source by 2025.

• Include sustainability training into training for P-Card use by individual offices.
• Integrate 2 annual trainings on sustainable procurement into the business operation forum including, but limited to, staff from Finance & University Personal business services, for both the State and Corporation.
• Increase the number of certified Fair Trade products and campaigns in an effort to become a Fair Trade University. (EJ&I)
• Ensure at least 3 staff procurement officers attend a sustainable procurement conference before 2025 and then provide lunch and learn sessions to colleagues.
• Centralize printers and eliminate single-user printers.
• Implement a policy requiring all campus departments to purchase 100% tree-free paper.

Source: US Environmental Protection Agency